Exploring The English Church: The Baptismal Church Font

From the time that St. Augustine landed on the shores of England, at Ebbsfleet,  Kent in 597 AD, sent from Rome by Pope Gregory 1 to convert the British people to Christianity, all baptisms were carried out in local rivers and streams where total immersion was the order of the day. 

 The earliest meeting places for these baptisms, and for worship, were identified by the erection of a simple wooden or stone preaching cross, visited periodically by travelling preachers.  As time passed, and permanent church structures were eventually built, baptisms began to be held indoors.  This brought about what is recognised today as the church font. 

 The early examples were merely deep holes dug in the ground in which was placed a large stone basin filled with holy water, enabling total immersion baptisms to be carried out.

 In order that infants and small children could be baptized, without the trauma of being totally submerged in water, shallower fonts were designed in which the sign of the cross was made on the forehead of the individual with the holy water.

 In Saxon and Norman times, fonts resembled nothing more elaborate than a large stone tub.  They were often undecorated and sometimes lined in lead to prevent seepage through the stonework.  A number of these historic fonts have survived and can still be seen in a few churches throughout England.

 Although Christianity had firmly taken root by the 13th century, superstition was still rife in English villages.  As holy water was then kept in the church font at all times, this led to it being used often for a variety of non-religious purposes. 

 Villagers believed that the holy water contained special powers and was therefore systematically stolen to cure illness and disease.  Sprinkled on farmland they were convinced it would produce good crops, poured on the threshold of homes it protected the inhabitants from witches, the devil and other evil spirits.