The font at Gayton is a composite medieval object whose present appearance reflects more than one phase of work. The bowl is fundamentally Norman in form: a heavy circular vessel with thick walls, a slightly tapering profile, and a marked simplicity of mass typical of the late 12th century. This underlying Romanesque character accords with the early fabric of the church.
Baptismal-Fonts-and-Stoups Theme Pages
The font is where a child or adult is baptised into the church. The ceremony involves immersing, washing, or pouring water over the head of the person being baptised.
A stoup is a similar type of receptacle for water that has been blessed by the priest. These are placed at the entrance of a church for adherents to use in order to make th sign of the cross.
This simple medieval font at Notre-Dame, Lye, consists of a plain, slightly tapering circular bowl set above a moulded necking and a conical stem rising from a thick circular base. The overall form—broad shoulders, inward-sloping sides, and a clean, undecorated profile—suggests a 13th-century origin, though the surfaces have been heavily limewashed and show signs of later recutting.
This distinctive 13th-century font at St Nicholas, Willoughby, is carved in the form of a large, rounded cauldron-shaped bowl, a type characteristic of the later medieval period in the East and West Midlands. The bowl swells outward above a narrow foot and rests on a square stem rising from a broad, rounded base.
This limestone octagonal font belongs stylistically to the Decorated Gothic period and is best dated to the 14th century. Each face of the bowl is carved with a pointed trefoil set beneath a steeply pitched gable, the gable apex marked by a small floral boss. The tracery is shallowly cut and now considerably worn, but the alternating rhythm of arches and gables remains clear, giving the bowl a unified architectural character typical of mid- to late-medieval font design.
This Perpendicular-period font at Holy Cross, Cold Ashby, is an octagonal bowl set above a tall, multi-stage stem. The bowl is plainly treated, relying on its crisp octagonal geometry rather than carved ornament; each face is defined by broad, flat planes typical of later medieval austerity in font design. A moulded rim encircles the top, and shallow chamfers articulate the angles.
This late medieval font at St Peter’s, Market Bosworth, is an octagonal Gothic bowl enriched with tracery panels, each face carved as a miniature architectural niche. The canopies are formed with cusped arches, slender colonnettes, and pinnacled gablets, creating a continuous band of canopy-work around the bowl.
This font consists of a substantial circular bowl carved from a dense grey stone, its lower edge finished with a clean moulded roll typical of late medieval workmanship. The form is plain but confident, its weight and simplicity characteristic of 15th-century font production in the region, where undecorated round bowls were still widely used.
This highly elaborate octagonal font belongs to the closing phase of the medieval period and is best assigned to the early 16th century. The bowl is carved with a series of deep rectangular niches, each framed by a slender arch with a moulded head. Within these compartments appear a mixture of religious and naturalistic motifs: one panel shows a winged angel holding a shield or lozenge-shaped device, while the adjoining panels present vigorously carved roses and foliage.
This composite baptismal font consists of a substantial limestone bowl carved in high relief and set upon a plain cylindrical pedestal. The bowl is decorated with prominent Renaissance shell motifs, scrolling acanthus foliage, and small rosette flowers, all characteristic of the Italianate ornamental vocabulary that entered church furnishings in the Berry and Loire regions during the early to mid-16th century. The carving is vigorous and confidently modelled, with deeply undercut leaves and large scallop forms arranged symmetrically around the circumference.
A large limestone baptismal font of Renaissance date, carved from a single block and resting on a short, spreading base. The bowl is octagonal in plan with rounded angles and deeply modelled decoration of acanthus-like leaves and egg-and-dart motifs, showing the influence of late Gothic and early Renaissance ornamental vocabularies.
This unusual terracotta font at St Faith’s, Guilsborough, was made in 1823 and is an early example of Gothic Revival ecclesiastical furnishing. The octagonal bowl is decorated on each face with a recessed panel containing floral motifs, including stylised roses and leaf sprays, framed within moulded borders.
The underside of the bowl has stepped mouldings and a band of small scalloped ornament, leading to a tall octagonal stem articulated with Gothic arched openings and slender engaged shafts. The base continues the octagonal profile in a series of plain, chamfered stages.
This finely crafted Gothic Revival baptismal font, preserved in the parish church of Saint-Georges in Villentrois (Indre), exemplifies the renewed enthusiasm for medieval forms that characterized ecclesiastical furnishings across rural central France during the Second Empire. Carved from pale local limestone, the font consists of a circular basin raised on a cylindrical shaft with a moulded base and a leafy capital, its profile harmonizing with the restrained Gothic architecture of the church interior.
This font is a 19th-century marble piece, carved from dark, veined stone and polished to a high sheen. The bowl is a deep, hemispherical basin with a simple moulded rim, resting on a tapered baluster-shaped pedestal that rises from a square plinth. Its smooth surfaces and restrained profile reflect the sober, neoclassical vocabulary commonly used in French parish furnishings of the mid- to late-19th century.
This highly ornate Gothic Revival font was installed during John Gibson’s rebuilding of St Leonard’s (1851–3). Octagonal in plan, the bowl is enriched with dense tracery panels, foliate crocketing, and miniature gabled canopies. Slender colonnettes rise from the corners, supporting pierced and cusped arcading that gives the bowl the character of a small architectural shrine.
This batismal font at Lichfield Cathedral dates from 1862, and was designed by William Slater (1819-1872) and made by James Forsyth (1827-1910), it is constructed from Caen stone, alabaster and marble.