Reading No. 3 / Rading / Reding / Redinges / Redynges

There are three entries for Reading [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/SU7173/reading/] [accessed 28 April 2015], one of which parts, in the lordship of the Abbey of St. Martin's, Battle, mentions a church in it. The Victoria County History (Berkshire, vol. 3, 1923) notes: "The nave, aisles, and foundations of the south transept [of this church] date from the early 14th century. This is fixed approximately by the will of Alan de Baunebury, who died at Reading in 1311", but does not mention a font in it. The present baptismal font consists of an octagonal (?) basin executed in an imitation style of the late-Decorated and Early Perpendicular fonts, but raised on the favourite Victorian base, a cluster of marble colonnettes, and an octagonal lower base; it is located at the west end of the arcade that separates the nave from the south aisle. This modern font is probably dated to the 1860s restoration. [NB: the church itself dates from 1285, restored in the 1860s, but we have no information on the medieval font].