Sutton Veny / Great Sutton

The Victoria County History (Wiltshire, vol. 8, 1965) notes: "The first mention found of the church of Sutton Veny occurs in 1220, [...] but there are traces of Norman work in the old parish church and it is probable that the church of Sutton was among the gifts made by Hamelin de Ballon about the beginning of the 12th century for the endowment of the priory of Abergavenny. [...] The small church, dedicated to St. Leonard, served the parish until towards the end of the 19th century when because of the condition of its fabric it was abandoned for a new church built about 700 yds. to the north-west [...] The church of St. Leonard, with the exception of the chancel, has fallen into ruins since the building of the church of St. John the Evangelist [...] There are traces of a Norman doorway in the ruined north wall of the nave"; there is no mention of a font in the VCH entry. Pevsner & Cherry (1975) note a modern font: "Font. Plain bulbous bowl on a square base (not belonging?) with bases for angle ". The National Monuments Record (English Heritage) entry for this church [www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=313442] [accessed 16 January 2012] reports: "C12 cylindrical font set on reused pier base." [NB: we have no information on the medieval font of St. Leonard's -- the Church of St. John the Evangelist has a modern font -- the VCH (ibid.) notes a chapel attached to the manor in Little Sutton: "The first institution found to the free chapel of St. Nicholas in Little Sutton is in 1312", but we have no evidence of it having a baptismal function or a font].