12th Century Baptismal Font at the Church of
Saint Mary, Litton Cheney, Dorset, England
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GENERAL INFORMATION
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.

REFERENCE
Hutchins, J. The history and antiquities of the County of Dorset, 3rd ed., edited by W. Shipp and J.W. Hodson, Westminster: J.B. Nichols, 1861-1873, Vol. 2, p754.
Mee, A., ed., Dorset: Thomas Hardy's country. The King's England. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1939, pp. 127-128.
Newman, J. and Pevsner, N., The buildings of England: Dorset. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1972, p. 255.
Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), An inventory of historical monuments in the County of Dorset, Vol. 1, West Dorset. London: HMSO, 1952, pp. 135-136.
Sackett, T. and Sackett, E., Francis Frith's Dorset Churches. Salisbury: Frith Book Co., 2000, p. 53.
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



View of the damage at the rear



Inside view of the font
Copyright Gerald Duke 2005