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The Church Bells of Devon with a List of Those in Cornwall

The Church Bells of Devon with a List of Those in Cornwall

The Church of with a list of those in

BY Rev. H. T. Ellacombe

File 01 – Preface, Dedication, Introduction, Appendices A and B Pages 1 to 89

This document is provided for you by The Whiting Society of Ringers visit www.whitingsociety.org.uk for the full range of publications and articles about bells and THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON:

A LI~T Of THOSE IN CORNWALL. ~

HY THE REV. H. T. ELLACOliBE, M.A., F.S.A.

OF OIIIEL COLLEGE, OUORD; REcrOJI. OF CLnT 8T. OBOllOE, .L"iD

UOllrF.STIC CIIAI'LAJ~ TO THE E.I.RL OF IIAIUU~GTO.S.

"lJax damantis-Dirigit& biam Dam(ni."

EXETER: PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR BY WILLIAM POLLARD, NORTH STREET. 1872. PREFACE.

'fhe following account of the Church Bells and Be11 Founders of Devonshire was undertaken for the Diocesan Architectural Society, and haviug been distributed to the ~lemb~rs, it now forms a portiou of the Seventh Volnme of the Transactions.

'!hat it may he more widely circulated, I have Leen a:..k

CHAP. I. The present method of Casting Churrh Dells, as conducted at the White Chapel Foundry, London, with Illustrations kindly suppHed by the present Propriewrs. , II. A short History of the different Societies of Ri'lgers in London nod other places, from the Original G1•:1d, founded by Edward the Confessor, to the prE.'sent time. , III. Ca!"illoos and Chimes. IV. Th~ Law of Church Dells, &c., &c., with many decided cases. " ,. v. The Dedicatio'l of Church Bells, , Vl Ben Literature. .. VII. Ecclesiasi.;cal Hand Bells. , VIII. Signa, or Great DeUs. , IX. M.iscellaoeous Articles relating to Bells, which have appeared from time to time in pE'riodica.1s of the day, and other pubJ;catiom-. , X. Appendix. Art.icl.es which came too late for insertion i'l tbe Chapters.

1:he wood-b1ock iHustrations with which this volume is enriched were mostly cut by Mr. De1amotte, Mr. Utting, Mr. Cleghm11, and ME.'SSrs. BonoeweH, of London, Pnd Mr. Blight, of Penzance ; their fidelity may be depended upon, as they were iv. not done from rubbings or sketches, but from plaster of Paris casts, made from "squeezes," taken from the bells with potter's clay. The engraved PI,ATES are by different arti@ts.

I am indebted to so many kind friends for assistance anu hospitality that a Tist of theil· names would be too long and perhaps unMcessary, therefore I hope all ·will be pleased to accept m general terms my warmest and most grateful thanks.

The knell~ of Sfoveral of them have been tolled since our happy meetings. In conclusion, I would add a quotation which I have before used from Bp. 'Beveridge.

''Some, perltaps, may \\'Onder why any one should thus trouble himRelf about so low and mean a subject as this is generally thought to be; but I think nothing mean or low that ha!h any relation to the Service of God and His ()hurch."-Bp. Beve1idge, ·in his Tr'Jd on Psalmody, p. 118, Edit. 1710.

Ea.ster, 18i2. TO THE AGED AUTHOR,

BY

THE REV. HENRY THOMPSON, M.A.

VICAR OF CHARD,

Age is not all the work of yer·~ ; But earthly troubles, cares, Wld fears, Vain yearnings, temper uncontroll' d,­ By these, unhappy mllll grows old. But he whose heart from these is pure Thro' longest life may youth insure; To him vicissitudes of time Are changes of one festal . \Vhat constitutes the life, the joy, The salient freshneSB of tho boy ? Is it not that he finds the springs Of pleasures deep in si"llplest things? And when to this we add the trust That we are far, far, more than dust, And that for those who look beyond These scenes, wltere feebler hearts despond, There is in store a world of bliss l•'ar hotter thnn the best of this ; 'Vhat more can travelling pilgrims need To make and keep thenl young indeed vi.

This is youth's fam'd Elixir! you Have tried, and found the witness tl ile.

Alas, for those who fail! !'ns, For those who let the chalice pasR! 'Vho at life's e\'e are fain to cry 'Vith Titus, " Diem perdidi ! " Ora pro nobis! enJry To me seems now the curfew's l·'lel', That tolls the parting of the day Of life, too sadly cast mmy. But so it is. Yet while I grieve 0'er wasted morn and clouded eve, I will rejoice in your success, And pray that Provjdenco may bless All your remaining years with joy­ The head of man-tho heart of boy­ And fame continue long to tell

A ~ong a11. youths you bear the

Julzr, 1871. CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON.

SHORT TABLE 0}~ CONTENTS.

PAGB. PAGB. Introduc:ory Remarks 1 The Bells of tho Cathedral Church of S. Peter, Bell TC'wers and Turrets 2 Exeter 72 Bella Introduced Appendix A. List of the Ancient and Modern Church Bella 79 Inscriptions or Legends on Bolla 7 Appendix B. Inventory of Bella in every Pariah Bell Founders 9 in Devon in the year 1653 84 Femarka on of Bells 10 Appendix C. Inscriptions on the Bella !Ill Bell Alloy nnd Shape of Bella 11 Legends on Cathedral .Bella 162 Origin of Change Ringing 13 Appendix D. Bishop Quivil'a Grant of a Manor Not possible with tho old Half Wheel If to Roger Ropforde, Bellfounder, Number of Towers \isitod 16 1284, &c. 163 Appendix E. General State of Bells and Towers 16 Tho Bell Founders and their Bella 160 Tho Bauderich described .• 17 Appendix F. Table of Weights and Notes of Bella 170 Short Remarks on the Devon Founders 18 Appendix G. Extracts from the Accounts of tho Churchwardens of Woodbury •• 171 Ancient Legends on Devon Bells described 19 Appendix H. Ditto of Colyton 17i 20 Leonine J..cgends Appendix I. Armorial Bearings on Bella in Devon 182 21 Various Founders' Stamps Appendix K. Dr. Konnicott on Ringing 185 34 Royal Heads .. Appendix L. Height of Church Towers in Devon 186 35 Inter~ening Htops Appendix M. List of the Ancient and Modern Modern Latin Mottoea 37 Bells in the Pari!lh Churches of English Mottoes 40 Cornwall 187 Bell Founders 46

INDEX TO PLATES.

