Denton nr. Stilton / Dentone / Dentun

A font here is noted in Bede (1886) as "the late Norman hexagonal font" in which Sir Robert Bruce Cotton had been baptised. [NB: Cuthbert Bede (ibid.) "was rector of Denton and Caldecote for twelve years-- from 1859 to 1871"]. The Victoria County History (Huntingdon, vol. 3, 1936) notes: "The church belonged to the Bishop of Lincoln in 1086 [...] The church is mentioned in the Domesday Survey (1086), but the earliest parts remaining are the 12thcentury responds of the chancel arch [...] The font has a plain octagonal bowl on a heavy octagonal stem and a splayed base: it is probably of 14th-century date." The church has been in ruins since the 1960s, the last service held in 1957. English Heritage [www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-400233-parish-church-of-all-saints-denton-and-c] [accessed 15 Janury 2013] reports: "Ruined Church. C12 and C13 elements, substantially rebuilt 1629-1671. Restored 1865. Abandoned early 1960s [...] This church is roofless. The walls to the nave and chancel survive to full height [...] The church was restored in 1865, but deteriorated in the mid C20 and was abandoned in the 1960s, following which it became a ruin." None of the above sources mention a font in the ruins. [NB: we have no information on the present whereabouts of this font, nor do we have any on the font of the original 12th-century church here].