Snailwell / Snellewelle

There is an entry for Snailwell [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/TL6467/snailwell/] [accessed 20 July 2016], but it mentions neither cleric nor church in it. The Victoria County History (Cambridge…, vol. 10, 2002) notes: "There was a church at Snailwell by the 11th century. […] Snailwell church, always remaining a rectory, belonged from the 12th century to the bishops of Ely. […] The parish church of ST. PETER, so called in 1791 […] and perhaps from c. 1400, […] but dedicated to St. Andrew in the late 13th century, […] consists of a clerestoried nave with north and south aisles, chancel and west tower. […] Its 11thcentury round tower dressed in Barnack limestone, of three stages with a plain parapet, had until c. 1850 a lead spire, which probably collapsed before 1877"; no font mentioned in the VCH entry. The St. Margaret's Church, Chippenham, web site [http://ely.anglican.org/parishes/chippenham/index.htm] [accessed 28 November 2007] notes: "St Peter's Church in the parish of Snailwell is also ancient. The present church dates from 1070 A.D. and the rare flint constructed round tower survives from this period [...] In addition to the round tower of St Peter's, there are traces of the Norman nave and roof still clearly visible at the west end of the church [...] The nave was enlarged in 1320 when the north aisle and the original vestry were built. A door leading into the north aisle can still be seen outside the church. The present stone font and canopied tomb by the high altar date from this period." The present wooden cover is modern but there is evidence on the sides of the upper rim of the basin of anchoring spots for an earlier cover. [NB: there probably was an earlier font, dating from the original early-Norman church, but we have no information on that font].