Plato 1 to 6. Stamps on old Bolla. Plato 13. Letters and Stamps on old Bolla. , 6. Letters on old Bella. , 14. Stamps on old Bella. , 7, 8. Annorial Stamps on Bella. , 15. Stamps on Bells. 9. Stampe on old Bella. , 16. Stamps and Ornaments on Bella. , 10, 11. Letters and Stamps on old Bella. , 17. Two original Bell Cages. , 12. Friozo Borders and Stamps on Bella. , 18. Ancientand Modem Bell Wheels.

TABLE OF WOOD BLOCKS.

Stamps of Royal Heads on Bella 34-36 An ancient Campl\nnrius, from one of the sidee View of Ancient Bell from Meraennu 36 of a Norman octagon fontat Belton, Lincoln­ Representation of the preeont mode o hanging shiro 190 heavy .Bells .. .. • • 46 THE CHURCH BELLS IN THE TOWERS OF ALL THE PARISH CHURCHES OF DEVONSHIRE,

A PAPER READ BEFORE

THE EXETER DIOCESAN ARCHITECTURAL SOG'IETY,

JUNE 7, 1866, . BY THE REV. H. T. ELLACOMBE, M.A., F.A.S.,

RECTOR OF CLYST S. GEORGE, DEVON.

My friend, the Rev. J. H. Sperling, Vicar of Westbourne, Sussex, a gentleman well known in London and Essex as an amateur architect of no mean ability, and in arte campanologicd doctissimus, lately, by invita­ tion, delivered a Lecture at the South Kensington Architectural Museum, on "Church Bells and their connection with Architecture," in. which he has ably forestalled me with remarks most pertinent to the subject, and with such as I had intended to begin the account I had been preparing, on the Church • bells in thP. towers of our county. He most kindly sent me a copy of his lecture, immediately after he had read it, with permisSion to adopt the whole, or any part, which I \llight t~ suitable to my purpose. From his valuable store-house of information, (filled from sources well known to every lover of , but enriched by his own original remarks;) I have taken a great deal which I consider most valuable to our Association, and suitable to my present purpose. I am therefore most thankful to . Mr. Sperling for his kind assistance in so helping me m an Introduction to my Paper on the Church Bells of Devonshire. B 2 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. Campan2logy is a science which most appropriately holds a place in all Associations like our own, whose object is to develop and enunciate the close and inseparable connection of high art with the Catholick faith ; for no musical instrument has ever exerciRed so great an influence upon architecture as the . To it we owe the most striking external features of our Churches at home 1\nd abroad, whether in the varied groups of the many towered city, or the country spire pointing amidst the trees to the skies, and rearing itself heavenwards; or in the many different forms of cot and gable which crest the humbler village Church, or, rather, parochial Chapel. The has been called, the badge of a Ch~rch with parochial rights, and seems to have been so since the days of Athelstan, when the patronage of such a structure was one of the qualifications for the title of Thane.1 Fosbrooke ~ng. A.ntiq., vol. i., 108) says that "Church towers were formerly the parochial fortresses, and were fitted up with fire places, and the parishioners resorting to them in times of danger." I have found a few such fire places in Devon, viz., at Beer Ferris, , and . Sometimes we find large towers standing altogether detached from the Churches to which they belong. There are none in Devonshire, nor in Cornwall; but the campanile at Chichester is ~ well known example : also Evesham, Elstow, Malmesbury, Canterbury ; Salisbury yielded a similar example, the . latter having been wantonly destroyed almost within the memory of those still living. Other examples are found at Beccles in Suffolk, Ledbury in Herefordshire, and West Walton in Norfolk, the latter forming a noble entrance gateway to the Church-yard. Many .smaller ones might be enumerated. Now these towers were not so built for mere fancy or picturesque effect, but to contain heavy bells, the vibration of which, (even from the effects of tolling a heavy bell) would have a gradually ruinous effect upon the general fabric of the Churches to which ~ they belonged, had they been so bonded in, as to form an integral portion of them. For

1 Badham's History of Sudbury. 2 This is the case with the new clock tower at Westminster, which is said to be awful, merely from the soniferous waves that are put in motion (the bell itBelf() not being moTed.) THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 3 the same reason, the central towers of Minsters, and other large Churches, were intende1 to be lanterns proper, and not campaniles. The experiment of forming them into Campaniles was tried in a. few instances, and great was the ruin that followed where the bells were at all heavy, as at Winchester and Ely. Bell towers proper, were invariably as little con­ nected as possible with their Churches. With the exception of Hereford, which fell down, (lately rebuilt); Ely, which never had a very large bell; Wimborne Minster, and two or three other examples, we never see a Minster proper, with a bona fide west tower ; and we may be sure that their architects would most gladly have had them could it have been possible, for the greater space allowed for the west window, permitted by their absence, is surely no equivalent (viewed internally at least), for the noble western arch which their existence would have afforded. The tame western perspective of our Cathedral, or Winchester, or Norwich, will hardly bear comparison with the western towered Churches of the smal type of Tiverton, or the smaller of Clyst St. George. Bell towers were placed either westward of the aisles.3 as at Wells, or on one side of them, as here at Exeter, on purpose to lessen their connexion with the building, and guard against the ruinous shake of vibration. It may be questioned whether, it was a wise step to place such a heavy of bells as we possess in the south tower of our Cathedral, after the basement of the tower was cut through, by Bishop Quivil, circa 1285, and the south wall weakened, by that large· south window. The dilapi­ dated state of that noble tower is no secret; brought on in a great measure by the ringing of the bells in the way in which they are now rung, a. method introduced about 250 years ago. "A virtue (to use Mr. Sperling's own words) may indeed be srud to have arisen out of the necessity, and an elegance and dignity to have been conveyed ex­ ternally, by the double western tower; but this must, I think, be viewed

