
Baptism Font - St Bartholomew - Longnor, Staffordshire
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N 53° 10.913 W 001° 52.127
30U E 575595 N 5893101
Norman baptism font in St Bartholomew's church, Longnor
Waymark Code: WM16RFX
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/25/2022
Views: 0
Norman baptism font in St Bartholomew's church, Longnor
The survival of a Norman font in the present church may indicate the existence of a church at Longnor by the 12th century. A church was first mentioned, however, in 1448. The present church of St Bartholomew, a dedication probably in use by 1631, dates from the later 1770s. Only the plan of its predecessor is known.
"Located at the W end of the nave, under the gallery. It is chalice-shaped with bowl and stem carved from the same block of stone. The exterior of the bowl is roughly shaped, with incised decoration on the N, W and S faces, consisting of a series of motifs, apparently without connection, as follows (reading from L to R starting at the N):
1. A recessed blank shield.
2. A similar shield with a central escutcheon.
3. A round human head with worn features simply inscribed, with hair or a headdress indicated by an inscribed line. This identification is uncertain.
4. A shield with an escutcheon within a bordure.
5. An inverted blank shield tilted at a slight angle from the vertical. The basin is circular and unlined. The bowl has rim damage at the E (two holes), the SE (two holes and a large chip) and the NW (a large chip).
Dimensions -
ext. diam. at rim 0.83 m
h. of font 1.00 m
int. diam. 0.58 m"
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