Aldwincle All Saints / Aldvincle / Aldwinkle All Saints / Aldwynkle / Ardewinkle

The Gentleman's Magazine (vol. CCXI, August 1861: 168) reports on an excursion of the Northamptonshire Architectural Society on 30 May 1861 that visited Aldwinkle, among other places; the then Rector of St. Peter's, the Revd. H. Ward, described both St. Peter's and All Saints' for the excursionists and noted on the font at the latter: "The font was Early English, and very similar to that of St. Peter's, but, unlike that, had a history. In an old church account-book he found that, in the year 1655, the font stone was sold for 4s. 6d., and, as in the same year's account s there was another entry, vid., paid for a 'basone', he inferred that the domestic article was in use, when needed, in its stead until 1662, when 5.s. 6. was paid to Goodman Garrot for setting up the font again, and 20s. Was paid for leading it. Goodman Garrot did not deserve his title for his skill in setting up fonts, for he placed the supporting staff upside down, besides most mercilessly p[...illegible...] fit his topsy-turvy restoration." Noted in the Victoria County History (Northampton, vol. 3, 1930): "The late 13th-century font consists of an octagonal bowl moulded on the under edge, on a pedestal composed of eight keel-shaped shafts with moulded bases. The font was sold in 1655, but was set up again in 1662, when it was releaded." Reported by Mee (1945): "The plain font is medieval". [NB: Mee (ibid), writing of an old rectory house in Aldwinkle [Mee's spelling] speaks of "the church of All Saints which faces it, is rarely used", and in it mentions "the 600-year-old font the poet [i.e., John Dryden] would be baptised in". Pevsner & Cherry (1973) do not mention any font in either St. Peter's or All Saints'