3 In the "Aeta Ecclesire Medialensis," publi~hed 1599, by Charles Borromeo-he gives instruc­ tions about the building of Churches, &c. " The tower should be erected over the entrance of the atrium or portico, which is immediately before the front of the Church. But wherever there is no atrium, it should be placed at the right hand on entering the front doors, and in a position altogether detached from any other wall, so that it be possible to circulate round it."­ Prtm~Zation by Wigley, London, 1857. Bll THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. a.c; an effect necessitated by a cause, rather than M an original creation, unfettered by circumstances. Whether all will concur in this theory of western towers or not, we shall all, I tpink, agree to this, that our fore­ fathE>t'S did not build towers and spires, only to put into them the very small and ill sounding article, the click of which is a standing nuisance to every musical ear within its sound." Most old Churches· were furnished • with such bells over and above the chiming bells ; they occupied either one of the western gables of the Chancel as a sanctus bell ; (there is not a single specimen in Devon, but there are many in , Gloucester, and other counties;) or they hung them in some picturesque little lowvre outRide the tower, or spire-of which a specimen may be seen at Barn­ staple ap.d , and in several Churches in the eastern counties. Sometimes they were hung in the weather boarding of the windows, (such an one there was at Bitton, , my old parish) but this latter arrangement is much more common on the Continent, than in , whole chimes being thus exposed to view in the· belfries of the south of France, Italy, &c., as on the top of the campanile at Pisa. Neither, again, did our ancestors build their towers as a very convenient smoke flue, as was so common, twenty or thirty years since, till our architects were bold enough to venture upon the good open, honest, undis­ guised chimney. It must ever be borne in mind that the object of towers is to contain bells, spires being merely their ornamental capping; and that unless there is good and reasonable prospect of more bells than one, the money would be far better expended in adding height and dignity to the interior, or on something useful. But. we must come to the bell itself. In the first place it is a satisfaction to be able to claim an unmistakeably Christian origin for an instrument, ·which has laid so mighty a hold upon ecclesiastical archi­ tecture. The earliest names for bells, "Nola" and "Campana" would seem to point to Nola in Campania as their birth-place, and the fifth and sixth century, as their earliest date. A very expressive medireval name for a Church bell was "Signum," but I believe the word was confined to the large bells which are tolled only, as the word is now used in France. Bells were used to denote the hours of devotion in the monastic THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 5 societies of Northumbria, and as early as the sixth century m those of Caledonia. "The second excerption of Egbert, about the year 750, which is adopted in a French capitulary of 801, commands every priest at the proper hours to sound the bells of his Church, and then to go through the sacred offices to God." 4 • The art of working and fusing metals together was a very early inven- tion, and was soon followed by the sister one of melting and ca...~ing. We know that both tin and copper ore were worked in Britain during the Roman occupation of the island; probably, still earlier, in more civilized Europe. There is no reasonable doubt that a bell or even bells in im­ portant places, formed a portion of the furniture of every Church before the Norman Conquest. Judging from the great size of Norman towers, it is probable that Church bells had at that time reached their largest dimensions in this country ; and also attained a perfection not since surpassed. The fact of no bells of ascertained Norman date remaining at the present day is no proof against this, when we consider the numerous different accident:B to which such an instrument is subject. Considering that the bell is an instrument of percussion, and easily cracked, it is only a matter of wonder that so many examples of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries (there are none in Devon 1 believe, as I shall shew you hereafter, earlier than the fourteenth century,) have come down to us uninjured-we certainly possess in Devonshire, over 250 medireval or pre-Reformation bells. Bells attained very large dimensions in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. They so continued till the Reformation, soon after which, the art of change ringing coming in, completely over­ turned the existing order of things. Under the old system, bells were few and heavy; dignity of tone and solemnity being the main desideratum; and as they were only chimed, or very rarely rung up, (and if they were, they were not swung, till their mouths were upwards,) lightness wa.q not an object. Cathedral Churches were not allowed to possess more than 'five or seven bells, and these often not placed together for simultaneous use : of the early hells in our Cathedral, some were in the north tower and

