Page:County Churches of Cornwall.djvu/39

INTRODUCTION 17 description have been built into the walls, namely, at St. Perran-Arworthal, Rame, St. Thomas-by- Launceston, Treneglos, and a second example at Egloskerry. 1 In many a church where there is no other remnant of our Norm, conquerors, the font of that period is still extant. The Norm, fonts of Cornwall are upwards of 80 in number. Of these, 34 have circular bowls either with or without ornament, and 24 have square bowls. Lewannick has an octagonal bowl, whilst the Norm, font of Tresmere is of unique triangular shape, hewn out of a block of Purbeck. There are also 17 instances of an effective late Norm, design, wherein the circular bowl, usually much enriched, has its square brim supported by 4 angle shafts. The following are the instances of this characteristically Cornish design, the best ex- amples being marked with an asterisk : St. Austell*, Bodmin*, St. Columb Minor, St. Cubert, St. Cuby, St. Cury, St. Ewe, St. Kea*, St. Grade, Luxulyan, Maker, St. Newlyn, Roche*, South Hill, St. Stephen- in-Brannel, St. Stephen-by-Launceston, and St. Wenn*. Cornwall does not possess any very striking examples of the First Pointed or Early ENGLISH style of architecture, which prevailed from about 1 190 to 1270. In various churches 1 All these tympana are illustrated and described by the late Mr. Langdon in Vict. Co. Hist, of Cornwall, i. 446-9. For general details of this period, see Mr. E. II. Sedding's book on Norman Architecture in C01 nwall (1909). B