Winchester No. 9 / Venta Belgarum / Wintanceaster / Yenta Belgaruan

The Victoria County History (Hampshire, vol. 5, 1912) notes: "The church of St. Thomas in Southgate Street is a modern building [...] The registers are in ten books: (1) baptisms and marriages 1678 to 1722"; there is no mention of a font in the VCH. Anne Thick [www.southernlife.org.uk/winchu1.htm] [accessed 6 September 2011] writes that the original church of St. Thomas, earlier dedicated to St. Petroc, was a building that existed already in the 12th century and was located on St, Thomas Street, and survived until its demolition in 1845, the time when the new church was built on Southgate Street. The font of this church, notes Thick (ibid.), "in the words of the Hampshire Chronicle of 17th April, 1847, " is taken from ancient example ..... the work and gift of the Rev. 0. A. Hodgson, one of the minor canons of the Cathedral."" [NB: we have no information on the font of the medieval church].