Mystery Engraving

About tolls, turnpikes and their demise Coventry is mentioned in this bit about toll roads. Obviously the balance between extracting as much money from passers by and putting them off altogether is older than I thought. New technology throws the rule book out each time.

Thanks to the 'Find My Past' free weekend, I have managed to download a copy of the 1841 census page (Folio17 p27) It shows a John Sexton, living in Holyhead Road, occupation Toll Gate Keeper. In the 1841 census, house numbers or names were rarely recorded, as far as I know. On the same page, the Steane and Hewitt families were listed as resident in Holyhead Road We then move to the 1851 census, where those two families were listed as living at 80 and 81 Holyhead Rd. Mr Sexton and family have now moved to London where he is employed as a clerk. This doesn't prove close proximity. Indeed, both pictures, at the time when they were painted, suggest that the toll house did not have any near neighbours. However, it might seem reasonable to assume that they weren't that far apart either.

Found another copy (uncoloured) on eBay. An attractive copper line engraving on paper by J. Walker. Published by J. Walker in "The Itinerant: A select collection of interesting and picturesque views, in Great Britain and Ireland", London. June 1794 J. Walker was the artist and the engraver and was at 16 Rosemont Street.

From Old England book again, this one just says font in Coventry. Any idea where ?

It's a piscina - for washing hands in holy water which then runs into the fabric of the building rather than to a drain. I know that there is one in Holy Trinity and a less ornate one in the under croft of St Michael's. I'll see if I can't look up the Holy Trinity version to compare. If I had to guess I'd say that it was the one in Holy Trinity.

Well spotted Helen. It's all associated with the cleansing of the hands during Mass, or signing worshippers with the Cross when they first enter the Church.

Sorry, very poor copy, it is from an online old book, yes, it is Holy Trinity, thanks Helen.