Sturston / Esterestuna / Stertuna

INFORMATION

Font ID: 18379STU
Object Type: Baptismal Font1?
Font Century and Period/Style: 13th century (late?), Decorated
Church / Chapel Name: Parish Church of the Holy Cross [disappeared]
Site Location: Norfolk, East Anglia, England, United Kingdom
Directions to Site: The deserted village is located 10 km N of Thetford [prohibited infantry training area; access not allowed without special permission from the Army]
Ecclesiastic Region: [Diocese of Norwich]
Historical Region: Hundred of Grimeshoe [aka Gimeshou]
Additional Comments: disappeared font? (of the disappeared medieval church here)
Font Notes:
Blomefield (1805-1810) writes; "This church was well endowed, which occasioned its early appropriation to the priory of Dunmow in Essex, founded by the Lords Baynard, for in the beginning of the reign of Edward I. [i.e., 1272+] [...] The Church is dedicated to the Holy-Cross, and stands a little south of the house; it is a small pile, built of flint, &c. [...] covered with tiles; at the east end was formerly a chancel, as appears from the foundation-stones, and at the west end is a low square tower of flint, in a ruinous condition, and open from the top to the bottom." Three entries in Domesday (fol. 127, 230, 256), as 'Esterestuna' and 'Stertuna', neither of which mentions a church or priest in them. Kelly's Directory of 1883 reports: "Here was formerly a church, but only the ruins are now to be seen." [NB: we have no information on the font from the 13th-century church here].

COORDINATES

UTM: 31U 348530 5819269

REFERENCES

  • Blomefield, Francis, An essay towards a topographical history of Norfolk, 1805-1810, vol. 2: 248-250 / [www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=78059] [accessed 13 March 2013]
  • Kelly, Kelly's Directory for Cambridge, Norfolk & Suffolk, London: Kelly's Directories Ltd., 1883, p. 507
  • Wilson, John Marius, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales: embracing recent changes in counties, dioceses, parishes, and boroughs [...], Edinburgh: A. Fullarton & Co., 1870-1872, [cited in www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/place_page.jsp?p_id=2908 [accessed 13 March 2013]]