4 Whitaker in Universal Magazine, Octoher, I 7i5. 6 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. others in the south ; Collegiate and parish Churches were not allowed more than three, besides the sanctus bell. 6• 6 The oldest bells which have come down to us, bear simply, the names of the Saints to whom they are dedicated-the tenor, or heaviest bell, usually bearing the name of the patron Saint of the , Church ; the others, for the most part, the names of the Saints who had altars below. In our own • county, the Churches of , , and W oolborough being dedi- cated to S. Mary the Virgin, the tenor bells bear her name. It is exceedingly difficult to guess the exact date of the oldest bells that have come down to our time : dates there are none, at that early period, rarely even the founder's mark or lettering, which may give an approximate cue. In bells of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, there is not this difficulty, for though they are rarely dated, they invariably have shields, lettering, and other architectural devices, which enable us to form a tolerably correct guess at their date. These trade marks, how­ ever, are by no means infallible guides to the uninitiated in such matters ; for foundries often went on for generations, and marks and stamps were, no doubt, 'handed down from father to son, often for a century or more. A bell at Woodbury, dated 1601, has stamps used by the pre-Reformation founders in our county. A little close inspection, however, will usually afford some slight additions, either in the stopping or moulding, which decides against the hoped for antiquity. Medireval Rtamps and lettering may be found on .bells, only dating early in the seventeenth century ; but dates in Arabic numerals often unravel the mystery. Dates c.ame in after 1550 (one at is 1562) and have been continued ever smce. In foreign countries they are met with much earlier. ·The earliest known dated bell is at Friburgh in the Black Forest, dated 1258; 7 at Pisa there are two on the top of the campanile, dated 1266.8 At Duncton, :; C. Borromeo (I quote again from Mr. Wigley's translation) says-" Should the tower belong to a Cathedral Church, it ought to have seven bell~, or, at any rate, five; if to a Collegiate Church three, namely, · the larger bell, the middle one, and the least; and as many for a Parish Church, or two at least, and each of a distinct tone (in harmony, however, with each other), to indicate the different offices which take place.'' 6 See Roccha de Campania. 7 Tyssen's Church Bella of SUIIse:r, p. 3. a Notes and Queries, 3 S., v. iii., p. 173. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 7 m Sussex, 1s a bell, which Mr. Tyssen supposes to be the earliest dated bell in England, the date is 1369, but it is of foreign manufacture. We now come to the interesting subject of Inscriptions. The oldest known bells, as I have already said, bear the simple name of the saint to whom they were dedicated. After this came "ad laudern," or "in honorern," Sancti, &c., &c. Then followed the "O'ra pro nobis," which was most common in the fourteenth century, even . up to the Reformation. Many instal1ce::s of these occur in our own county. The most celebrated foundries of the fifteenth centuries were at Norwich and Bury S. Edmunds; an account of which we are promised by Mr. L'Estrange, who is preparing for publirotion a history of the bells and bell founders of Norfolk. It is generally supposed that these foundries were connected with monasteries. They issued a very superior style of inscription, usually in the form of a Latin hexameter, laudatory or im­ precatory of the Saint, to whom the bell was dedicated. I will instance two which I have not met with in Devonshire: "Virgo coronata due nos ad regna beata," "A·ntonius monet ut campana bene sonet." Two very common inscriptions of this age, all over ~ngland yet re­ main in our county: "Sit nomen Domini benedictum," and "In multis annis resonet campana Johannis:' During the latter part of the sixteenth century, and later, some very good_ Latin inscriptions are met with throughout England ; for instance, "Jubilate Deo Salvatori nostro," "Cantabo laudes tttas Domine." In the eastern counties, the strong hold of Puritans, the following is found: "Non sono an,irnabus mortuorurn sed auribus viventium," by way of a fling, perhaps, at the old faith. English legends did not come into general use till quite late in the seventeenth century. After that, English and Latin were used pretty equally; they were very short, such as, "God save the Church," "God save the King.'' A longer inscription was put on the tenors: " I sweetly to1ling men do call, To taste of meats to feed the soul." And " I sound to bid the sick repent, In hope of life when breath is spent." 8 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. This last occurs at . .After 1600, nearly all interest m inscriptions ceases. There is little more than the founder's name, the date of casting, and the names of the parson and churchwardens.9 Longer inscriptions with few exceptions, are usually vulgar, some most irreverent ; such as "My sound is good, my shape is neat, Somebody made me all . compleat." Just as the style of Church building in the reigns of Queen Anne and the early Georges, was typical of the doctrine and discipline then existing in the Church, so the same laxity of religious feeling is found on the bells of that period. The " Ora pro nobis," which prevailed before the Reformation, of course dropped off afterwards ; . it at first passed into expressions of religious sentiment: as "Soli Deo detur gloria," (very common in Devon;) or sometimes into a more devout invocation; but, very soon the inscriptions become frivolous, and often impious. It is very desirable that some steps should be taken to insure decent inscriptions on Church bells in the present day. Where the Clergy do take the matter. . up, something good is the result ; but otherwise there will be nothing but the date and founder's names, and those, perh&.ps, of the parochial authorities, or else some such rubbish as was allowed to be put up at Sherborne, a few years ago. 1 Having rung so many changes upon the inscriptions of the last. five centuries, which I considered would be of general interest, I have only to remark, in conclusion of this section of my Paper, that the last century saw the extinction of most of the smaller foundries which existed all through England; or, rather, their absorption by the two principal estab­ lishments at Gloucester and Whitechapel

9 The earliest instance of the warden's name is on a. bell a.t Kingston, 1601. (&e Appendiz.)

1 " We hang here to record, That the Church was restored, In the ycre of our Lord, 1858." " Lord, let the folk below Resound with living song Thy praise, as we do now With iron tongue." THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 9 The Gloucester foundry had existed for many centuries. John of Gloster was a bell-founder there in the thirteenth century ; but under the Rudhall family it chiefly came into note, during the last century (co-tempora­ neously with Bilbie's foundry at Chewstocke and , of which more hereafter) when the and Wiltshire foundries by the Purdue family died out. Their turn came at last for amalgamation with Whitechapel in the middle of the last century (1732), which foundry, at the beginning of the present century, may be said to have been the foundry for England Dobson's foundry at Downham Market, Norfolk, having been fused into it. There was an establishment at Cullompton which did u. large amount of work in our westen1 counties, but that too has burnt out. And now at the present time, we have three foundries in England, the old estab­ lished house of Mears ; Messrs. W tuner, of Cripplegate, and the Taylors, now of Loughborough ; for a time they were in our own county, at , of which I shall speak hereafter. " So much in a very cursory way for a short, general history of bells and bell founding in England. I now beg leave to make a few remarks on thf3 practical part of the subject. It is a truth acknowledged by all who have turned their attention to the subject, that the art of bell founding in the present day is not what it ought to be, or what it might be. There is not, perhaps, much blame to be laid on the shoulders of our bell founders-for no art has met with so little encouragement, or has been more crippled by the fatal mistake of expecting great result.s from very little money. People now expect to get a peal of six for no more than the cost of a proper tenor. Every thing in a bell is the quality of the tone: the note is a mere result of certain dimensions, and may be reached by metal of slight thickness. Tone depends on the material, the shape, and the thickness of the metal. Consequently, belJ founders are sorely tempted to do the best they can for very inadequate sums of money, and with a result, which does not please so much as if a more costly peal had been produced." 2 " Then again, if it is not possible to obtain a good peal of six or eight, why not be content with a really good tenor and one bell next above it 1 Nothing can be grander, than two good bells chiming thus

