Ditchling / Dicelinga / Dicelinges / Diceninges / Dickeningh / Digelinges / Dyccanlyngum / Dychenynge / Dytcheling

There is no mention of a font in this church in Hussey (1852) [cf. infra]. Harrison (1920) reports a modern font in this church. An earlier font, round and decorated with leaves at the base, is noted in Drummond-Roberts (1935) as 13th-century. The Victoria County History (Sussex, vol. 7, 1940) notes: "The nave may date to the 11th century, but no old features remain. In the late 12th century a south aisle was added, and in the second half of the 13th century the chancel was rebuilt, or transformed into a central tower [...] The blocked north doorway was destroyed in 1863 and the old font and Jacobean pulpit removed." The VCH entry (ibid.) has a plan of the church interior showing a font in the centre of the south aisle, the later font, which consists of a shallow and narrow moulded octagonal basin raised on a pedestal base and a moulded lower base, both also octagonal. The wooden cover is also octagonal, with a know handle. Both font and cover are modern, 20th-century. The Parish web site [www.beaconparishes.org/about_stmargarets] [accessed 5 November 2012] informs that the font was made by Joseph Cribb. [NB we have no information on the whereabouts of the font removed from this church in 1863]