Eardisley
The Font
Thousands of visitors come to Eardisley each year to see the Romanesque Font in Eardisley Church. It is a wonderful example of the skill of a band of inspired stonemasons who worked in this area in the first part of the 12th Century.
The carvings round the Font illustrate the saving of a sinner from the power of evil. A small figure is pursued by a lion representing evil and saved by a larger figure representing Christ, accompanied by the Holy Spirit shown as a dove sitting on His shoulder.
There is good reason to believe the two men depicted fighting each other are Ralph de Baskerville, Lord of the Manor of Eardisley and his father-in-law Lord Drogo of Clifford. Ralph killed Lord Drogo in a family dispute over land ownership. After this event, Ralph changed his ways and became a monk in Gloucester.