2 Mr. Sperling's Lectures. c 10 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. together : 1 now such music is far preferable to three or four light bells. Then by degrees, perhaps, a third bell, also in succession; may be ob­ tained. Three such bells would leave nothing to be desired ; unles.'3, indeed, in those Churches where peal ringing is contemplated and desired. There is one other suggestion which I would make, namely, that there is no necessity whatever for the universal adoption of the modern major scale, which, for the last century almost, has been the undeviating practice. Peals .in the minor scale were great favourites in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, from their peculiar plaintiveness and expression." 4 But after all, it must be borne in mind, that "so far as bell., are con­ cerned, an exact scale, in the present received musical expression, is of no moment whatever (I am now quoting Mr. Rperling's words, which are quite in unison with my own views). So long as a peal of bells is in harmony with itself, and satisfies the ear, it matters not in what key it is, or whether in no describable key whatever." Of course the half-tone must be in the same position-now it is between the third and fourth, above the tenor ; the major key being the prevailing fashion : otherwise, for the more plaintive or minor scale, it should be between the second and third, from the tenor. It is a great mistake to tie a founder down to any exact key or scale ; it is sure to involve that evil instrument, the turning lathe, to reduce them to the appointed standard of pitch, when most probably they were much better when first broken out of the moulds, and even more pleasing to the ear. No bell is ever cast thicker in the sound bow than it ought to be. The thickness of the sound bow should be one-thit teenth of the diameter ; that of the waist, one-thirty-sixth of the diameter of the mouth. Many modern bells are cast far below this standard for economy sake. When, therefore, the chipping chisel or turn­ ing lathe· is brought to bear upon a bell, we may be certain that the tone is being sacrificed to the note ; and if this is done in modern bells, what shall we. say to paring down fine old bells, as is sometimes done to make them harmonise-" to splice " them to the shallow tones of

3 Witness the two bells rung daily for Service at Magdalen and New College, Oxon. 4 We have an instance of this when the middle eight of the glorious peal in our Cathedral are ringing, the second l:ell C making the treble ; in that arrangement perhaps there is not a more impressive and touching peal of eight in the kingdom. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 11 modern additions to the peal Such was lately done to a fine tenor at Duloe; and I have found many so treated in our Devon towers. The modern proportion of bell alloy is three parts copper to one of tin. The proportion ought to be in thirds, two of copper to one of tin ; because tin wastes considerably in fusing. It is also considered that with a rnaring coal furnace the melting process is too rapid. In former times it was slower, mostly with timber fires ; and so the dross, which now is fused into the bell, had an opportunity to escape. It is a vulgar error to suppo~e that silver ever entered largely into the composition of ancient bells. Another great difference between bells ancient and modern is in their shape. The most ancient bells were very long in their waist, and very high in their shoulders ; now founders have run into the opposite extreme, of short waist and flat or low shoulders. The reason of this change is obviously connected with the art of ringing; short bells being much easier to raise, and taking" up le~s room, than bells of the old proportions ; indeed, the medireval bells were never rung up as they now are, but either tolled or swung up to what is called stock level ; with the portion of a wheel then in use, the bell was not set mouth upwards. The modern founders are all in favour of this change, asserting that the note is identical in both cases, and that metal lying in the waist is useless. If they would he col•tent with saying that it is a more convenient form, both for the pockets of the customers, the ringers, and their own moulds, they would be nearer the truth; for there is no denying, that, though the note may be identical, the quality of tone is very different ; and this I am fully convinced of, from the beautiful ancient bells which have come under my handling, and (to quote again my · friend Mr. Sperling) " this is evident on acoustic principles. The waist of a bell is, so to speak, its sound board The scientific view of a bell is that of an elastic instrument, com­ posed of an infinite number of rings or circles, varying in tone according to their several dimensions, the sound arising from the vibratory motion of all of them when set in motion by the clapper. A bell, properly and truly cast, will give the notes of a natural or common chord 1-3-5-8, more or less blended into one, and the major according to its height. This fact is easily proved by striking a bell with one's knuckle, or with a stick, in three different places : the note of the bell will form the base, where c2 12 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. the clapper strikes, and its major third and fifth will be given at certain distances above it. This squat form of bell founding has so increased, and the lips are so extended, that a eectiou of such a modem bell will almost describe an ogee arch ; and hence the same notes are attained at about half the weight of metal used by our ancestors. It has been supposed that the system was brought out at Downham, late in the last century, and introduced by Dobson into the Whitechapel foundry, for their earlier bells are much longer ; but . the Penningtons, of our own diocese, had invented or adopted it much earlier. A few words will suffice for weights of tenor. A tenor to a peal of ten or twelve in D should range from 40 cwt. to 50 cwt., and .for a peal of eight from 30 cwt. to 35 cwt. A tenor in E is good for a peal of eight, 6 and should range from 20 ::wt. tv 30 cwt., nothing less should be attempted ; though, in these close-shaving days as to costs of things to be provided, some are sent out as low a.S 15 cwt. F is the usual tenor for peals of six, and should range from 16 to 25 cwt. G is availabl('! for six, better for five ; it should never be under 13 cwt. No higher note should be allowed for the tenor of any peaL nor should any treble be higher than F natural, higher notes being harsh and unpleasing. And as we must not go higher than F, we need not go lower than D. The tones of very heavy bells in the note of A or B are no doubt very grand ru1 a sort of Bourdon, witness our full peal in St. Peter's belfry, but they cannot be raised in peal with the others. Perhaps no note is so pleasing to the ear, or so desirable for a tenor, as a good heavy E. It is doubtful whether D is so good, and the cost is very greatly increased. With all care, however, and attention to these lmggestions, and others also, known only to the bell founders, another great agency is necessary to perfect a bell. It is a fact, which none can gainsay or deny, that no bell, be it ever so carefully and skilfully cast, ever sounds so well at first, as it does after it has been hung some years. There is an atmospheric effect, a process of oxidation, very gradual, which goes on improving and mellowing the quality of tone as years advance. The

