Fonthill Bishop

INFORMATION

Font ID: 14116FON
Object Type: Baptismal Font1
Font Century and Period/Style: 12th - 13th century, Transitional / Early English
Cognate Fonts: [cf. FontNotes]
Church / Chapel Name: Parish Church of All Saints, Fonthill Bishop
Church Patron Saint(s): All Saints
Church Address: Salisbury Road, Fonthill Bishop, Wiltshire, SP3 5SF, UK
Site Location: Wiltshire, South West, England, United Kingdom
Directions to Site: Located on the B3089, just W of Chilmark, 22 km E of Salisbury
Ecclesiastic Region: Diocese of Salisbury
Historical Region: Hundred of Dunworth [in Domesday]
Font Notes:
Noted in Buck (1951) as a group of octagonal baptismal fonts with simple plain mouldings and dating from the late 12th or early 13th century in the county of Wiltshire, at Alderton, Blunsdon St. Andrew, Broad Hinton, Collingbourne Kingston, Corston, Fonthill Bishop, Idmiston, Lydiard Tregoze, Marden and Melksham. The Victoria County History (Wiltshire, vol. 11, 1980) notes: "A church was mentioned in 1242 [...] There is no feature which can be ascribed with certainty to a period earlier than the 13th century; but the walls of the nave appear to be older [...] The chancel was rebuilt in 1871 [...] and the remainder of the fabric was extensively restored in 1879." Threre is no mention of a font in the VCH entry for this parish. [NB: we have no information on the medieval font here].

COORDINATES

UTM: 30U 563016 5661331

MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS

Material: stone
Font Shape: octagonal, mounted
Basin Interior Shape: round
Basin Exterior Shape: octagonal

REFERENCES

  • Buck, A.G. Randle, "Some Wiltshire fonts. Part II", LIV, CXCIV (June 1951), The Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, 1951, pp. 19-35; p. 32