South Elmham St. James / St James South Elmham

Noted with an engraving in Suckling (1846-1848): "At the foot of the western arcade stands a very large and ancient font of Norman construction, sustaining a canopy of oak, richly carved, but of much inferior date [...] the font itself is coloured yellow -- a barbarism the more to be regretted as it is carved out of Purbeck marble, a stone which bears the highest polish." Parker (1855) mentions a square font of the Norman period "on legs", with "a very good P[erpendicular] cover." Listed in Cautley (1982) as a baptismal font of the 12th century; he also points out a heavy metal dove used as counter-weight for the old cover; it is no longer in use. Noted and illustrated in the CRSBI (2008), which reports on the poor state of the Purbeck marble font, and : "The round-headed arcading and square format indicates that this is a later 12thc. model." Described and illustrated in Knott (2008): "the Norman font sits on a bold pedestal, and is crowned by an extraordinary font cover which is probably 15th century. It is as idiosyncratic as the rest of the woodwork in the building." The font consists of a square table-top basin raised on a central shaft and four angle colonnettes [NB: although the original were probably very much like the present shafts, these are a modern replacement]; the sides of the basin are very eroded now, but at least the east side has traces of what appears to be an arcade of round arches; the spandrels of the upper surface of the basin have a stylised leaf motif; the basin is raised on a quadrangular lower base of two volumes, the lower with moulded sides, and a two-step quadrangular plinth; modern. The old cover consists of a lower volume, a square crown-like base of foliated sides, on which is an octagonal pyramid with crocketed arrises and finial; there is a pulley (?) system in place to raise the cover. The entry for this church in Historic England [Listing NGR: TM3227281216] notes: "Parish church. C12, C13, C14 and C15 [...] Square C12 font of Purbeck marble with very worn shallow blank arcading round the bowl, a large central shaft and 4 smaller corner. shafts on a fluted base with a later base below that. Tall suspended C15 font cover." Noted in Leach (1975) as a font made of Purbeck marble: "bowl with panels on each face" [source given: Pevsner].