Erlestoke

Reporting the inauguration of St. Saviour's, the new church in Erlestoke, The Builder (issue of 4 September 1880: 308) notes: "The font is of Corsham stone; it is octagonal in plan, richly moulded on all the [?] It stands upon a polished sub-base and step of Pennant stone." The Victoria County History (Wiltshire, vol. 7, 1953) notes: "From early times, Erlestoke [...] formed a chapelry of the church of Melksham [...] About 1220, Bishop Richard Poore assigned the 'church' and its chapelry to the communa of the residentiary canons of Salisbury. [...] There is some evidence that the chapelry was neglected in the 17th century [...] The ecclesiastical parish of Erlestoke was formed in 1877 [...] The church of St. Saviour [...] was built from the designs of G. E. Street [...] in 1880. The church was erected on the site of the earlier church"; there is no mention in the VCH entry of any font here. The Salisbury Diocesan Guild of Ringers web site [http://www.sdgr.org.uk/branchlist/towers/erlestoke.php] [accessed 30 November 2007] notes: "The octagonal font, made of Corsham stone, stands on a penant stone base, over a dry well", by the south wall, and a "carved font cover donated by Mr & Mrs A Tye", the latter of the 20th century. The old church, dedicated to St. James, was demolished prior to the consruction of the new one [NB: we have no information on the baptismal font of the original church].