St Andrew, Ewerby, Lincolnshire

I Location

Site Location: Ewerby
National Grid Reference: TF 122 473
County: traditional: Lincolnshire
now: Lincolnshire
Diocese: medieval: Lincoln
now: Lincoln
Dedication: medieval: not confirmed
now (or name of monument): St Andrew
Type of building/monument: Parish church

II General Description

: Exterior, general view of church

Church consists of nave with N and S aisles, which incorporate the W tower with its broach spire, and the chancel; the whole is of a single period, c. 1350, something of a rarity in Lincolnshire. The vestry was added in 1895 during restoration work by C. H. Fowler. The font here is of the 14thc., buts it base is a fragment of an earlier Romanesque font.

V Furnishings

1. Fonts

(i)

: Font, S side

: Font, N side

: Font, E side, general view

: Font, E side close-up view

: Font, detail: base, N side

: Font, detail: base, S side

The base of the 14thc. font here is a fragment from an earlier 12thc. font. It is located in the center of the W tower bay. Base has beaded, intersecting arches, which were once part of a intersecting arcade motif. In the spandrels of the arches there is a large single bead while at the points of intersection between the arches there is a single raised cross motif on the N and W sides, a single large bead on the S and E sides. Much damage on the NW side where ornamentation is missing. Rectangular repair inserted on the SW side. What is visible of the top suggests that it was without ornament.

Dimensions

max. h. of base	0.27 m
circumference of base	2.93 m

VII History

Domesday Book records a church and a priest here in 1086; this was in possession of Gilbert of Ghent.

VIII Comments/Opinions

This is an example of the seldom recorded medieval practice of font burial. The burial of an older font beneath or near the new font that replaced it may have symbolized the tradition and continuity of baptismal rites belonging to the church. In addition to this example at Ewerby, there are four other instances of font burials in the county at Bassingham, Cabourne, Covenham St Mary, and Folkingham. In addition, a further seven sites in Lincolnshire have parts of older fonts reused in some connection with a newer font (see Stocker, 'Fons et origo').

IX Bibliography

Domesday Book: Lincolnshire. 24, 38.
N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire. London 1990, 274.
D.A. Stocker, 'Fons et origo: The symbolic death, burial, resurrection of English font stones,' Church Archaeology. Vol. 1, 1977, 17-25.