Rochdale No. 2 / Rachedale / Recedham

There is an entry for Rochdale [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [https://opendomesday.org/place/SD8913/rochdale/] [accessed 11 March 2019] but it mentiones neither cleric nor church in it. Fishwick (1894) describes and illustrates an old stone basin found buried in the churchyard by the sexton on 7 February 1893; Fishwick notes: "The depth of the basin is one foot, and on one side of the bottom of it is a hole leading to one side of the base. In the brim are found four holes, which have evidently been used for the insertion of the staples or iron rods to which the lid or cover was attached." Fishwick (ibid.) adds that, although some suggestions for very early dating had been made, "it is by no means easy to assign to it a date", and suggests that it may actually be the font that was introduced in the major renovations carried out in the church in the 15th century. Fishwick (ibid.) states: "This font is certainly not of Saxon or even Norman origin." Later, Fishwick (1900), reports the font as similar to the one found at Broughton nr. Preston". Described in the entry for this parish in the Victoria County History (Lancaster, vol. 5, 1911): "The font now in use, which stands under the tower, was found buried in the vicarage garden in 1892, and consists of an octagonal sandstone bowl 2 ft. 8 in. in diameter at top and 1 ft. 10 in. in height, on a new base. It is entirely without ornament and of rough workmanship, and dates apparently from the latter part of the 15 th century. It is very much worn, but the top still shows the holes for fastenings. There is a modern cover". Noted and illustrated in the Parish web site: "Mediaeval Font. The top half of the structure shown was found in 1893 buried in the Churchyard against the wall opposite the West door. It was buried during the Civil War for security. Cromwell had wanted to destroy it so local people hid it." [NB: unkown sourc {'Rochdale in 1841'e: "the font and many of the monuments are very ancient." -- http://www.oldtowns.co.uk/Lancashire/rochdale.htm [accessed 30 March 2009]. [cf. Index entry for Rochdale No. 1 for the earlier font of this church]