Berwick St. James
Image copyright © Trish Steel, 2008
CC-BY-SA-3.0
Results: 2 records
view of font and cover
Copyright Statement: Image copyright © Trish Steel, 2008
Image Source: digital photograph taken 8 February 2007 by Trish Steel [www.geograph.org.uk/photo/333539] [accessed 10 December 2008]
Copyright Instructions: CC-BY-SA-3.0
view of church exterior - southwest view
Copyright Statement: Image copyright © Trish Steel, 2007
Image Source: digital photograph taken 8 February 2007 by Trish Steel [www.geograph.org.uk/photo/333509] [accessed 22 February 2012]
Copyright Instructions: CC-BY-SA-3.0
INFORMATION
Font ID: 14083BER
Object Type: Baptismal Font1
Font Century and Period/Style: 12th century (late?), Late Norman? / Transitional?
Church / Chapel Name: Parish Church of St. James
Font Location in Church: Inside the church
Church Patron Saint(s): St. James
Church Notes: "church of ST. JAMES, apparently so called c. 1191" [cf. VCH entry in bib.]
Church Address: High Street, Berwick, Wiltshire, SP3 4TS, UK
Site Location: Wiltshire, South West, England, United Kingdom
Directions to Site: Located on the B3083, 8 km WSW of Amesbury, about 8 km N of Wilton
Ecclesiastic Region: Diocese of Wiltshire
Historical Region: Hundred of Branch and Dole
Font Notes:
Click to view
Listed in Buck (1951) as one of "several fonts dating from the latter half of the 12th century which, whilst retaining some Norman characteristics such as the chamfered edge, are devoid of all the other usual Norman ornaments, thus showing the tendency towards the Early English style during the period generally known as Transitional Norman", in which group Buck includes: Alvediston, Berwick St. James, Broughton Gifford, Collingbourne Ducis, Odstock and Westwood. The Victoria County History (Wiltshire, vol. 15, 1995) notes: "Berwick St. James church was standing in the mid 12th century. [...] he nave is of the mid 12th century: on the inside the north doorway has an order of chevrons on the arch and a lintel decorated with diaper carving." There is no font mentioned in the VCH entry for this parish. The present font consists of a plain bucket-shaped basin raised on a plain cylindrical stem, and a lower base that is round an moulded at the top, but square and moulded below. The wooden cover is conical and appears modern.
COORDINATES
UTM: 30U 577043 5667246
Latitude & Longitude (Decimal): 51.151474, -1.898438
Latitude & Longitude (DMS): 51° 9′ 5.3″ N, 1° 53′ 54.38″ W
MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS
Material: stone
Font Shape: bucket-shaped, mounted
Basin Interior Shape: round
Basin Exterior Shape: round
LID INFORMATION
Date: modern?
Material: wood
Apparatus: no
Notes: [cf. FontNotes]
REFERENCES
- Victoria County History [online], University of London, 1993-. URL: https://www.british-history.ac.uk.
- Buck, A.G. Randle, "Some Wiltshire fonts. Part III", LIV, CXCV (December 1951), The Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, 1951, pp. 192-209; p. 32