379 
men), desecrated by being used as a cistern to an old 
lumbering pump," as at Hammersmith, or otherwise uncere- 
moniously rejected from the house of God. Fonts are his- 
torically interesting, apart from their consecrated use ; 
for I hesitate not to say, that if any Saxon architecture 
exists, it is to be found in our crypts, and not unfrequently 
the ancient font was retained when the Norman structure 
was raised upon the foundations of the decayed Saxon 
church ; there could be no motive for its destruction, but 
the highest, the hohest motives for its preservation. The 
font of Saint 3Iartin's, Canterbury, that of Little Maple- 
stead, Essex, and again that of St. Clement's, Southampton, 
are decidedly earlier than the buildings themselves ; the 
first and last buildings have much of Norman character, 
and we learn from Doomsday Book that a church existed 
at Maplestead when William the Conqueror's survey took 
place, although the present church is the second, if not the 
third, erected upon the same site. I cannot, therefore, 
look lightly upon the circumstance of the font at Adel 
being removed to the church yard, while its place is supplied 
by an Italian marble font of Roman character, in style at 
variance with that of the church, and its introduction appa- 
rently uncalled for : at all events, the Norman font was once 
part of the consecrated furniture of the church, and this 
alone should cause its restitution within its walls, although 
it may not be re-used. 
The following excellent remarks by Archdeacon Hare, 
in his charge to the Archdeaconry of Lewes, Sussex, cannot 
be too widely promulgated : — 
Your duty (says he, in addressing the churchwardens) 
" is to take care that the house of God in your parish shall 
be such as befits the worship of God. You ought to feel 
*' that it is a noble charge to take care of that house. It 
" ought to be your ambition, your glory, the wish of your 
