Sidestrand / Siderstrand / Sistran / Sistrand / Syderstrand / Sydistrond

The Domesday entry for "Sistran" mentions neither church nor cleric in it. Blomefield (1815-1810) writes: "The Church is dedicated to St. Michael, and had two moieties or medieties; John de Ringsted was rector of one, in the patronage of the Earl Warren, valued at 10 marks, and Sir Luke de Ponyngs of the other, valued at 5 marks in the reign of Edward I" [i.e., 1272-1307]. The corresponding entry in Kelly's Directory of 1883 reads: "The church of St. Michael, consisting of chancel and nave, was, through the liberality of S. G. Hoare esq. rebuilt in the Early English style, partly with materials and stone of the old church, and was consecrated in 1881". The old site was in danger due to the advancing sea. An octagonal batismal font located now beneath the tower (the latter space now in use as baptistery) is illustrated in Knott (2006). The present font [cf. infra] consists of an octagonal basin with plain vertical sides and a graded underbowl, raised on an octagonal pedestal base decorated with window tracery on the sides, and a plain splaying lower base, also octagonal. The plinth is of the same shape. The wooden cover consists of a flat octagonal platform with scroll ribs [12?] meeting at the flame-shaped finial; modern? [NB: it is not clear whether the font now at new St. Michael's is the original 15th-century one or a later replacement, as materials of the old church were re-cycled in the new one].