Maperton is a village in the South Somerset district of the county, 3 miles SW of Wincanton, on the S side of the A303 trunk road. The village is clustered around the junction of the three minor roads, with the church at its centre. The church consists of a three-bay chancel, a four-bay nave with a S porch, small N and S transepts, and a W tower. The tower is late 15thc, and the remainder was rebuilt in 1869. Construction is of local stone cut and squared, with Doulting or Ham stone dressings. The font is Romanesque, as are a carved head reset in the porch and another in the tower. The worn lower stone of a niche in the porch is also included here, although a Romanesque date is by no means secure.

Maperton was held by Alwold in 1066, but by 1086 it had passed to Goisfrid who held it from Turstin fitzRolf. The manor descended with North Cadbury, the overlordship passing from Turstin to Wynebald de Ballon (1092), and thence to his daughter Wynebald’s son Henry Newmarch (d.1198), who was succeeded by his two sons William (d.1204) and James (d.1216) in turn. The later history may be seen on the VCH website.

The font dates from c.1200 or slightly later. The low-relief head in the tower is more certainly Romanesque in style, being typically coarse but bold in design and in low relief. The head in the porch is more difficult to date. It might be 12thc, but its caricature-like quality is more suggestive of the 13thc (editor). The niche cill stone has been included despite the fact that such foliage as survives is more likely to belong to the 13thc than the 12thc.