Llanfair Caereinion / Llanvair Caereinion / Llanfaircaereinion / Llanvaircaereinion

INFORMATION

FontID: 16469LLA
Church/Chapel: Parish Church of St. Mary
Church Patron Saints: St. Mary the Virgin
Country Name: Wales
Location: Powys
Directions to Site: Located 13 km from Welshpool, 16 km W of Montgomery
Historical Region: formerly Montgomeryshire
Font Location in Church: Inside the church
Date: ca. 1240?
Century and Period: 13th century, Early English
Hughes (1883) writes: "The ancient font is a massive octagonal one on a circular base and bears marks of being chiselled." The RCAHM (Montgomery, 1911) notes: "The font is octagonal in shape. It is devoid of any feature that would permit of its dating, but it is probably of the 13th or 14th century." The RCAHMW database [http://www.coflein.gov.uk] notes: "Although St. Mary’s was demolished and rebuilt by Edward Haycock in 1868 […] the south porch can be dated to the early thirteenth century, and although the font has proven difficult to date, it appears to be from the same period." Noted in the CPAT Montgomeryshire Churches Survey [http://www.cpat.demon.co.uk/projects/longer/churches/montgom/32637.htm] [accessed 27 April 2010] as a baptismal font of the 13th century in this re-built church. This same source informs that Glynne reported a damaged octagonal font at the time of his visit, in 1858, a few years before the old church was demolished in 1866-7, re-built, and consecrated in 1868.

MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS

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

REFERENCES

Great Britain. Royal Commission on Ancient Monuments and Constructions in Wales and Monmouthshire, An inventory of the ancient and historical monuments of the County of Montgomery, London: H.M. Stationary Office, 1911
Hughes, Edward Pentyrich, "A parochial history of Llanfair Careinion", XVI, ii, 1883, pp. 337-378; r["References"]