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St Andrew, Ewerby, Lincolnshire

Location
(53°0′40″N, 0°19′44″W)
Ewerby
TF 122 473
pre-1974 traditional (England and Wales) Lincolnshire
now Lincolnshire
  • Thomas E. Russo

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Feature Sets
Description

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.

History

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

Features

Furnishings

Fonts

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').

Bibliography

Domesday Book: Lincolnshire. 24, 38.

D.A. Stocker, 'Fons et origo: The symbolic death, burial, resurrection of English font stones,' Church Archaeology. Vol. 1, 1977, 17-25.

N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire. London 1990, 274.