Rawreth

Benton (1867-1888) writes: "The font is a plain old perpendicular one of the 15th century, and devoid of interest. It rests on a fragment of stone, upon one corner of which is incised a cross." Benton (ibid.) further notes: "the Rector has the remains of a supposed holy water stoup, exhumed from the Rectory grounds." The Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (Essex, 1916-1923) notes: "Font: modern, but incorporating old cylindrical stem. In churchyard--octagonal bowl with arcaded sides and sunk in ground, 12th or 13th century." [NB: the present [2008] font consists of a modern octagonal basin with charged shields and other carvings, raised on a stem with deep buttresses, and a moulded lower base also octagonal; not clear where the old stem was incorporated, perhaps as the central stem behing the buttresses? -- the octagonal wooden cover with inscription on the sides is also modern]. Bettley & Pevsner (2007) note: "Geldart designed all the fittings for the church, made by Cox, Sons, Buckley & Co., and shown at the Ecclesiastical Art Exhibition, 1882." [i.e., Ernest Geldart (1848-1929), architect and decorator, as well as vicar]. The RCHM (ibid.) also inventories a holy-water stoup in the north porch [no separate entry in this Index]