6 Mr. Denison in a letter to H. T. E., 2 Der., 1865.-" A tenor in E should not be so light as 21 cwt., 31 c\vt. is the best." THE CHURCH BEr,LS OF DEVON. 13 colour of a bell changes in a few months ; a green tint and crust come upon it, and, after a long course of years, the surface becomes slightly uneven, just as we are accustomed to note the process of devitrification in ancient painted glass. It is not improbable that this process tends to give the sweet mellow pla.intive tone to the most ancient bells. Before I close my introductory remarks, I wish to say a few words on the origin of change-ringing as usually practised in other counties : It wn.s introduced early in the seventeenth century, and led to a com­ plete revolution in the art of the bell founder as well as of the hanger. From that time, say about 1637, the date of the formation of the Society of College Youths in London, most of the heavy peals of three, and four, and five, were reduced in weight and multiplied in number, forming peals of six and eight, and in some counties ten and twelve. Though in this county there has been no change-ringing, the majority of the original peals of three have been melted down and multiplied to four, and five, and six. Some few still remain, as I shall hereafter bring before you, in their primitive number and original bell frames or cages, and original hangings. Whole wheels were necessitated in the place of the old half or three-quarter " deau rope " arrangements,6 and often the still simpler one of a · lever, always the best when the bell is in a gable turret or cot. King's College, Cambridge, is said to have the honor of pos~essing the first ringing peal of five in the kingdom, though, by the Articles of the Scholars of Cheapside, dated 1603, still extant, there were at that time ringing peals in London. The King's College bells were melted down at Whitechapel in 1 750. Peals of eight were hung in a few Churches in the seventeenth century. The earli~t in our own county is at Tiverton, 1736. In 1677 came out the first book on ringing. The first peal of twelve was hung in York

6 The annexed cut represents a. half-bell wheel, beautifully mounted in the style of the fiflieenth century, and is apparently as old ; it is at . It shews the ancient mode of bell-hanging before the introduction of the whole wheel with its appendages, the invention of which led to the art of change-ringing, and from that time campanology seems to have become a science. The half-wheel action is distinguished by the name of the dead-rope pull, there being no 1allg. BelL'! hung on this old.fa.shioned principle are not raised in peal-ringing much higher than 1toclc level; and, there being no fillet nor !Jf'Ountl-truck, the rope does not double back, and therefore lasts IPRny years. 14 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON.

Minster, 1681 ; tenor, fifty-three huntlred weight. Cirencester and Gloucester followed next; then S. Bride's, London, 1718, and others after­ wards. Our noble peal at the Cathedral was augmented to ten 1729. The honour of the invention of change ringing is said to belong to a Mr. Benjamin Anahle, who died at ·an advanced age in 1755. His methods were rnuch improved and enlarged by Mr. Holt and Mr. Fabian Stedman. These, with a Mr. Patrick, have produced the most celebrated peals. But I need not dwell longer on these points. I thought it might be more interesting, and perhaps more generally useful, to make the few cursory remarks 1 have, upon the antiquity of Church Bells, and their connection with architecture; especially to those beautiful ap­ pendages to our Churches-the towers and spires-than to enter at once and abruptly upon the bells and bell founders of Devonshire, without THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 1.5 any preface or introductions; and by tlris means I have had an oppor­ tunity of touching, though somewhat superficially, upon bells generally, and bell founding-not forgetting to introduce a few words upon the origin of change ringing. I will now proceed to give a plain statistical account of the bells as they exist at this time (1864-5) in the towers of all the old parish Churches in Devonsllire, and most of the single bells in the newly constituted ecclesiastical districts. By the courteous hospitality and very kind assistance of many friends -(clerics) laics, and ladies too,) 7 I have been enabled to visit every old • tower in the county. I have with my own hands and my own eyes examined and copied every bell, excepting , which I visited twice, but by some misunderstanding the keys of the staircase were not forthcoming ; and , where an ill-mannered churchwarden threw diffi­ culties in the way. Having said thus much, I should be sadly deficient in duty as a. Christian and a gentleman, if I proceeded another line with my paper without at once expressing my sincere and grateful thanks, not only to every one of those many kind friends to whom I have alluded, but more especially to my Heavenly Father who, at my time of life, has most mercifully granted me health of body and energy of mind, not only to complete the labour of love I had undertaken, but to do so, without thA slightest accident. " Benedic anima mea Domino." From the spring of the year 1864 to the fall of the year 1865, I ascended 452 towers, including a few turrets ; not reckoning Sheepstor : before that, I had visited four, making a total of 456. True indeed it is, to quote the words of the poet Crabbe : " The towers yet stand, and have their bells renowned For size magnificent and solemn sound : Each has its motto." But I have a sorry tale to tell as to the interior condition in which I

