What is recorded here

No one knows if the font emerged from Freshford itself or travelled down from St Lachtain's church, yet it still stands beside the altar, wearing water like a habit. Its four sides compete in arches, some round, some pointed, some flaring like small doors, while polished edges and punched stone suggest a maker proud enough to be seen up close. A baby may still be lifted over that circular basin, joining centuries of people who believed birth needed witness as much as love.

Within the RC church in Freshford, left of the altar where it is in use as a baptismal font . The original location of this font is unknown, it may have come from St Lachtain's church (KK013-023001-), currently the C of I church c. 165m to the N. A square limestone font (total H 0.41m; H above base chamfer 0.33m; Wth 0.65-0.66m), the lower edge of each side is chamfered (D of chamfer 0.1m). The four angles of the font are also chamfered, each terminating with a broach stop above the base chamfer. It currently rests on a modern pedestal. It is decorated with arcades, the N and E sides with seven round-headed arches, the S side with seven pointed arches and the W side with five ogee-headed arches with spandrels. The columns dividing the arches on the S and W sides continue onto the base chamfer where they taper to a point. The raised surrounds of the arch are polished while the intervening spaces and the base chamfer are dressed with punch tooling. The basin of the font is circular (diam. 0.535m; D 0.22m) and the central drain hole has been filled in. There are the remains of three circular hinges on the N side of the top for a former cover. It probably dates to the 15th century. Pike (1989, 572-82; 597-9) includes this in an 'Ossory Group' of fonts. See attached photographs: KK013-023008-_01 N and W sides viewed from the NW KK013-023008-_02 N side KK013-023008-_03 S side KK013-023008-_04 E side KK013-023008-_05 Overview of top of font with scale, from S side Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 22 August 2022

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