Basingstoke No. 1 / Basingestoches / Basingestok / Embasinga stocæ

There are two entries for Basingstoke [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/SU6351/basingstoke/] [accessed 7 August 2018], one of which reports "1 priest [...] 1 church. 1.0 church lands" in it. The Victoria County History (Hampshire, vol. 4, 1911) notes: "It is not clear at what date there was first a church at Basingstoke, though it seems certain that at the time of the Domesday Survey there was only one church for Basing and Basingstoke, and that was the church of Basing [...] The earliest parts are the chancel, south chapel and vestry. The arches opening north and west from the south chapel look like 14th-century work. [...] All the furniture of the church is of modern date; the font, which stands under the tower, is elaborately carved and has a tall traceried oak canopy over it." The present modern font is noted and illustrated in the parish's web site [www.basingstoketeamparish.org.uk/allsab/building/baptistery.html#font] [accessed 1 September 2008] : "At the centre is the Font, a great bowl used for Holy Baptism. It is one of the two most important parts of the church, the other being the High Altar. Our font is made of a huge piece of Chilmark stone and has six sides (unlike medieval fonts, which usually have eight). The font was designed by Temple Moore and is beautifully carved with gothic motifs and the sacred monogram." [NB: we have no information on the font from the original church here]. [NB: the VCH informs of a 13th-century chapel here dedicated to the Holy Ghost [...] probably to celebrate masses for the souls of those buried in its Liten or buryingplace"; it is not clear whether or not it had baptismal rights].