Oldham / Aldholm / Aldhulm / Oldam / Oldhulme / Oldom / Oldome / Oldum / Oldun / Olduum / Ouldham

No individivual entry found for Oldham in the Domesday survey. Butterworth (1841) notes: "The parochial chapel, dedicated to St. Mary, existed prior to 1448, rebuilt 1476, and in 1827-30, [...] the font of the old church is of early date". The entry for this township in the Victoria County History (Lancaster, vol. 5, 1911) notes: "In 1476, Ralph Langley, parson of Prestwich, built ' a body of a church' there. This seems to imply the existence of a chancel at that date. [...] The old church was pulled down in 1827, and the present structure erected between that date and 1830 [...] An octagonal font, formerly belonging to the church, is now in the Oldham Museum"; the font is further mentioned in a footnote: "There is a description of the font, and an account of its history subsequent to the year 1829, in Trans. Lancs, and Cbes. Antiq. Soc. viii, 158–9." The entry for this church in Historic England [Listing NGR: SD9272905112] early-20th century fittings in the 1827-1830 present re-building. Upon request from BSI, Sean Baggaley, Senior Curator of the Gallery Oldham wrote: "I am happy to confirm that the font is indeed still in our collections. Oldham St Mary’s Church was demolished in 1829 to make way for a new building. This version of the church dated to 1476 but there is some evidence that the 1476 building was an enlargement that incorporated an earlier church. The font removed in 1829 either dates to 1476 or may date from the 1300s. Victorian antiquarians felt that it dated to 1350-1400. For some 40 years the font was incorporated as a feature of the gardens of a large private house in Oldham. It was used as a planter and a hole was drilled into it to allow drainage. It was then removed to the newly laid out Alexandra Park in Oldham at some point in the 1860s or 1870s. And then it was taken into the collections of Oldham Museum at some point before 1890. I have attached a photograph showing the font on display in 1912. It is a stone octagonal font that once had four figures at the base – an ox, swan, lion and eagle. These are now mostly indistinguishable, possibly because of the treatment the font received whilst outside for many years. I am sorry to say that I do not have a decent modern image of the font. It is currently stored rather inaccessibly and has not been on display since 1999. There are plans for it to be displayed in our new Arts & Heritage Centre which should open at some point in 2021. As part of this work there should be the chance for a conservation assessment and some decent images to be taken in the coming months."