What is recorded here

Half a metre of polished limestone, eight unequal sides, a circular basin deep enough to drown a child's wrist, and one carved face upside down on the south-west corner as if the maker laughed at gravity. It sits beside the southern door of the Roman Catholic church in Freshford, though it may have belonged to St Lachtain's church a hundred and sixty-five metres north. Three hinges still mark the place where a cover swung shut, hiding water and perhaps fear from ordinary eyes. The other corners were broken smooth, but their shapes suggest two more faces and one broach stop, erased by hands that wanted the font to be only a font.

In the church yard of the RC church in Freshford, adjacent to the S doorway. 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. Octagonal polished limestone font (overall Wth 0.66-0.68m; H 0.3-0.35m) with circular basin (diam. 0.525-0.53m; D 0.2m) resting on a modern pedestal. There are three rectangular hinges on the N side for a former cover. The sides of the octagon are not all the same width, ranging from 0.27-0.295m. There is a carved head in high relief, upside down, on the SW angle and a large broach stop occupying most of the SE angle. The NE and NW angles have been defaced. Pike (1989, 581) suggests that, 'Two other possible heads may have been broken off the font', however, the outline shape of the former projecting features suggest that there was another head in the opposing NE angle and another broach stop in the NW angle. See attached photographs: KK013-023009-_01 S side KK013-023009-_02 W side KK013-023009-_03 SW angle KK013-023009-_04 NE angle KK013-023009-_05 Overview of basin Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 22 August 2022

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