Baptism Font - St Bartholomew - Bobbing, Kent - Stone Church Artefacts on Waymarking.com

Baptism font at the west end of St Bartholomew's church, Bobbing.

The village church, St Bartholomew, is a grade I listed building. It is within the diocese of Canterbury and deanery of Sittingbourne. According to Edward Hasted in 1798, the church consisted of two small isles and two chancels, having a tall spire steeple at the west end of it, in which are five bells.

"The first church in the village of bobbing would most likely have been a chapel built in the 1100s for the Savage family who also built the medieval Bobbing Court of which the ruins are only just down the round from the church. It is likely this was a family chapel, many of the later members of the family are buried in the church. Early evidence for Bobbing church comes from a record of a tithe being paid to the prioress of Minster Priory in Sheppey in 1186.

The oldest part of the church standing today is believed to be the north isle, in which the organ, toilet and hospitality area is now situated. It is thought that this was built between 1216 and 1230 as part of the building and re-building of many churches and cathedrals commissioned by King Henry III. In 1234 King Henry III gave the church and its tithes over to the Priory at Minster.

The main part of the church as it stands now was likely to have been added in the 14th Century. The south wall of the original church was converted into pillars and arches and it is thought all of the windows were replaced at this time.

Titus Oates was made priest of Bobbing Church in 1673. He did not remain in his post very long as he resigned after just six months for dishonesty and drunkenness. He moved to a church in Hastings but was later imprisoned before escaping and becoming a chaplain upon a ship. Bobbing Church records state that "Our minister is gone to sea". Titus Oates would later, in 1678, produce a conspiracy theory that the pope wanted to kill King Charles II and abolish the protestant church. He was arrested and imprisoned for perjury.

In 1863 the Victorian architect undertook work on the church that was described a non-essential however the work conducted is not well documented. The work known to be conducted was the addition of the red and black tiling throughout, repairs to the pillars and uncovering of a carving of a French monk commissioning a deacon which had been hidden for many years before. Other additions were the current pews, the wooden reredos behind the altar table and other general repairs were carried out at this time."

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