Cocking, Sussex

I Location

Site Location: Cocking
National Grid Reference: SU 879 175
County: traditional: Sussex
now: West Sussex
Diocese: medieval: Chichester
now: Chichester
Dedication: medieval: not confirmed
now (or name of monument): not known
Type of building/monument: Parish church

II General Description

: Church Plan

The church comprises an aisled nave, apparently late 11thc. in origin, a 14thc. W tower, and a square-ended chancel with a plain arch and a vestry on its N side. It contains a plain font.

V Furnishings

1. Fonts

(i)

: Font, from NE

Located to the W of the S doorway. A plain tub font with a cylindrical stem and base, the whole raised on two superimposed square plinths of later date. As the bowl has slightly bowed sides, it is suggestive of chalice or cup-shaped fonts. There is a simple offset at the bottom of the bowl and at the top of the plinth; the rim is chamfered. There is a mend on the rim.

Dimensions

circ.	2.28 m
ext. diam.	0.72 m
int. diam.	0.54 m
h. (excl. square plinths)	0.795 m
h. (incl. square plinths)	1.095 m

VII History

There was a church in Cocking at DS. Cocking was held by Robert from Earl Roger.

VIII Comments/Opinions

Nairn and Pevsner date the font to the 12thc., and it is difficult to narrow it down any further. It is tempting, however, to place the plain tub and cup fonts of the county in the first three-quarters of the century, before the fashion for arcaded Sussex marble fonts took over. It is reasonable, however, to expect an overlap of the two types, for financial as much as any other reason.

IX Bibliography

M. F. Drummond-Roberts, Some Sussex Fonts Photographed and Described. Brighton 1935, 25.
J. Morris and J. Mothersill (ed.), Domesday Book: Sussex. Chichester 1976, 11, 11.
I. Nairn and N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Sussex. Harmondsworth 1965, 192-93.
Victoria County History: Sussex. 4 (Chichester Rape) 1953, 45-47, with plan.
A. K. Walker, An Introduction to the Study of English fonts with details of those in Sussex. London 1908, 118-19.