Gumfreston No. 1 / Gumfrestone

Image copyright © H.M.S.O., 1925

PD

Results: 7 records

LB01: design element - motifs - roll moulding

Scene Description: [cf. Font notes]

view of church exterior - north side - detail

Scene Description: the 'baptistery' [cf. Font notes]

Copyright Statement: Image copyright © Humphrey Bolton, 2007

Image Source: detail of a digital photograph by Humphrey Bolton [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/47692] [accessed 18 November 2007]

Copyright Instructions: PERMISSION [requested] NOT AVAILABLE -- IMAGE NOT FOR PUBLIC USE

view of church exterior - north view

Copyright Statement: Image copyright © Humphrey Bolton, 2007

Image Source: digital photograph by Humphrey Bolton [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/47692] [accessed 18 November 2007]

Copyright Instructions: PERMISSION [requested] NOT AVAILABLE -- IMAGE NOT FOR PUBLIC USE

view of church exterior - northeast view

Copyright Statement: Image copyright © [in the public domain]

Image Source: engraving in The Gentleman's Magazine (1856)

Copyright Instructions: PD

view of church interior - nave - looking east

Scene Description: the font, on the left (south) side

Copyright Statement: Image copyright © Frank Whittle, 2007

Image Source: digital photograph by Frank Whittle, 2007, in PBase [http://www.pbase.com/abwhitt/image/74708602] [accessed 18 November 2007]

Copyright Instructions: PERMISSION NOT AVAILABLE -- IMAGE NOT FOR PUBLIC USE

view of font

Copyright Statement: Image copyright © H.M.S.O., 1925

Image Source: drawing in the RCAHMW (Pembroke, 1925)

Copyright Instructions: PD

view of font and cover

Copyright Statement: Image copyright © Frank Whittle, 2007

Image Source: digital photograph by Frank Whittle, 2007, in PBase [http://www.pbase.com/abwhitt/image/74708602] [accessed 18 November 2007]

Copyright Instructions: PERMISSION NOT AVAILABLE -- IMAGE NOT FOR PUBLIC USE

INFORMATION

FontID: 13224GUM
Church/Chapel: Parish Church of St. Lawrence
Church Patron Saints: St. Lawrence [aka Laurence]
Country Name: Wales
Location: Pembrokeshire
Directions to Site: Located 2.5 km WNW of Tenby
Font Location in Church: Inside the church, S side, W end of the nave
Century and Period: 13th century (late?), Medieval
Mason (1856) writes: "At the west end of the nave is the only entrance into the church, under a porch of Early Perpendicular curves in its archway; and at the right-hand corner occurs the stoup for holy water, and octagonal font, let into the main wall of the church, and partly projecting into the porch". Mason's description is commented on in The Gentleman's Magazine (issue for July-Dec, 1856: 550): "We see no reason for calling a stoup a font; it is merely a plain stone basin let into the wall, and rather larger than usual: there is no ground to suppose there is a drain to it, or that it was ever used for baptismal purposes; whereas the baptistery, a small circular projection from the north wall of the nave, just large enough for the font to stand in, is a very remarkable and curious feature, and should certainly have been mentioned." It is rather curious that neither source mentions the font itself which consists of a plain square basin with chamfered angles, raised on a cylindrical pedestal base, and a round-to-square lower base, the upper end of which -the round part- is formed by two roll mouldings, the lower significatly thicker. There is a flat wooden cover on the font. The font is now located at the west end of the nave, just south of the centre aisle. The font is noted and illustrated in the RCAHMW (Pembroke, 1925): "The font possesses no marked character, and may be of any age ; it is perhaps of the late 13th century." Regarding the so-called baptistery, the RCAHMW (ibid.) comments: "It has been regarded as a medieval baptistry, but the position is hardly that of a pre-Reformation baptistry. There can be little doubt that the niche was intended for a memorial figure of the 17th century." The 'baptistery' noted in the above sources is a protrusion of the north wall, as can be seen in the illustration that accompanies the text in this source. [NB: we have no confirmation that this was planned or ever used as a baptistery. It should be noted that there are several healing chalybeate wells popular among the pilgrims to St. David's]

MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS

Material: stone
Font Shape: square (mounted)
Basin Exterior Shape: square

REFERENCES

Great Britain. Royal Commission on Ancient Monuments and Constructions in Wales and Monmouthshire, An inventory of the ancient and historical monuments of the County of Pembroke, London: H.M. Stationary Office, 1925
Mason, R., A Guide to the Town of Tenby and its Neighbourhood, Tenby: [s.n.], 1856