FONT INSCRIPTIONS.

(Vol. vii., p. 408.)

Mr. Ellacombe desires examples of these. I can supply the following:—

At Bradley, Lincolnshire, is a very large font, of the Decorated period, with this inscription round the bowl in black letter:

"Pater Noster, Ave Maria, and Criede, leren ye chyld yt es nede."

This is an early instance of the use of English for inscriptions. The sketch was engraved in the work on Baptismal Fonts.

At Threckingham, Lincolnshire, I believe I succeeded in deciphering an inscription round the font, which was said to have been previously studied in vain. It is somewhat defaced; but in all probability the words are,—

"Ave Maria gracia p... d... t..."

i. e. of course, "plena, dominus tecum." The bowl of the font is Early English; but the base, round which the inscription runs, appears to be of the fifteenth century.

At Burgate, Suffolk, an inscription in black letter is incised on the upper step of the font:

"[Orate pro an—b'] Will'mi Burgate militis et dne Elionore uxoris eius qui istum fontem fieri fecerunt."

Sir William Burgate died in 1409. It is engraved in the Proceedings of the Bury and West Suffolk Archæological Institute.

At Caistor, by Norwich:

"Orate pro animab ... liis ... ici de Castre."

At Walsoken, Norfolk:

"Remember the soul of S. Honyter and Margaret his wife, and John Beforth, Chaplain."

with the date 1544.

At Gaywood, Norfolk, is a font of Gothic design, lust probably of post-Reformation date. On four of the eight sides of the bowl are these inscriptions:

"QVI . CREDIDE RIT . ET . BAPTI ZATVS . FVERIT SALVVS . ERIT."	"VOCE . PATER NATUS . CORPORE FLAMEN . AVE. MAT. 3."
"CHRISTVM . IN DVISTIS . QVOT QVOT . BAPTI ZATI . ESTIS."	"I . AM . THY . GOD AND . THE . GOD OF . THY . SEEDE. GEN."

At Tilney, All Saints, Norfolk, is an inscribed font so similar to the one last mentioned that they are probably the works of the same designer.

On the cover of the font at Southacre, Norfolk, is this inscription:

"Orate p. aia. Mri. Rici. Gotts et dni Galfridi baker, Rectoris huj' [ecclīe qui hoc] opus fieri fece^t."

I may take the opportunity of adding two pulpit inscriptions; one at Utterby, Lincolnshire, on the sounding-board:

"Quoties conscendo animo contimesco."

The other at Swarby, in the same county:

"O God my Saviour be my sped,

To preach thy word, men's soulls to fed."

C. R. M.