Speldhurst / Speldburst / Speleberste

Hasted (1797) writes: "On Thursday, October 22, 1791, a dreadful storm of thunder and lightning happened in these parts, which set fire to this church, a ball of fire being observed to enter the center of the shingled part of the spire, and instantly a thick smoke, followed by slames issued from it, and there being no help at hand, every thing contributed to its destruction [...] The bells were melted by the intense heat, the monuments in it, and every thing else which could become a prey to the fiery element were reduced to ashes; the stone walls only were left, but in so ruinous a condition as not to be fit for future use, and what is extraordinary, the font, though left entire, was turned upside down [...] A brief was obtained towards the re-building of it, but the work, though the size of it has been greatly reduced, the new church, consisting but of one isle and a very small chancel, has gone on but slowly, and at this time is not near finished, and neither steeple nor bells are yet agreed upon, the brief not producing so much as was expected." The issue of The Architect (May 7, 1870: 228) that reports the restoration of this church does not mention the font, but the issue for May 20, 1871: 269 notes: "The font is of stone, cut out of the old one". Noted in Mackinnon (1902). Newman (1980) notes the present font: "octagonal excellently designed stiffleaf panels under arcading", by John Oldrid Scott, from the second reconstruction of this church in 1870-1871, but does not mention the origin of the new font [NB: the original church is mentioned in the Textus Roffensis of 1115; we have no information on the original shape or date of the medieval font].