Tattenhoe / Tattenhall / Tattenho / Thateo / Totenho / Tottenhoe / Tottynho

No entry found for Tattenhoe in the Domesday survey. Sheahan (1862) writes: "The font is an octagonal-shaped vase of free stone, which, like the pedestal that supports it (consisting of four circular pillars) is well carved and wrought, like the cornice or capital of a pillar, with the egg and anchor ornament. It is painted to represent marble". The Victoria County History (Buckingham, vol. 3, 1925) notes: "Sibyl de Angerville, grandmother of Ralph Martel, granted the place called Snelshall (locum de Snelleshal) and the chapel of Tattenhoe to the monastery of Lavendon in the 12th century [...] The [present] church of St. Giles […] was built in 1540 from some of the remains of Snelshall Priory in the adjoining parish of Whaddon. It would appear to have been disused for a time in the 17th century […] In 1892 the church was restored […] The carved octagonal bowl of the font is modern, but the base is probably of the 13th century and consists of four grouped shafts with moulded capitals and bases, all painted." A font somewhat meeting the description in the VCH is illustrated in 'A short history of Newton Longville' by Roger Martin and Jimmy Bates [www.newton-longville.co.uk/html/village_history.html] [accessed 13 January 2010]. The font appears now as a composite object of awkward presence: the narrow round basin with moulded and decorated sides appears to sit on a thick rope moulding [not clear which part this belongs to, basin or base], on a cluster of four round columns with moulded capitals and bases; this columnar base appears to be of typical 13th-century design and execution, and is most likely of the Early English period, as suggested in th VCH [NB: not clear whether the octagonal basin noted in the VCH was replaced by the present round one, or it is the same one re-carved]. The Parish website [http://www.parishes.oxford.anglican.org/tattenhoe/history.htm] [accessed 13 January 2010] notes: "In 1538 Henry VIII ordered Snelshall Priory to be closed and demolished. Some of the stones were transported and used to rebuild St Giles’. Parts of today’s St Giles’ are still recognisable as part of an earlier building - including the archway of the main door and the base of our font."