East Leake / Lecche / Leche

There are four entries for [East and West] Leake [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/XX0000/east-and-west-leake/] [accessed 3 April 2016], one of which reports a church and a priest in it. Font here described in Allen (1833): "The font is octagonal, and is supported by an octagonal shaft." Described and illustrated in the Spring Excursion of the Thoroton Society of 1902: "On entering the church the early English octagonal font is noticeable. On it the hinges of the cover are traceable, and above it is seen the pulley for raising the cover." Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) and Cox (1912) as a baptismal font of the Early English period; Cox (ibid.) describes it as ca. 1200, octagonal and raised on five shafts. Listed as Early English in Guilford (1927). In Pevsner & Williamson (1979): "E[arly] E[nglish], very crude." Information on the 2007 renovations inside St. Mary's [www.nottshistoricchurchtrust.org.uk/churches/eastleake.htm] [accessed 13 October 2009] shows the polygonal basin raised on a central shaft and four angle colonnettes; the basin upper rim is damaged. The font was re-located as part of this renovation. The font consists of a plain octagonal basin raised on a broad central shaft and four (?) outer columns; the outer columns are cemented to the basin sides, and it is possible they were not there when Allen visited here [cf. supra]. There are large worn areas at the upper rim of the basin, as if the font edge had been used for sharpening tools. The wooden font cover consists of a flat octagonal platform with four ribs around a centre pivot; round finial; modern.