7 Some, no doubt, were of long standing acquaintance, and many of them were perfect strangers; but to the honor of all I thankfully record it-the mention of my object was a sufficient introduction; admitting me to the warm hospitality of their houses, and placing their carriages and horses at my disposal. 16 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. found very many of those goodly edifices anrl noble bequests of our ancestors. AU honour and thanks be to them for having left us so many glorious monuments of their architectural skill in design, and of solidity in construction; had it been otherwise, many of them long ago would have crumbled to the ground, if one. may judge from the manner in which the more perishable materials have been cared for by those to whom they have come down in trust. Even the bells themselves, or rather their appur­ tenances, are . in great state of decay, and of the imperishable metal there are sixty cracked or broken, some cast aside as useless, either downstairs or above ; the wheels and other gear of many all gone to rack, and dangerous to handle; stairs and bell chambers so· filled up by the. industry of jackdaws, that it was with difficulty an ascent or descent could be effected, and sometimes not at all, without the help of a bell-rope; ladders, which are universally met with in the early towers, defective of rongs-some broken, and unfit for use. As for the guano of daws and owls, and other birds, it had not been removed apparently for years. Flooring, too, entirely gone, or so rotten as w break away beneath my feet ; wet droppings from the roof, and not carefully prevented from driving through the windows. One can scarcely believe that in those places, where things remain in such a disgraceful and ruinous state, any wardens hold office-certainly it cannot be that of guardiani, as they used to be called; or that the office of Rural Dean was looked upon otherwise than an useless appointment. Independent of such a state of dilapidation, the peals of bells are generally very badly hung, very few are fitted with stays and slides, the ropes are too heavy, and without tuftings for the sally ; certainly most discouraging to scientific ringing. In my particular account of , under the name of each parish, to which we shall come by and bye, I have noted the condition in which I found things. Now that such a disgraceful state of things should exist in some places, is surely a very grave subject upon which the whole weight ami judgment of our Committee may, in some shape or other, be most legitimately exerted, and, it is to be hoped, called into action with success ; the great object of Associations like ours being that of c.aring for all the parts and appointments of the Houses of God in the lar1d. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 17 A few words here (before I handle the bells,) about our towers. A very valuable and most interesting Paper might be drawn up by some one who has more time and ability than I have for such an elaborate work, setting forth with illustrations the peculiarities of each, though those of the same type might be classed together : and although a great family likeness pervades most of them, especially in certain districts, yet each one in detail would be found to be different ; " For tho' they do agree in kind, Specific difference we find"-Butle;r ; and though there are not two exactly a.iike, yet many of them bear ex­ ternal evidence of having emanated from the same mind, and of having been executed by the same hands. I made hasty notes of each internally and externally, but they are too scanty to be of much use for a Paper without good sketches. And now we come to the bells. I have found in the county several original peals of three, and in their original cages, original hangings, and the clappers of many still retain the Bauderick,8 and altogether there remam . at the present time

8 The bauderick is the leather gear with its appurtenances, attached to the upper part of the clapper, by which it is suspended. The word. either in Latin or English, is of frequent occurrence in old Churchwardens' accounts, with "white leather," "thongs," and "horse hyde." In these cuts,

0 D A. Is the crown staple. B. The bauderick, or stout leather strap. C. The clapper, with stirrup top. D. "Busk board," or "sword," the end of which is tied with a thong or stout cord round the shank of the clapper. E. A piece of hard wood placed between the crown staple and the end of the clapper, to which it is kept steady by the busk board and the pin which passes through the whole; the upper end of the wood is hollowed to fit the round part of the crown staple, the other end is square to fit down close upon the stirrup end of the clapper. I D 2 18 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 240 bells, which have survived the sacrilegious greed of the spoiler, and the wear and tear of use and abuse : they stil1 speak of God and the Church in the self-same tones as of old, while other things have been changed, old bells have remained unaltered from the day of their solemn dedication even until now. I shall produce a record in the Appendix prnving that there were a great many more-over 1600-before the rage obtained for melting down the fine old heavy bells to make lighter peals of four, five, or six, at the end of the seventeenth and early part of the eighteenth century, when ringing was a fashion, particularly among the county gentry and the farmers. No doubt the bell founders encouraged this fashion, and the Penningtons, who lived on the borders of our two diocesan counties, at and Stoke Climsland, appear to have carried on an immense amount of business, as no less than 600 bells bear their name. They were itinerant founders, casting mqst of their peals in the Church yards or near the Church. Whether they obtained such an amount of patronage by meeting their expectant employers at their ordinaries on market days, talking about the bells over a friendly glass or not, I cannot undertake to say ; certain however it is, that they were very much patronised: But in carrying out their undertakings they often did a great deal of mischief; for not content with melting down the old medireval bells, they often hacked away large portions of the masonry inside the beH chambers, in order to make room to equeeze in their peal, in size diminished, but in number augmented. Many a tower was so weakened most seriously. But more of the Penningtons when I come to the founders . . If, then, (returning to my remark about the original peals), it may be assumed as a fact, that our county was not at one sweep deptived of the bells during those stirring times to which I have alluded, may we not presume that there existed among the then chief residents, what would now be called a strong feeling of conservatism ; and if so, it would be an inquiry of great historirel local interest to trace back who were the worthies of the county at that time living in their parishes, and to whom we are now very probably indebted for the preservation of those peals still remaining in their entirety. As I have already stated in the introductory part of my Paper, it is gener.Uly difficult to find out when and by whom these old bells were THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 19 cast ; for they have neither date nor name, though they are richly adorned with ornamental capitals, and legends ; but nearly all the old bells in our towers, though without name or date, have what is very unusual -the initials of the artificers t n and t t, who were the founders of nearly all our old bells. Besides the mottoes, or legends, there are certain other marks or stamps, such as crosses at the beginning of each legend, and other devices between the words, some of them of great beauty ; which, with the mouldings round the shoulders above and at the sound bow below, are sufficient to identify the foundry, ' and in our county prove that all must have come from the same. With some exceptions, all our medireval bells appear to be of the same date, and to be coeval with the Perpendicular style of tower, in which they were originally placed. Messrs. t n and t t, whoever they were, certainly had a very flourishing business; and one_ cannot but be curious to find out what was the movement in their day which led to the setting up so many peals to the buildings, or, rather, the reconstruction of so many beautiful towers and Churches. It bas been said, that in the reign of Henry VI. or Edward IV., a statute was passed to enforce the residence of the Clergy by the Bishops and Abbots, the operation of which has been supposed to have led to the reconstruction and refitting of the ancient Churches, or that some decree to the same effect was issued from Lambeth, but no such document of either kind has yet been discovered. I now proceed with the legends, beginning with those which are simple dedications. First, I must mention those which are dedicated to our Holy Saviour, and either record His simple Name 3e~[1~. or His titles of Agnus Dei and FiliUi Dei; such occur at Ashbury. Ashford, Horwood and East Down. There are thirty-four bells dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, in these different forms: + e~t [titJJO ~aneta ;.flilana. + ecce ;.flilatia dttrgo. + 11\lt ;.flilatia. + 11\lt ;.flilatia gratta pltnta. [sic] The towers m which they occur will be found in a tabular list m the Appendix. Dt 20 THE CHURCH BELI.S OF DEVON.

