Chippenham nr. Bath / Cepeham / Chepeham / Chipeham

There are three entries for this Chippenham [variant spellings] in the Domesday survey [https://opendomesday.org/place/ST9173/chippenham/] [accessed 18 March 2020] one of which reports "1 church. 2.0 church lands" in it. A font here is described in 'Church notes...' (1887) in the context of some "notes [that] were taken between 1835 and 1840": "Font, good Perpendicular." An article in the 8 March 2020 BBC News [https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-51751099] [accessed 18 March 2020] reports "Medieval 'unwanted' font dug up outside Wiltshire church [...] The 16th Century font was unearthed at St Andrew's Church, Chippenham, during construction work in the churchyard. The Rev Rod Key said: "It was replaced by the Victorians, when they redid the church a couple of hundred years ago." Archaeologist Jacq Wilson, who made the discovery, said unwanted fonts were often buried or broken up to stop them "being used for anything profane". Weighing about one tonne, the octagonal font and pedestal were discovered close to the church's front door. "It will be up to the church authorities to decide what is done, but temporarily it can be on show and in the end it may well have to be put back in the ground."' The font consists of two blocks, an octagonal basin and an octagonal pedestal base with a moulded lower base; some damage apparent at the upper rim; buried the font appears to be of late-Perpendicular in design.