THE CHURCH OF WOOTTON GLANVILLE. 211 



What the earliest church on this spot was like we have nothing 

 to inform us. No fragment of Saxon or Norman carving came 

 to light in 1875. There is one relic, however, that takes us back 

 to the 1 3th century viz., the ancient font of Purbeck marble, 

 with octagonal bowl, bearing on each face a pair of incised 

 pointed panels, and supported on a circular stem, surrounded 

 with eight small pillars. The base is also octagonal. The eight 

 pillars and the central stem or support are new. If an old plate 

 in Hutchins' History may be trusted, the stem of - the font was 

 previously a solid octagonal pier. This font formerly stood, as 

 we are told in The Gentleman's Magazine, within the chapel, 

 having been placed there some time after the suppression of the 

 chantry. The font cover is a good piece of work of the end of 

 the 1 7th century. 



We may conclude, therefore, from the occurrence of this font 

 that a church of Early English or earlier date was formerly 

 existing here, a building which may have been, as I think there 

 are indications to show, of smaller dimensions than the present 

 edifice. 



Passing from the Early English to the Decorated period, we 

 arrive at what is the great feature of interest in the present 

 building the chapel of the chantry, founded (Hutchins says 

 re-founded, but as I have not seen the original documents I 

 cannot say whether correctly or no) by Sibylla Glanville, 18 

 Edw. III., 1344, and endowed by her with the Manor of 

 Foffordeston (now called Forston), in the parish of Charminster, 

 and one messuage and lands in Glanvilles Wootton, for a chaplain 

 to celebrate Divine Service every day for ever at the altar of 

 B.V. Mary in this church. 



The Glanvilles (members of a great legal family) were connected 

 with this parish from the time of Henry de Glanville, lord of 

 Glanvilles Wootton, circa 1216 (nephew of Ranulph de Glanville, 

 Chief Justice of England and Earl of Suffolk, who died 1190). 

 He was father of Geoffrey de Glanville, 1260, succeeded by John 

 de Glanville, who occurs in 1275, father of Sir Henry de Glanville, 

 who presented to the Rectory in 1302. His son, William de 



