Croome d'Abitot / Abbots Crombe / Abbots Crome / Abytotescrombe / Crome Abetot / Crombe Osbern / Crombe Osbert / Cromma / Croom Dabitot / Croumbe / Crumba / Crumbe / Crvmbe / Osberne Crumbe

There are two entries for Croome [Croome d'Abitot and Earls Croome] [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/XX0000/croome-dabitot-and-earls-croome/] [accessed 23 September 2014]; neither of which mentions a cleric or a church in it. Miller (1890) reports an old church "rebuilt in 1763", its first recorded rector "Alexander de Abetot ... 1283", but mentions no font in it. The Victoria County History (Worcester, vol. 3, 1913) notes: "The advowson of the church of Croome D'Abitôt followed the descent of the manor from 1283, [...] the earliest time at which we have any mention of it [...] The [present] building was erected in 1763 [...] The elegant carved wood font, with the seats, pulpit, &c., are all contemporary with the building", that was "was erected in 1763". The wooden font is described in the Visit Churches website [www.visitchurches.org.uk/uploads/publications/63.pdf] [accessed 21 May 2010]: "Adam [i.e., Robert Adam] designed an intricate mahogany font which was carved by Sefferin Alken. It has a bowl, cover and stands on a tripod base. The font along with a 17th-century chair were stolen some years ago. They were recovered and the font can now be seen in the Almonry Museum in Eevesham." [NB: Byrne (2013), however, shows the wooden font in the context of the church, at the west end of the nave]. The Churches Conservation Trust website [www.visitchurches.org.uk/findachurch/st-mary-magdalene-croome-dabitot/?region=Worcestershire] [accessed 21 May 2010] informs of an earlier church here: "The original church at Croome was demolished by the 6th Earl of Coventry when he decided to replace his adjacent Jacobean house in the 1750s. His new house and park were designed and laid out by Capability Brown as was the church". [NB: we have no information on the font of the earlier church here].