Dartford / Tarentefort

INFORMATION

Font ID: 12090DAR
Object Type: Baptismal Font1
Font Century and Period/Style: 13th century, Early English
Church / Chapel Name: Parish Church of the Holy Trinity, Dartford
Font Location in Church: Inside the church
Church Patron Saint(s): The Holy Trinity
Church Address: 67 High St, Dartford DA1 1DJ, United Kingdom -- Tel.: +44 1322 222782
Site Location: Kent, South East, England, United Kingdom
Directions to Site: Located off the A225, 25 km SE of London, just N of the M20-M25 junction
Ecclesiastic Region: Diocese of Canterbury
Historical Region: Hundred of Axton [in Domesday]
Additional Comments: disappeared font(s)? the earlier font(s) of this church -- e-mailed the vicar (17 Feb 2010) asking for help, photo, etc. [no reply rec'd]
Font Notes:
There is an entry for Dartford [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ5474/dartford/] [accessed 28 June 2025]; it reports four churches in it. Described in Glynne (1877), who visited this church in 1829: "The font is an octagon, each face sculptured with two rude Early pointed arches; the pedestal is also octagonal." Noted in Newman (1980) as a baptismal font of the 18th century [NB: the fabric of the church goes back to the 13th century, which would probably make Glynne's font contemporary -- has that font disappeared/been replaced by the font noted in Newman?]

MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS

Material: stone
Font Shape: octagonal, mounted
Basin Interior Shape: round
Basin Exterior Shape: octagonal

REFERENCES

  • Glynne, Steven Richard, Sir, Notes on the churches of Kent, London: John Murray, 1877, p. 275
  • Newman, John, West Kent and the Weald, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1980, p. 236