Bunwell / Bullwell

Blomefield (1805-1810) writes: "This town is not so much as once called by this name in Domesday Book, but that of Haber-tan, or the Holy Stone, from some remarkable stone cross erected there; but it soon after became to be called by the name of Bunwell, which was a hamlet belonging to it [...] The church is dedicated to St. Michael the archangel, and had 30 acres of glebe belonging to it at the Conquest, when there were three manors, to each of which, a part of the advowson belonged [...] When Norwich Domesday was made, Rob. Fitz-Osborn was patron, and the rector had a house and 40 acres of glebe [...] The church is a neat lightsome building, having a nave only, which with the south porch is covered with lead; the chancel is tiled, and hath a decayed vestry on the north side; the tower is square, and a neat structure, and was finished about 1520." Blomefiled (ibid.) names "Alan de Beccles" as rector, in 1201. Noted in Pevsner & Wilson (1999): "Octagonal, Perp[endicualr], with shields in foiled panels. 12 d. was left to paint it in 1458". Noted and illustrated in Knott (2006): "The font, with its shields set in quatrefoils, is obviously contemporary with the rebuilding of the church." A [now] blank shield inscribed in a cusped panel on each side of the octagonal basin; upper level of the underbowl chamfer decorated with heads at the angles, rosettes on the sides; the lower levl has graded moulding; the sides of the octagonal stem have deeply carved niches or windows, buttresses at the angles; splaying lower base. Plain octagonal plinth. The wooden font cover is octagonal; appears modern. [NB: we have no information on the font from the Domesday-time church here].