Wormegay No. 1 / Wermegai / Wermegay / Wirmegey

Blomefield (1805-1810) writes: "Hermerus de Ferrariis, a powerful Norman baron, had the grant of this lordship, on the expulsion of Turchetill, who had large possessions before the conquest [...] In Turchetil's time this lordship consisted of one carucate of land, 8 villains and 2 servi, with 8 acres of meadow, one carucate in demean, and one among the tenants, the 4th part of a mill and 3 fisheries, 3 cows, &c. 4 skeps of bees and a church [...] The Church of Wirmegey is dedicated to St. Michael, [...] It is an ancient single building, of car-stone, flint, &c. covered with reed; at the west end of the nave is an ancient font; on the basons are 8 shields, now defaced; [...] the bason for the holy water is still remaining. The tower, at the west end of the nave, is chiefly of car-stone, in which hangs one bell; the chancel is divided from the nave by a wooden screen, and is covered with Holland gutter-tiles. This church stands near a mile east of the present village, (which is now a very mean one) in the fields by itself." That same font is probably the one described in Pevsner & Wilson (1999): "Octagonal, Perp[endicular], with shields in pointed quatrefoils." [NB: we have no information on the baptismal font of the pre-Conquest church here]