Carlton Colville / Carletuna / Carlton Colbille / Karletun

Suckling (1846-1848) writes: "The church, [...] which is dedicated to St. Peter, [...] must be of considerable antiquity, as there is a small round-headed window in the north wall of the nave, though the general features of the edifice are of a later period. It contains a good octangular font of stone." Mentioned also in Lewis' Dictionary of 1848: "a curiously sculptured font". The font consists of an octagonal basin with deeply-carved panels containing four seated lions alternating with seated angels holding objects [books?]; there are little rosettes on the frames around the panels; two levels on the underbowl chamfer: the upper one has cherub heads at the angles, while the lower level has floral motifs on the panels; the octagonal-to-square pedestal base has seated lions alternating with buttresses on the sides; raised on a two-step plinth which may be modern or a reconstruction, the upper step with sets of four quatrefoil motifs on the sides. The wooden dover is octagonal and flat, probably modern. The National Monuments Record, English Heritage entry for this church [www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=282039] [accessed 24 March 2012] notes: "C15 carved octagonal font on a 2-stepped base: 4 lions against the stem, angels to the underside of the bowl, and alternate angels and lions on the bowl panels." One source, Adrian S. Pye [www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1850555] [accessed 24 March 2012] states: "The original fabric of the church is 13th c. but it was virtually rebuilt in 1884 in the Decorated style by Howard Gaye.[...] Everything except perhaps the stoup is reproduction from the altar to the font." Another such source, Evelyn Simak [www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2085701] [accessed 24 March 2012], however, notes:" Nothing much has remained from the old church but the C14 baptismal font is original." [NB: if the present font is not original, but a modern replica, it has been executed faithfully in the usual East-Anglia design].