St Mary, Clothall, Hertfordshire

I Location

Site Location: Clothall
National Grid Reference: TL 270 320
County: traditional: Hertfordshire
now: Hertfordshire
Diocese: medieval: not confirmed
medieval: Lincoln
Dedication: medieval: not confirmed
now (or name of monument): St Mary
Type of building/monument: Parish Church

II General Description

The flint rubble church has chancel, nave with S chapel and a tower over the S porch. The church is substantially 14thc. with the tower, S chapel and chancel slightly later than the nave, which however appears to have been built on earlier foundations. An earlier church probably existed on this site, but the only 12thc. feature now present is the font.

V Furnishings

1. Fonts

(i)

: Font, general view.

: Font detail.

: Font detail.

The font has a square bowl supported on angle colonnettes and a central thicker column. The colonnettes have flattened bulbous bases with merge with the base of the central column. The bases are very damaged, only the NE angle is unrepaired. This monolithic structure is supported on a chamfered plinth comprising a number of shaped stones. Each face of the font is carved with four shallow bays of arcading. The colonnettes are modern. The bowl, base and central support are Purbeck Marble (or possibly Sussex Marble). The font has been damaged and the upper part of the bowl (now repaired with cement) had broken completely away from the bowl. Part of the S side has been restored at the top. Lead lined.

Dimensions

total h. not inc. modern plinth	0.71 m
h. of bowl	0.28 m
w. of bowl	0.64 m
d. of basin	0.21 m

VII History

Prior to the conquest the manor of Clothall was held by Alnod Grud. After 1066 it was held by Osbern of Odo of Bayeaux. Odo lost Clothall and all his English possessions after taking part in the rebellion against William Rufus, and Clothall was subsequently made part of the castle-guard barony at Dover which was held by the Port family of Basing. The advowson of the church was held with the manor.

VIII Comments/Opinions

The font is probably late 12thc. See also the font at Bishop's Stortford (Herts).

VCH notes that the lowermost courses in the foundation of the church are shelly oolite, while the upper courses are clunch, suggesting that this may indicate that the 14thc. church made use of materials from an earlier church, or used the the same foundations.

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.