Thetford No. 6 / Deodford / Tedford / Tefford / Tetford / Theford / Sitomagus

INFORMATION

Font ID: 18344THE
Object Type: Baptismal Font1?
Font Century and Period/Style: 10th - 11th century, Pre-Conquest
Church / Chapel Name: Parish Church of St. May the Great [disappeared]
Church Patron Saint(s): St. Mary the Virgin
Site Location: Norfolk, East Anglia, England, United Kingdom
Directions to Site: [cf. FontNotes]
Historical Region: Burgh of Thetford -- partly in Suffolk
Additional Comments: disappeared font? (the one from the disappeared church here)
Font Notes:
Blomefield (1805-1810) writes: "The mother church of this city was dedicated to St. Mary, and stood where the free-school, and master of the hospital's house now stands [...] was without doubt the most ancient church in this town, it being parochial before the Confessor's time; but it doth not appear when, or by whom, it was first founded; it belonged to the bishoprick till Stigand retained it, with other revenues of the see, at whose disgrace it came to the King, who gave it to Bishop Arfast and his heirs: he pulled it down, and built his cathedral church in its room, from which time it ceased to be parochial, its parish being laid to the church of the Holy Trinity". [NB: this pre-Conquest church disappeared and we have no information on its font].

COORDINATES

UTM: 31U 346619 5809199

REFERENCES

  • Blomefield, Francis, An essay towards a topographical history of Norfolk, 1805-1810, vol. 2: 47-51 / [www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=78027] [accessed 7 March 2013]
  • Blomefield, Francis, An essay towards a topographical history of Norfolk, 1805-1810, vol. 2: 59-76 / [www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=78031] [accessed 7 March 2013]