Whittington nr. Lancaster / Quitanton / Qwytington / Whytington / Witetune / Witington / Wyttinton

This Whittington [variant spelling] is one of over a dozen places included in an entry in Domesday [https://opendomesday.org/place/SD6076/whittington/] [accessed 5 April 2019]; it mentions neither cleric nor church in it. The entry for this parish in the Victoria County History (Lancaster, vol. 8, 1914) notes "As Whittington was the head of a great lordship before the Conquest, it is probable that some chapel existed there from an early time, though it may not have become a parish church till later [...] traces of the building which seems to have stood on the same site in the 12th century", but the furnishings of the present church are of later date: "The lower part of the tower [...] is used as the baptistery, a large font of polished limestone being modern. An old circular stone font, probably of 17th-century date, lies on the south side of the churchyard near the porch [...] A 'new font' is mentioned in 1661." The website of Whittington Village [http://www.whittingtonvillage.fsnet.co.uk/html_pages/st_michaels/st_michaels.html] [accessed 7 January 2010] notes and illustrates two fonts: "There is a large Victorian font of polished limestone replacing the 17th Century circular stone font, situated to the right of the steps." The older font consists of a plain cylindrical basin raised on a stem and lower base, both plain and round. The 19th-century replacement font is a reddish marble affair, round basin on a round pedestal base, both with varied decoration. Hartwell & Pevsner (2010) do not mention either font. [NB: there may have been a church here since ca. 1200, but we have no information on the earlier fonts]