High Laver

Noted in the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (Essex, 1916-1923): "Font: octagonal bowl with moulded underside, each face with quatrefoiled panel enclosing a blank shield, panelled and traceried stem, mid 14th-century, base modern." Reported in the Victoria County History (Essex, vol. 4, 1956): "The nave was built late in the 12th century. [...] The font, which stands in the tower, dates from the middle of the 14th century. It has an octagonal bowl on each face of which is a quatrefoil panel enclosing a shield." The VCH (ibid.) adds that the font was repaired around 1865. Noted in Pevsner (1976) and in Bettley & Pevsner (2007): "Font. Octagonal, Perp[endicular], with traceried stem; bowl with quatrefoils carrying shields." The outer surfaces of the font are eroded and the whole has been whitewashed; one of the shields of the basin has an inscription, partially erased ["TM 1719"?] and a later addition [perhaps a churchwarden's initials and date]; the underbowl chamfer is a large scotia between two torus, damaged as well; the octagonal pedestal base has traceried windows on its sides; the lower base is modern and has graded moulding on five of its eight sides; the other three sides fit into a modern kneeling extension. The wooden cover is plain, octagonal and flat, and appears modern. [NB: the fabric of the church goes back to late-Norman times, but we have no information on the earlier font]