Bolton Abbey / Bodeltone

Bolton [Abbey] [variant spelling] is one in a group entry for a total of twenty places in the Domesday survey [https://opendomesday.org/place/SE0753/bolton-abbey/] [accessed 30 September 2019] but it mentions neither cleric nor church in it. The entry for the Austin canons priory of Bolton in the Victoria County History (York, vol. 3, 1974) notes: "The priory of Austin canons, afterwards moved in 1151 [...] to Bolton, was originally founded at Embsay [...] in Skipton, by William Meschines and Cecilia de Romeli his wife, lady of Skipton, in 1120"; three episcopal visitations (1275, 1280 and 1367) report issues related to the conventual church, and, "In 1482 [...] Archbishop Rotherham issued a set of injunctions; the majority are in general terms, and refer to the due observances of the canonical life. The frequent access to and gossiping at the priory of women is forbidden, as grave scandal had arisen from it in regard to the prior and some of the canons. Neither the prior nor canons were to hold private confabulations with any suspected women, either in the church or other secret places, within or outside the priory, by which evil report might arise. [...] Prior Moone and fourteen canons surrendered the house on 29 January 1540." The entry for this priory church in Historic England [List Entry Number: 1015684] notes: "The monument is divided into two separate areas; one which includes the standing ruins of the priory, [...] and the other area which includes the remains of a medieval reservoir on the hillside to the west of the priory. [...] The east end of the church and the two transepts still stand to roof height. The nave, or main body of the church, stands to full height and is still roofed. The east end of the nave was blocked off at the Dissolution and is now used as the parish church". Baptismal font consisting of a multi-lobed (eight lobes) basin with vertical sides, every other one of which is decorated with a deeply-carved tracery motif, the upper and lower rims of the basin moulded; moulded underbowl and moulded caps and bases of the eight clustered colonnettes of the base; on a round lower base. The wooden cover consists of an eight-lobed platform with four raised scrolled ribs with a ball finial. Both font and cover are from the 1867 restoration by George Street and of his design. There is a holy-water stoup by the southeast door that could be medieval, perhaps 13th-century.