Milton Regis / Middelton / Middeltune / Middleton / Middletune / Midletun / Milton-next-Sittingbourne / Milton Royal / Mylton / Villa Regia de Midleton

There is an entry for Milton [Regis] [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/TQ9065/milton-regis/] [accessed 3 May 2015], but, despited its size, just under 400 households, i t mentions no cleric or church in it. Halsted (1798) writes: "M[ilton], or, more properly, Middleton [...] from the Saxon Midletun [...] antiently called the king's town of Milton, as being part of the antient possessions of the crown [...] In the year 1070, being the 5th year of his reign, William the Conqueror gave to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, the church of Middelton [...] The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It is a large handsome building, consisting of two isles and two chancels [...] It has a well built tower at the west end". The Parish web-site [www.holytrinitymiltonregis.com/brief-history.html] [accessed 8 September 2013] notes: "The original dedication is unknown - the name Holy Trinity could not predate the founding of Trinity Sunday by Pope Gregory IV in 828 [...] he present name of the church may well have been given at the re-dedication of the restored building, probably by Archbishop Lanfranc after the Norman Conquest. [...] The 14th century font formerly stood on a dais at the west end of the Church." The font consists of an octagonal basin with plain vertical sides, graded mouldings on the underbowl chamfer; raised on an octagonal pedestal base with thin mouldings at top and bottom, and a moulded splaying octagonal lower base. There is some damage and repairs to areas of the outer basin. The wooden cover is octagonal, flat and plain; appears modern. [NB: we have no information on the font(s) of the earlier church here].