St Michael, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire

I Location

Site Location: Bishop's Stortford
National Grid Reference: TL 487 213
County: traditional: Hertfordshire
now: Hertfordshire
Diocese: medieval: Lincoln
now: St Albans
Dedication: medieval: not confirmed
now (or name of monument): St Michael
Type of building/monument: Parish Church

II General Description

The church has a chancel with clerestorey and N chapel, nave with N and S aisles and N and S porches, and W tower. The present flint-walled church is substantially 15thc. with some later additions. The only surviving 12thc. feature is the font.

V Furnishings

1. Fonts

(i)

: Font, general view.

: Font, general view.

: Font, detail.

: Font, detail.

: Font, detail.

The font has a square bowl supported on slender angle colonnettes and a central thicker column. Each face of the font is carved with four shallow bays of blind arcading. There is a roll along the lower edge of the bowl. The central column, along with the base and plinth, is modern. The bowl and colonnettes are Purbeck Marble (or possibly Sussex Marble). There is some damage to the top of the font, probably caused by lid fixings and a repaired crack runs around three sides of the bowl. Lead lined.

Dimensions

h. of colonnettes	0.45 m
h. of bowl	0.26 m
w. of bowl	0.71 m
d. of bowl	0.20 m

VII History

Prior to the Conquest the manor was held of Edward the Confessor by Eddeva the Fair. Afterwards it was sold to William Bishop of London by William I, and at the time of DS it was held by Hugh Bishop of London who also held the advowson.

VIII Comments/Opinions

The church guide records that the font was found buried (no details given) and was reinstalled in the church in 1868.

The font is probably late 12thc. See also the font at Clothall (Herts).

IX Bibliography

N. Pevsner and B. Cherry, The Buildings of England: Hertfordshire, Harmondsworth, 1953 (1977), 100-101.
The Victoria County History: A History of the County of Hertford, London, 1912, 3:303.