An Edwardian Gothic Revival oak memorial font cover dated 1904

of octagonal shape with a pointed cover and a pierced collar, the body with a single door and foliate metal strapwork, inscribed to the interior 'Remember Guy Ansdell Leech who fell asleep November 21st 1904, aged 27 years, the gift of God is eternal life', 97cm diameter, 282cm high, Commissioned for the parish church of St Michael and All Angels, Inkpen, Berkshire, circa 1904;later removed during church reorderings;a private collection, Oxfordshire. St Michael and All Angels, Inkpen, Berkshire, Literature: For a corresponding reference to this specific piece, see 'A History of the County of Berkshire: Volume 4', ed. William Page and P H Ditchfield, London, 1924, pp. 200-205, where this item is explicitly recorded alongside the church's 13th-century stone font as a 'modern oak spire cover'. The subject of the memorial, Guy Ansdell Leech (1877-1904), was a young gentleman and co-owner of the Manor of Haslewick - one of the principal historic estates within the Inkpen parish bounds. Alongside William Harold Leach, Leech acquired the manor in 1901 following the death of the long-serving local rector, John Butler. Following Leech's premature death at the age of 27 in November 1904, the estate was sold onward. This spire font cover was commissioned by his family and gifted directly to the parish church of St Michael and All Angels to permanently commemorate his brief tenure in the village. ', Condition Report, Condition Report, This lot does not have a condition report, if you would like further information, please click the 'Request A Condition Report’ button below. Request A Condition Report, Request A Condition Report

Estimate:£4,000

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