Bovill CoA - St Leonard - Monyash, Derbyshire
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N 53° 11.709 W 001° 46.496
30U E 581842 N 5894679
Bovill coat of arms on the font in St Leonard's church, Monyash.
Waymark Code: WM16TK0
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/03/2022
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Bovill coat of arms on the font in St Leonard's church, Monyash.
"This font is probably well advanced in the period known as Decorated, but seems to possess more characteristics of this style than the succeeding one, termed Perpendicular. The chief points about it are the coat of arms, within a shield, on the [north] side of the octagonal bowl, and the curious animal whose head projects from beneath the projecting bowl on the east side.
The stem consists of five clustered shafts — a large central one and four small side shafts. This arrangement would be rare, if not unique, in a font of the Perpendicular style, and inclines one to the belief that it was constructed in the earlier period.
The coat of arms is that of Bovill, the armorial bearings being a fess between three saltires engrailed.
The curious semi-human, semi-bestial face which has been mentioned, has a counterpart in the angle corbel in the tower of Darley Dale Church. On the North-east and South-east pillars of the clustered shafts, which form the stem of the font, are the creature's forepaws and legs, while the hind legs project from the North and South sides of the stem.
Though not the proper armorial bearings of this family, they were thus borne by Bishop Bovill. Their presence here is perhaps owing to the marriage of Richard Blackwell [of Taddington] with the Bovill heiress [Griselda Bovill of Northampton]."
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