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12th Century Baptismal Font at the Church of Saint Mary, Litton Cheney, Dorset, England |
| GENERAL INFORMATION | ||
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Dedication |
Saint Mary | |
| Location | Litton Cheney , Dorset, England | |
| Font location in church | In the Nave opposite the door | |
| workshop | Unknown | |
| Date/Century/Period | 12th Century | |
| Medium | Limestone | |
| Drainage | no drainage | |
| Date of On-site Visit | 10th November 2005 | |
FONT NOTES Cylindrical bowl with enriched cornice and necking, date uncertain, retooled, stem modern. Pevsner and Mee considers this font is of Norman origin. Hutchins agrees with this and considers it is formed from the inverted base of a Norman circular pier. Fonts formed from parts of other older structures can also be found at Melbury Bubb and Tollar Porcorum. There is damage to the lower part of this which is hidden from view against the north wall of the the nave and some speculation about its cause. As it seems likely that this was not originally intended as a baptismal font, the damage could have occurred in a number of ways. It is possible that the decorated pier or capital was damaged upon the demolition of a Norman structure but nevertheless consider suitable as a font. The church structure has undergone various transformations in the 14th, 15th and 19th centuries and it is possible that the damage occurred in one of these periods. It is also possible that
the damage was caused in the 16th century when nearby churches are known to have suffered from the iconoclastic zeal of the reformers as was the case at Loders (where reference is made to the Calvary). However this seems unlikely, as the decoration of this font includes no apparent religious iconography. The font at Bere Regis has also suffered similar damage. |
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| REFERENCE |
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| DESCRIPTION | DIMENSIONS | ||
| Font Shape | cylindrical | Total Height (without plinth or cover) | 93 cm |
| Basin Shape (outside) | circular | Diameter of basin (including rim) | 68 cm |
| Basin Shape (inside) | circular | Diameter of basin (not including rim) | 54 cm |
| Basin lining | lead lined | Width of rim | 7 cm |
| Shape of Base | funnel | Outside Height of Basin |
39 cm |
| Number of pieces | 2 | Inside depth of Basin | 21 cm |
![]() The Church of the Saint Mary |
![]() View of the font from the door |
![]() View from the font looking towards the altar |
![]() View of the font from the altar |
View of the front of the font looking north |
![]() View of the front with detail |
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Inside view of the font |