Bray / Bré / Brí Chualann

Corlett (2006) reports "A portion of a stone font [...] found 9...0 in August 2004 in the graveyard of St Paul's Church, Bray [...] partially covered in vegetation". Corlett (ibid.) describes the font as square, with foliage decoration on three sides and suggests the font was originally designed therefore to be "stood against a wall". Corlett (ibid.) indicates the courseness of the inner basin well indigates that a lead-lining would have been inserted in it; he further notes that there are four holes at the angles of the basin, on the bottom side, which he believes indicate the point of attachment for a support. The font was moved to Christ Church, Bray, since St. Paul's has been redundant since 1973. Having noted that the church dates from 1609, Corlett (ibid.) writes: "The font itself appears to date to the late 17th century but there is little available material to compare it with, thereby making it difficult to ascribe a more definite date range". The quadrangular basin is not typical of fonts of the period, and even the shape and carving of the inner well appears more suited to a planter than a font. Christ Church is a 19th-century building nad its own font is described in the Parish site [www.christchurchbray.org/about/history] [accessed 23 November 2011] as a massive stone "Norman in style".