South Barrow

INFORMATION

Font ID: 13365BAR
Object Type: Baptismal Font1
Font Date: 1584?
Font Century and Period/Style: 13th century [stem only] -- 16th century(late?) [basin only] [composite font], Medieval [composite]
Church / Chapel Name: Parish Church of St. Peter
Font Location in Church: Inside the church
Church Patron Saint(s): St. Peter
Church Address: Church St., South Barrow BA227LN, United Kingdom
Site Location: Somerset, South West, England, United Kingdom
Directions to Site: Located off (W) the A359, about halfway between Frome (NNE) and Yeovil (SSW)
Ecclesiastic Region: Diocese of Bath & Wells
Additional Comments: NB: could it be that the curious EE look is because it was EE and re-dated later? / composite font? [cf. FontNotes]
Font Notes:
Noted in Wade & Wade (1929): "The font, dated 1584, has a curious E[arly] E[nglish] look." Described in Pevsner (1958): "The stem C13, the bowl completely plain, octagonal, with initials and the date 1584." Listed in Historic England [Listing NGR: ST6018127892]: "font a chamfered cuboid bowl, lettered "1584/RM/SM", on possibly earlier shaft with attached corner shafts." The entry for this font in Donovan & Reid (1962-1963) notes: "The font stem and the square slab are of one piece of Purbeck Marble, probably of the 13th century. This and the early font at Crewkerne seem to show that Purbeck was imported into the southern parts of the county for use in fonts long before it was adopted for more general building purposes." Listed and illustrated in the CRSBI [https://www.crsbi.ac.uk/view-item?i=3699] [accessed 7 December 2025]: "The font is sited at the NE angle of the SW part of the church, just W of the S door and S of the central aisle. It consists of a heavy octagonal bowl (better described as a cube with the angles chamfered off). The upper and lower rims are chamfered, the lower with a roll above the chamfer. A later inscription reads “1584/RM/SM.” The bowl is of greyish/ochre stone, possibly from a Castle Cary bed. The unlined bowl stands on a pedestal, consisting of four slim columns engaged around a central fat one. This is very badly eroded and may be of Purbeck marble (or perhaps the local substitute from the Keinton Mandeville quarries). It stands on a small square lias step."
Credit and Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Pol Herman for the Donovan & Reid reference

MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS

Material: stone
Font Shape: octagonal, mounted
Basin Interior Shape: round
Basin Exterior Shape: octagonal
Diameter (inside rim): 48 cm*
Basin Total Height: 46 cm*
Height of Base: 26 cm*
Font Height (with Plinth): 85 cm*
Trapezoidal Basin: 64 x 64 cm*
Notes on Measurements: * CRSBI

INSCRIPTION

Inscription Language: letters and numbers
Inscription Location: on the basin side
Inscription Text: "1584/RM/SM"
Inscription Notes: [cf. FontNotes]
Inscription Source: Historic England Listing NGR: ST6018127892

REFERENCES

  • Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland, The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland, The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland. URL: http://www.crsbi.ac.uk.
  • Donovan, D.T., "The Stone Insets of Some Somerset Churches", 107, SANHS Proceedings, 1962-1963, pp. 60-71.
  • Pevsner, Nikolaus, South and West Somerset, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1958, p. 291
  • Wade, G.H., Somerset, London: Methurn & Co., 1929, [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12287/12287-h/12287-h.htm] [accessed 1 March 2008]