Wroxall / Wroxhall

The entry for Wroxhall [sic] in Notices of the churches of Warwickshire (vol. 2, 1858) notes: "No mention is made of this place in Domesday [...] It was not however very long after the Conqueror's time that the foundation of a Monastery on this spot, brought it into notice [...] No Parish Church appears to have ever heen founded at Wroxhall [...] the dedication of this Church [...] took place AD 1315 [...] The Font, which is placed near the west end, is a plain octagonal faced basin, the underpart sloping, set on an octagonal shaft which stands on a square plinth. The basin is not large enough for immersion. It is surmounted by a plain spire-shaped cover." The Victoria County History (Warwick, vol. 3, 1945) notes: "The precise legal status of Wroxall Church is not easy to ascertain, but it appears that it is a parish church or public chapel within the meaning of 4 Geo. II c. 76. sec. 22. It was originally the church of the nuns of Wroxall, who evidently assigned part of it to the use of their tenants and provided for the services of the church. The rectory belonged to the priory in such circumstances as to except it from the operation of 4 Henry IV, c. 12, by which religious houses were compelled to appoint as vicar a secular priest, not a member of the house and not removable at the pleasure of the house; and also to provide for his sufficient endowment. The nuns had complete rights over the fabric of Wroxall Church [...] The parish church of ST. LEONARD was originally structurally part of the priory church, but it is probable that this part was always assigned to the parishioners and that the destroyed portion south of it constituted the church of the nuns. It is a rectangular structure 94 ft. long by 22 ft. wide, dating from about 1315 [...] and having the west tower of 1663–4 [...] built within the west end. [...] The font is modern. [...] In the smaller building are many loose stones and a disused font of the 16th century: this is octagonal and has splayed sides to the bowl, with a roll lower edge, and stem with broach stops at the base." English Heritage [Listing NGR: SP2218770729] (1967) reports "C14 font to right of chancel, screen has octagonal base and basin".