Hingham / Hincham

Blomefield (1805-1810) writes: "The Church is a good pile, the tower being very tall and large; the whole was rebuilt by Remigius de Hethersete, rector here, in the time of King Edward III [i.e., 1327-1377]. with the assistance of John le Marshal, his patron, who contributed much to the perfecting of the work; it is dedicated to St. Andrew the Apostle, and had several chapels in it [...] On the font is this Greek anagram". Blomefield (ibid.) also names "Mr. Tho. de Byteringe, clerk." as the first recorded dean here, in 1307. [NB: Remigius de Hethersete or Hethersett became rector of Hingham in 1316, as noted in Blomefield (ibid.); a church existed here before his re-building [cf. supra] but is not named in either of the two entries for 'Hincham' in Domesday (fol. 4, 297) that are cited in Blomefield (ibid.) Blomefield's entry for the parish of West Harling, Norfolk, Blomefield (1805-1810) reports that one of its rectors, a "Ralf Full of Love", who died in 1479 and has a gravestone in this church, "gave 10l. to build a new font in Hingham church". Pevsner & Wilson (1999) note: "Font. Disappointing, of 1858." Knott (2006) writes: "Presumably lost in the Victorian clear-out was the classical font cover seen here by Richard Hart in 1842. It was remarkable for having a palindromic inscription. There is another at Knapton in the far north-east of Norfolk, and that one reads NIYON ANOMHMA MH MONAN OYIN - 'wash not only my face but my sins as well' - and so the one here probably did as well. I suppose that it might even be the same font cover." Was the 1479 font the one seen by Richard Hart [cf. supra] here in 1842? The Victorian font is octagonal, with quatrefoils on the basin sides, a decorated underbowl chamfer and stem; on an octagonal plinth. The wooden cover is octagonal and flat, with metal decoration and ring handle; probably Victorian as well. [NB: we have no information on the font of the earliest church here, or the one with the Greek palindrome on it].