Arlecdon

INFORMATION

FontID: 15917ARL
Church/Chapel: Parish Church of St. Michael
Church Patron Saints: St. Michael
Country Name: England
Location: Cumbria, North West
Directions to Site: Located off the A5086, 10 km NE of Whitehaven. The church is located outside the vilage
Historical Region: formerly Cumberland
Font Location in Church: [cf. FontNotes]
Century and Period: 14th century [re-carved in the 16th century], Decorated [altered]
Noted in Scott (1899): "ïn the gorunds of Mr. T. Dixon, Rheda, is the ancient font, dated 1578, belonging to Arlecdon Church. In the third decade of this century, says the Rev. H. Sugden in his notes on the history of the parish, it was acting at a farm-house as a trough to catch rain-water from the roof. Subsequently the font was found by Mr. Dixon in a stone wall at Rowrah Hall, and was removed to its present place of safety. It seems that the contractor who rebuilt the church in 1829, was allowed to use or dispose of any of the material or contents. The font and an ancient tombstone of the Dixons, were sold by him, and while the font was made into a watercatcher, the tombstone found its way to a farm at Kirkland, where it was utilised as a sconce in the dairy." Cox (1913) notes: "A discarded octagonal font stands in the garden, bearing the date of 1578, but it is in reality of 14th cent. date."

MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS

Material: stone
Font Shape: octagonal (mounted)
Basin Interior Shape: rectangular
Basin Exterior Shape: octagonal

INSCRIPTION

Inscription Language: numbers
Inscription Location: on the basin side
Inscription Text: "1578"
Inscription Source: a drawing from an 1897 book in [http://www.sharpedgecumbria.co.uk/history.htm] [accessed 30 January 2010]

REFERENCES

Cox, John Charles, Cumberland and Westmorland, London: George Allen & Co. Ltd., 1913
Scott, Daniel, Bygone Cumberland and Westmorland, London: William Andrews & Co., 1899