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Why padlock a font?

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  • Why padlock a font?

    Today I visited one of my ancestral parishes, Sutton in Sussex.

    I was surprised to find the font firmly padlocked with old ironwork cross which fitted into a hasp at one side and another hasp with an old padlock on the other side. Why the necessity of locking it?


  • #2
    havent a clue Jill, maybe they padlock it so folks dont use it as a litter bin? or use it in an unofficial manner.. add impurities to the font/water etc.. havent a clue.. maybe an idea would be to ask a vicar?
    Julie
    They're coming to take me away haha hee hee..........

    .......I find dead people

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    • #3
      Is there leaflet about the history of the church, which might mention this unusual feature?

      Christine
      Researching: BENNETT (Leics/Birmingham-ish) - incl. Leonard BENNETT in Detroit & Florida ; WARR/WOR, STRATFORD & GARDNER/GARNAR (Oxon); CHRISTMAS, RUSSELL, PAFOOT/PAFFORD (Hants); BIGWOOD, HAYLER/HAILOR (Sussex); LANCASTER (Beds, Berks, Wilts) - plus - COCKS (Spitalfields, Liverpool, Plymouth); RUSE/ROWSE, TREMEER, WADLIN(G)/WADLETON (Devonport, E Cornwall); GOULD (S Devon); CHAPMAN, HALL/HOLE, HORN (N Devon); BARRON, SCANTLEBURY (Mevagissey)...

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      • #4
        I'm not sure it is that unusual Christine. On my travels I have taken several photos inside churches for descendants and I have seen two others that were padlocked.
        Chrissie passed away in January 2020.

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        • #5
          I bought the church guide and it doesn't mention the font at all. The clasps that fasten it are very old (my ancestor Thomas Harwood and his son Henry were the village blacksmiths from 1779 to Henry's death in 1861 so might have made them). Thinking about it overnight it's lead lined, maybe theft of the metal for scrap is the answer.

          The next parish's font, Bignor, where my Neal ancestors lived just has a removable wooden lid.

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          • #6
            I don't know if this is of any help.
            I became interested in your post and now what I don't know about church fonts isn't worth knowing. I do get too engrossed in a subject sometimes. But this is from one site I have read.

            Public Domain texts, images, and information about medieval abbeys, monasteries, monks, nuns, friars, canons, churches, castles, shrines, and saints. Accessible texts and downloadable images for personal and classroom use.




            On Cleanliness, excerpted from pages 164-5:


            "Fonts were ordered to have covers and to be kept locked for the double purpose of cleanliness and for checking the use of the water for superstitious purposes. The Bishop of Exeter, in 1287, ordered that each parish church was to be furnished with a baptisterium lapideum bene seratum [a cover]. Archbishop Winchelsea, in his visitation of 1305, inquired whether there was a fontem cum secura [lock]. A provincial English Synod, held in 1236, provided that the water was to be changed every seven days. The rubric of the first English Prayer-book provided for the change being made once every month ; the Scottish book, of 1604, ordered the fort-nightly renewal of the water..."


            Font covers were in use from early times, and were originally flat with notches in the lid and basin to hold the cover in place, then later were likely a pyramid shape, with eight sides to match the panels of the font itself .................................
            Bubblebelle x

            FAMILY INTERESTS: Pitts of Sherborne Gloucs. Deaney (Bucks). Pye of Kent. Randolph of Lydd, Kent. Youell of Norfolk and Suffolk. Howe of Lampton. Carden of Bucks.

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            • #7
              I was going to say to stop it being nicked ?????????:(?

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              • #8
                That's very interesting bubblebelle, thanks for finding that - I was so tired after many miles of walking that I wasn't up to thinking about much last night when I posted the question.

                The late victorian font in my own parish has a removable cover. There's a drain hole in the bottom which just goes down into the earth as Holy water must not enter the common drains. Our Rector gives my year 4 class a tour and Q&A session every year, I can see I'm going to be chatting to him about font design next time!

                Val - I has thought along the same lines at first. I was lucky to find my two churches unlocked in the first place, so many I have tried to visit aren't.

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                • #9
                  they lock so many Churches these days such a shame, dont know how people can even think to damage them .

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                  • #10
                    Yes these days anything metal is gone including manhole covers which is really dangerous.



                    Researching Irish families: FARMER, McBRIDE McQUADE, McQUAID, KIRK, SANDS/SANAHAN (Cork), BARR,

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                    • #11
                      JBee - my son fell down one in the dark - he had to spend the rest of his night shift with a wet leg, sock and boot :(

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                      • #12
                        We went to a lovely baptism a couple of weeks ago & the vicar was great & told us lots of history about the origin of baptisms & christenings ( I'd never guessed that they were different things!!), & he said they used to lock the font in the old days, because everyone thought holy water was very special, & it was to stop it from being pinched & either sold or used for dubious purposes. He said nowadays the water in the font comes out of the tap, with a bit of hot water from the kettle, so its not too cold for the babies!!
                        ~ Louise ~

                        Researching Dalzell, Highmore & Sumpton in Cumbria, also Braidford & Chevalier

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                        • #13
                          Same with ours. But a previous minister had a special bottle (the bottle wasn't special!) of water from the River Jordan. I never got round to threatening him with 'Elf and Safety. It was more by luck that none of the babies caught the dreaded lurgy from it.
                          Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

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