Ingoldisthorpe is located about 9 mi NE of King's Lynn, just S of Snettisham. The church of St Michael consists of a west tower, aisled nave with clerestorey, south porch and chancel. It is built of flint with stone dressings and is largely a work of the 14thc in a transitional Decorated–Perpendicular style. The tower is constructed of knapped flint with stone dressings and angle buttresses, and has a battlemented parapet. The nave is flanked by north and south aisles lit by straight-headed Perpendicular windows, while the clerestorey has alternating circular and quatrefoil openings. The chancel windows combine flowing Decorated tracery with Perpendicular elements; the east window was inserted during the 1858 restoration.

The principal Romanesque feature is the font. Although altered, the bowl is Romanesque and was in all probability was originally square in form. This is the only survival of the 12thc visible in the present building.

Ingoldisthorpe is recorded in DB in the hundred of Smethdon in the county of Norfolk. It had 36 households, putting it in the largest 20% of settlements recorded in Domesday, and is listed under the ownership of Peter Valognes and Roger of Rainard.

The name Ingoldisthorpe is of Viking origin and derives from the Old Norse for Ingjaldir's farmstead.

The church underwent an extensive restoration in 1857–58, probably under G. E. Pritchett. Much of the present external appearance reflects this campaign, although the west tower preserves more of its medieval character than the remainder of the building.

It was Pevsner who suggested that the font was originally square, a view which is generally accepted. The bowl is now octagonal. Octagonal fonts are common in East Anglia from the later 14th and 15thc, and so this could have been a later medieval alteration to make it look more up-to-date. Alternatively, it might have suffered damage in the past and then could have been re-shaped.

There is no firm evidence as to whether the font originally belonged to St Michael’s church or was brought from elsewhere. However, given the early character of the settlement name, it is reasonable to suppose that a church existed here by the early medieval period, even if undocumented, and that the font is likely to be in situ. This remains unproven, though, and it could conceivably have been relocated.