London No. 73

Allen (1839?) writes that the original church was supposed to have been founded in 930 AD by king Athelstan, and that the church survived "till the year 1634, when it was pulled down, and a new church was built upon the same spot, which was destroyed 32 years later by the fire of London […] The reparations of the church after the great fire [,] by sir C[hristopher] Wren, were completed in 1685 […] The font is situated in a pew in the north aisle; it is a handsome circular basin of white marble, sustained on a balluster, and ornamented with four cherubic heads with expanded wings, and covered with fruit and foliage in basso relievo. There is little doubt of its having been carved by the masterly hand of Gibbons, as it much resembles that of St. Margaret, Lothbury, in everything but the style of ornaments". In his description of the church interior, Allen (ibid.) adds an interesting note related to the source for the font: "The only monument worthy of notice is to the memory of Benjamin Harvey, esq. major of the yellow regiment of trained bands, who gave the font. He died 1684, aged 44 " [NB: obviously the font from the original Saxon church ihas disappeared]