West Tofts / Stoffta

Blomefield (1805-1810) writes: "The Church is dedicated to St. Mary, [...] a very ancient building of flint stone, &c.; the nave is [...] covered with reed. [...] In the wall on the south side is a place for the holy water, where formerly was an altar [...] This tower was begun about the end of Henry the Sixth's reign, or in the beginning of Edward the Fourth's" [i.e., ca. 1422-1461]; there is no mention of a font in this source. A font in this church is reported in the English Heritage [Listing NGR: TL8360392898] [www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-220981-church-of-st-mary-lynford-norfolk] [accessed 13 March 2013]. It is not included in Knott's 2004 entry for this church in his Norfolk Churches, but an illustration that shows the top of the font and the whole wooden cover can be found in his Flickr album [www.flickr.com/photos/97947642@N00/437491447/] [accessed 6 September 2009]: "C14 octagonal font with angel corbels" . The octagonal font in the church is probably a 19th-century model based on Perpendicular designs, octagonal, the sides of the basin decorated with pointed quatrefoils and blank shields in circles on alternate sides. The cover itself could be a 17th-century original, octagonal pyramid with crocketed arrises and floral finial [unless it is a Victorian replica] [NB: we have no information on the original font of this church]