This is one of three patens with a print of the Trinity in the centre.
The other two are at Oscott Roman Catholic College, Birmingham and the Royal
Scottish Museum in Edinburgh. This latter is hall-marked for 1527, whilst the
other two are unmarked but are dated by Mr. Oman (who is the great authority on
these matters) as just before the Reformation (1534). All bear the words, in
Latin, ‘Let us bless the Father, and the Son, with the Holy Spirit’ in black
letter script with the Edinburgh example in Capitals. The position of the Dove,
the Holy Spirit, is different in all examples. At Cliffe He is shown above the
head of the crucified Lord. At Oscott He whispers into the ear of the Father,
at Edinburgh He is above the right hand of Jesus. About 150 pre-reformation
patens remain but few are as beautiful as the Cliffe-at-Hoo one”.
During his incumbency the Reverend H. R. Lloyd appears to have copied
the following into the Registers. It could well be a record of an outgoing
curate handing over the church plate into the care of the Churchwarden: