Hoe / Hoo / Hou / How

Blomefield (1805-1810) writes: "hamlet belonging to, and in the parish of, East Derham, and belonged to the abbey of Ely, founded by St. Audrey, or Etheldreda, and was held by Ralph, son of Ivo, of the abbot, and afterwards of the King, as appears from the book of Domesday [...] To this hamlet belongs a chapel with a nave or body, a north and south isle, and a chancel covered with lead, with a square tower and 3 bells; and the cure is served by the vicar of East Derham." The Domsday entry for Hou mentions neither church nor cleric in it. The present font here is reported in Lewis' Dictionary of 1848 simply as "a handsome font" in this church. In Pevsner & Wilson (1999): "Octagonal, Perp[endicular]. Against the stem pretty vertical bands of quatrefoils. Against the bowl flowers in cusped fields." English Heritage [Listing NGR: TF9949619530] reports: "Low round western tower, probably C12, with 3 post-Medieval, brick dressed, rectangular bell-openings. Nave with flint western quoins and a post-Medieval east wall with tumbling-in. Norman south doorway of 2 orders". [NB: we have no information on the font of the original Norman church here].