Sutton St Nicholas and Sutton St Michael are adjoining villages in the Lugg valley, 4 miles N of Hereford. Sutton St Michael, to the W, has the remains of a deserted medieval village. Both villages have 12thc churches with Romanesque sculpture. St Michael’s has a long 12thc chancel with round-headed lancets at the N and E, and 14thc lancets in the S wall. The chancel arch is 12thc, and the 12thc nave has a blocked N lancet, a small 13thc W doorway under a modern timber porch, and a weatherboarded 17thc bell turret over the W end, rebuilt in 2007. The chancel arch and the font are recorded here

Nigel the Physician had two holdings in Sutton in 1086. The first, of 2 hides, was held by Leofflaed in 1066, and was held by Nigel in demesne except for a mill that Hugh l’Asne held from him. The second, of 1 hide, was held by Spirites the Priest in 1066. Hugh l’Asne also held his own manor in Sutton, held by Leofflaed before the Conquest. This was assessed at 2 hides.

According to Duncumb, Sutton St Michael was the holding of Spirites the Priest; Nigel’s other holding became St Nicholas, and Hugh’s holding was largely situated in Marden.

The bowl of the font was recovered from the garden of a house on the road to Sutton St Nicholas and returned to the church. According to Marshall, it is made of local Withington sandstone, like the font at Sutton St Nicholas, and the lions are similar to those at the base of the Hereford Cathedral font and are evidently made by the same mason. Marshall dates it c.1140.