Upottery / Up-Ottery

INFORMATION

Font ID: 14333SME
Object Type: Baptismal Font1
Font Century and Period/Style: 15th century, Perpendicular
Church / Chapel Name: Parish Church of St. Mary
Font Location in Church: Inside the church
Church Patron Saint(s): St. Mary the Virgin
Site Location: Devon, South West, England, United Kingdom
Directions to Site: Located 8 km NNE of Honiton
Font Notes:
Noted in Pevsner (1952): "Font. Perp[endicular], octagonal, with quatrefoil panels." Cooke (2003) notes that in nearby Smeatharpe: "The community seemed to fade after the aerodrome closed and the barracks that were scattered around were sold or demolished. The school closed in 1962 […] The church altar, font, cross and candlesticks and the painting, situated over the altar, were given to St. Mary's Church in Upottery and placed in the Lady Chapel" [NB: it is not clear whether or not these furnishings were modern or from an earlier church; most likely the former, as Smeatharpe appears not to have had a church proper, but may have held religious services at the village school with the help of the vicars from Upottery]. [NB: baptismal records at Upottery St. Mary's are kept since 1702]

MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS

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

REFERENCES

  • Cooke, Ruby, "Smeatharpe as I Remember", July 2003, Upottery & Rawridge Parish Pump Magazine, 2003
  • Pevsner, Nikolaus, South Devon, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1952, p. 303