Burial of a baptismal font – some considerations – Law & Religion UK
‘The disposal options for unwanted baptismal fonts were reviewed in an earlier post, which reached the following conclusions:
There is an important distinction between the treatment of the font bowl and its plinth;
Canon F1 relates to use of the bowl of the font in church;.
There is no restriction in ecclesiastical law on the burial of a font in the churchyard, though this is often the disposal option of last resort;
There is a legacy of poorly-sited fonts which can result in health and safety issues, and problems in access and their liturgical use.
In the recent judgment Re St. Paul Heslington [2025] ECC Yor 1, the Petitioners sought to dispose of a nineteenth century font which, as part of a major reordering in 1973, had been placed outside the church and used as a plant holder; in its place was “a bold stainless steel font (the “New Font”), surmounted by a dove” [3]. Unsurprisingly, the condition of the Original Font deteriorated and in 2022 all its salvageable parts were brought into the church (i.e. the bowl and the shattered remains of the plinth and lower section) [8].’
Law & Religion UK, 21st March 2025
Source: lawandreligionuk.com
