Witham / Witham Friary / Witham Priory / Witeham

There are two entries for Witham [Friary] [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/ST7441/witham-friary/] [accessed 24 January 2018], neither of which mentions cleric or church in it. Drawing of a font in the Harvey Pridham Drawings of English Fonts (MS 56). [Folder Number, Item Description]. University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries. Special Collections Dept., done by Harvey Pridham in September 1887 accompanied by the following description: "The church contains 2 fonts - one given by a somebody in commemoration of his baptism about 1843 - still in the building: and this, the old one, which was discovered while the old debased, West Tower was being pulled down, it having been walled in. The original license for this font, issued by Bishop Beekynton, is preserved at Wells. Octagonal outside: all but square base. Inside bowl is circular, lead-lined, with a 3" margin, and 13 1/4 deep. Position, against W. wall. No cover." A pamphlet of 25 May 1909 by Rev. E.B. Prince, Vicar of Witham Friary, entitled "Sketches of the History and Life of Witham Friary in the Nineteenth Century [provided by Cherice Mayer in http://www.gomezsmart.myzen.co.uk/places/witham/wf19hist.htm [accessed 12 April 2008] records: "During the work of restoration the old Font, placed in the Church in 1459,was found built into the masonry of the Tower - it was replaced in the Church, and the Font which had been used meanwhile now stands in the recess in the north wall of the Church." Wade & Wade (1929) report a "Norm[an] font, which was once built into the tower erected in 1832. There is also a modern font, which was used before the former one was recovered." The National Monument Record [IoE no. 266932] [http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=266932] [accessed 12 April 2008], hoever, notes: "scraped octagonal font of c1450". The Victoria County History (Somerset, vol. 2, 1911) adds: "In 1443 [...] Bishop Beckington of Bath and Wells gave the monks permission to build a dormitory for the convenience of the guests and lay brethren who should visit them, and on 20 May 1458, [...] at the petition of the prior he granted licence for the placing of a baptismal font in the chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary, being the chapel of the lay brethren". A field evaluation carried out by Context One Archaeological Services in March 2004 [http://www.contextone.co.uk/online_reports/downloads/EVA_WFS_report.pdf] [accessed 12 April 2008] reports: "The font itself was originally installed in 1459 under licence from the bishop. It was thrown out during restoration in 1859 and used as foundations for the church. In 1875 when the tower was demolished the font was rediscovered and reinstalled in the church."