Hogshaw / Hocsaga / Hoggesaue / Hoggeshai / Hogsaga / Hogseagh / Hogshaw-with-Fulbrook / Hoggeshagh / Hogshawe / Horkeshawe / Oggesaue

There is an entry for Hogshaw [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/SP7422/hogshaw/] [accessed 3 December 2015], but it mentions neither cleric nor church in it. Lipscomb (1831- ) reports that in the Mansion of the Throckmortons are "the remains of the Baptismal Font, brought from the ruins of Hogshaw Church, and now a cistern for water for domestic purposes, conducted to it from the neighbouring hill, at the foot of which this house is situated." Sheahan (1862) elaborates: "The Church was dedicated to St John Baptist but not a vestige of it remains"; Sheahan (ibid.) further notes that the church was destroyed in the Civil War; the ruins of the church stood by for some years but the whole was demolished in 1730 and replaced by a brick ox-house, while the stones from the church were "employed in mending roads". The baptismal font from Hogshaw church, however, was taken from the ruins of Hogshaw church to the adjacent village of Fulbrook [aka Fulbrooke, Folebroc, Fullebroc, Fullebroke and Folkwyke] and "was long used as a water cistern for domestic purposes; but at present it serves as a flower vase in Mr. Curtis's garden". On the latter, Sheahan (ibid) adds: "Fulbrooke consists of one farm, on which at the foot of a hill, stood the moated mansion of the Throckmortons, since converted into a farm house, at present in the occupation of Mr. John J. Curtis." The Victoria County History (Buckingham, vol. 4, 1927) cites Sheahan. The Buckinghamshire County Council [ref.: BCC record ID: 0034502001] reports the former medieval font from Hogshaw Church moved to the Museum of the Order of St. John, London [Verbal communication: 1992. CURATOR, MUSEUM OF THE ORDER OF ST JOHN, LONDON TO PIKE A R, 1992. ] [https://ubp.buckscc.gov.uk/SingleResult.aspx?uid=MBC1134]. The font is shows in the Museum site with label dating it "1250-1299" [http://museumstjohn.org.uk/collections/font-basin/] [accessed 24 May 2019]: "Dating back to the thirteenth century, this 700-year old font was discovered on a farm allegedly being used as a feeding trough for cattle. Today the font can be found in the twelfth century Priory Crypt of the Order of St John in Clerkenwell, but it was originally used in the St John Commandery Church of Hogshaw in Buckinghamshire. Just as the Clerkenwell Priory was largely demolished during the English Reformation so to was Hogshaw Church. In 1547 the Church was closed on the orders of Henry VIII and the land was seized by the Crown. Hogshaw Church was later demolished, and the font was removed to the nearby garden of Fulbrook Farm. It was on this Farm that the font was rumoured to be used as a feeding trough for the farmers’ cows. On its re-discovery in the mid-twentieth century the assistant keeper of the British Museum, Mr Wilson authenticated the date of the font confirming that this magnificent stonework was from the late thirteenth century. The stone font is octagonal in shape and each vertical face is decorated with simple pilasters. The eights sides of the font have Christian symbolic meaning. The eighth day of creation is associated with renewal, regeneration, and resurrection: qualities that correlate with the sacrament of baptism. In 1960 the font was presented to the Order of St John by the landlords of Fulbrook Farm, Corpus Christi College in Oxford. Alongside the approval of the farm tenants, the College requested that the font be erected in the Norman Crypt, the historic surroundings being suited for the stonework. A Knight of the Order personally collected the font from Fulbrook Farm and brought it to Clerkenwell for restoration. The font base was designed and built in 1960 by the architects John Seely, Lord Mottistone and Paul Edward Paget; the original design of which can be seen below. With the advice of Mr Wilson from the British Museum, the architects designed a font pedestal that was true to the period. The Order of St John was ardent that the font be erected in the Crypt for June 25th 1960 when it was used once again for the celebration of a Holy Communion to open the annual St John’s Day ceremonies. For more information: http://www.bearersofthecross.org.uk/collections/getrecord/LDOSJ_2016_13"