Baptismal Font - Church of All Saints, Church Road, Tilney All Saints, Norfolk. PE34 4SJ
Posted by: 
greysman
N 52° 44.192 E 000° 19.289
31U E 319168 N 5846327
Looking older than it is, in good condition but with some inevitable damage, the font is at the west end of the nave.
Waymark Code: WMY0NG
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/28/2018
Views: 0
The waterways in fenland carried wool to east-coast ports and on to the continent from the uplands of England leading to great wealth which was shown in the great churches of the area including Tilney All Saints. This late C12th parish church is Grade I listed, the nave and chancel are from this date, the west tower is late C13th and C14th with a spire dated 1428. The nave and chancel aisles were remodelled in the C15th with battlements added 1523-1525. It is built of barnack stone and partly rendered and belongs to a group of fenland churches with very long naves built on land reclaimed from the sea.
The Perpendicular looking but C17th octagonal font has a traceried stem and a bowl decorated with alternating biblical verses and geometric patterns. It is mounted on a large octagonal two-step plinth with step to the west for the officiant. There is a timber cover dated 1942, MCMXLII, with central spike and spherical finial.
In no particular order the inscription panels read:-
Baptizantes eos in nomine patris et filius et spiritus sancti. Mat.28.19
Tr. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
I am thy God and the God of thy seede after thee. Gen.17
See, here is water. What doeth let me to be baptized. Acts.8.36
This refers to the tale of the Ethiopian eunuch, an officer at the court of the Kandake, or Queen, of Ethiopia who had been on pilgrimage to Jerusalem having the good news of Jesus explained to him by Philip. And coming to some water the eunuch said, 'Look! There is some water; is there anything to prevent my being baptised?' The chariot was halted, then Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water and Philip baptised him.
Qui crediderit et baptizatus fuerit, salvus erit. Mark 16.16
Tr. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved
Words variously from British Listed Buildings, Pevsner's Norfolk Buildings, Simon Jenkins 'England's Thousand Best Churches', amended and added to with own on-site observations.
Co-ordinates are for the south porch.