Gateley / Gatele / Gatelea / Gatelee

There are three entries for Gateley [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/TF9624/gateley/] [accessed 10 February 2014], neither of which mentions a church or cleric in it. Blomefield (1805-1810) writes: "Sir Ralph de Gateley, son of Sir Ralph de Gateley, Knt. granted, as lord and patron, to William, abbot of St. Mary de Pratis of Creak several parcels of land, with the advowson of the church of St. Helen's of Gateley, his brother Sir John confirming the same by deed sans date. Pope Alexander granting license to appropriate it to the said abbey, Simon Wanton Bishop of Norwich confirmed it, and ordained a vicarage" [NB: the VCH (Norfolk, vol. 2, 1906) notes that the Abbey of Creake had been founded in 1206, and provides the confirmation details of the donation: "In 1257 a bull of Pope Alexander authorized the appropriation of the church of Gateley, which was already in the abbey's gift. This appropriation was confirmed by the bishop of Norwich in 1259, and a vicarage formally ordained"]. All of which suggest that the church at Gateley was founded between 1086 and ca.1250, or, more likely, 1206. The present font is noted and illustrated in Knott (2006): "the font must be one of the most primitive in the county, and despite its marble pedestal it appears to grow organically out of the floor like a mushroom." In his entry for nearby Brisley, Knott (2006) notes: "As at neighbouring Gateley the font is primitive and bulky, and topped off by a jaunty coloured cover" [NB: the basin of the Brisley font is plain, as is that of the Gateley font, but the latter is much cruder work]. Not mentioned in Pevsner & Wilson (1999). The plain octagonal basin and moulded underbowl stand on a plain modern octagonal base. The wooden cover is octagonal and flat, with metal decoration and lock; appears old.