Bruton / Briwetone / Brunetone

There are two entries for Bruton [variant spellings] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/ST6834/bruton/] [accessed 12 April 2018], neither of which mentions cleric or church in it. A plan of this church in Phelps (1836) shows the font located at the westernmost pillar of the south arcade, the font on the south aisle side, but the font is not otherwise mentioned in the entry. The old font may have been removed before Phelp's time. The Gentleman's Magazine (issue for November 1842, p. 524) reports that Bruton parish church "has been re-opened" after re-pewing and other improvements, but that "further improvements are contemplated, namely the purchase of an appropriate font". [NB: we have no confirmation of whether or not these plans were implemented -- for the original font of this church see Index entry for South Brewham]. The font-cover is noted in Howard & Crossley (1919). Pevsner (1958) does not mention a font in his entry for this church. The entry for this parish in the Victoria County History (Somerset, vol. 7, 1999) notes that two churches existed in Bruton as early as the 7th century, and that "[both churches were still standing in the earlier 12th century"; in the parish church of St. Mary, a font is noted in the VCH: "The fragment of an early Purbeck marble font dates from the later 12th century"; the chapel of St. George, extant in the 12th-century, "was still remembered in 1768, [...] but its site has not been identified." The VCH further notes that the chapel of St. Peter was extant in 1526, and "was restored in 1916", but no font is mentioned for either of the two chapels. The present [2009] font at Bruton St. Mary's is an octagonal font in the traditional Perpendicular design and ornamentation (shields in quatrefoils, trefoil-headed niches, etc.) but of the Victorian period, probably introduced in mid-19th century; the octagonal plinth on which the font stands may be of earlier date; the wooden font-cover appears to be earlier but it may be a Victorian product as well. The fragment of the 12th-century Purbeck marble font noted in the VCH entry above is located on a large rectangular stone decorated with large quatrefoils, by the north wall of the nave, near the modern font; the fragment appears to be about 1/2 to 3/4 of the original basin, one side missing completely, another about obe half; the upper rim of the basin has been lost as well, so, of the arcade of round arches that decorated the sides of the basin originally, only the columns are now visible, and only those on the remaining sides; there is enough left to discern the leaf capitals that headed the columns of the base; and there appears to be enough left of the underbowl to discern a round 'belly' between them.