Broughton / Bereuton / Bereweton / Berghton / Brestone / Broughton nr. Houghton / Burghton

There are two entries for this Broughton [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/SU3032/broughton/] [accessed 12 September 2018] one of which reports seven churches in it. White (1878) notes: "There is a curiously carved piscina, which has evidently been removed from one of the chapels which formerly existed in the church, and is now used as a font." The entry for this parish in the Victoria County History (Hampshire, vol. 4, 1911) notes: "The living of Broughton at the time of the Domesday Survey was a chapelry annexed to Mottisfont and forming part of the property of Thomas Archbishop of York, [...] but it subsequently became a rectory, the advowson of which was 'parcel of the prebend of Newthorpe and Wilton . . . and attached to the dignity and office of the treasurer of York Cathedral.' [...] The earliest building for which evidence exists was an aisleless 12th-century church, with a nave of the same width as at present, but only extending as far west as the existing aisles, and probably without a west tower. [...] On the south side is an interesting 15th-century pillar piscina. The bowl is octagonal with roses on the sides, and below are three grotesque figures, one a devil catching a man in a noose. The stem has trefoiled panels and a moulded base and was originally attached to the wall. This piscina noted in White (ibid) may be one of the two interesting objects reported in the entry for this church in Historic England [Listing NGR: SU3081033021]: "Under SE window C15 pillar piscina of octagonal bowl and roses on sides, below octagonal shaft and capital with carved grotesques. On NW sill stone bowl." A 15th-century piscina is also noted by David Ross in Britain Express [www.britainexpress.com/counties/hampshire/churches/broughton.htm] [accessed 12 Septemver 2018]: "On the south side of the sanctuary is a 15th century pillar piscina. The central pillar supports an octagonal bowl carved with roses. Below is a fascinating carving of three figures. One is a devil, who appears to be catching a man in a noose. Unfortunately, when we visited, the chancel was roped off and alarmed, so we could only get a glimpse of the piscina and a distant photo over the choir stalls." The font now [2010] in use at St. Mary's is described and illustrated in the Parish web site [http://www.broughton-hants.net], the description verbatim from the Victoria County History (Hampshire, vol. 4, 1911) entry for this church: "The font is modern, with an elaborate bowl on grey marble shafts." The reddish marble basin is octagonal and raised on a cluster of eight outer colonnettes and a central shaft; prismatic octagonal cover made of openwork wood. [NB: a church is said to have existed on this site since the early-11th century, though the fabric is 12th century or later; we have no information on the medieval font(s)]