Besides the Archangels Gabriel 9 and Michael, there are twelve of the goodly company of holy men and women called to be Saints, whose names occur with the usual invocation, Ora pro nobis, viz. : Anna, Barbara, Katerina, Margareta, Maria Magdalena, Augustinus, Georgius, Johannes, Leo, Petrus, Philippus, Thomas. All these, with the legends at length, are set forth in a tabular form at the ~nd, and the names of the place.s where they are. I now come to those legends of greater length, which are generally known by the name of Leonine-monkish hexameters-the middle and end of which rhyme together. Ducange ascribes such verses to Leo, a poet who lived temp. Lewis VII. (1131}. Warton ascribes them to Leoninus, a monk of Marseilles, about 1135, but they are mentioned by Ambrose, Gellon, and others, and they may be earlier. Townsend, in his Manual of Dates, says they have been traced to the third century. I will first select six which occur most frequen~ly on the bells m our county. I. + est mtcbi collatum ibc iliub nomm amatum II. + J:)rotege \ltrgo pta quos con\loco sanrta marta, III. + trtoce mea \lt\Ja beptllo cunta noctua IV. + J:)ltbs ors plaubit ut me tam septus aubit v. + Jftt melior \lm non est campana sub trt VI. + Jlf(f!)tmf£) sacrus repltat nos l1fa tobanntss. All these are preceded by an initial cross of great beauty, (Cuts 1, 3,

I 7 4 4, 7,} and each of them also has the trade mark of i t or r n, the figure of a bell between the letters, and all within a cable circle (Cuts 9 Gabriel was the bell rung morning ard evening.-.Rock iii. 338. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 21

6 5 5 a.nd 6). Generally the castings are very clean a.nd sharp, the tone very mellow and sonorous. They all appear to have issued from the same foundry, arid I hope to be able to prove, excepting No. V. in one instance, that they were cast in this city of Exeter ; as both founders use the same initial crosses, though. not exactly the same bell mark, one may have succeeded the other in the business. It is a very unusual thing to find any founders' initials on medimval bells ; however, here we have them, and here I must leave them· for the present, until I have finished all I have to say about these legends, and others more properly called mottoes or posies which followed, and came into use after the Reformation,-some very good, others ridiculous, if not impious. As regards the legend No. I. The bells on which the N arne of Jesus, or ibf, is introduced, are very properly called by that Name; we have as

II many as forty-six remammg in our county. I may observe here, that it is sometimes found that a word may be set in upside down, sometimes the whole legend, which makes it the more difficult for the uninitiated to ·· decypher, and sometimes a wrong word ha8 been redund;mtly stamped in the mould, and so been produced on the casting : such was the case with the Jesus bells at S. George's Clyst and West ; 22 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. and on a bell I know in Dorset: the letters J!)rtt (nut 8} have long

8 been a puzzle to everybody ; but that it was a blunder was discovered by another blunder found on a bell at , by which it is evident that the word intended was J!)rtrt for the beginning of another legend (Figs 52, 53); this wiU be seen by referring to the account of the bells in that parish.

52 \(1~ : ._ :-· ~ ' . - : ...- , ~; (l -~ 0 53 Number II. legend an invocatior1 to the Virgin. of which we have nineteen, making the total number of our Mary bells fifty-three. Number III. legend is a visible and lasting proof of the belief of the Roman Catholics of that period,-that demons, storms, and tempests were frightened away 1 and · dissipated by the sound of bells. To satisfy any country lad or .. sexton, who perchance might be my attendant in a tower where I found any such, I gave him the following as an English version : "By my lively voice, I drive away the saucy boys." We have as many as twenty-two of these remaining. Whether thero be scientifically any virtue. in the noise of bells or cannons to dissipate storms impending, I will not undertake to say ; but it may be interesting to introduce here an event which is related in the Teatro Oritico to have occurred in France in the year 1 718, " On Good Friday there arose a THE CHURCH BELLS QF DEVON. 23 most violent tempest on a part of the coast of Bntanny. Twenty-four Churches were struck by lightning, and what is very remarkabl., is. that .the lightning fell only on the Churches in which the bells were r;.i :ng, without touching many others in the neighbourhood in which the custom of not ringing on Good Friday was observed.'~ At Alphington, on the lOth day of June, 18~6, a most violent thunder storm came on while the bells were ringing on account of Mr. Kekewich's return to Parliament ; the bells were eased down, and ·the ringers went homewards, all but four and a boy,1 who remained for shelter out of the rain under the west doorway. The storm was not dissipated, for the staircase turret was struck by the electric fluid, and shattered One of the ringers, John Coles, was killed in the doorway, and the others, by the force of the flnid, were driven through tht! nave· of the Church, as far as the Cha,ncel, and more or less injured. The next legend, No. IV., seems to have been a great favourite ; for I find it on twenty-two bells, which, for the edificatiOn and amusement of the rustic companions in my campaning, I translated, "All the people rejoice, when they hear my voice." The same idea, but moulded in a different form and incomplete, is on the noble Peter bell, in the north tower of our Cathedral, where it runs thus : PLEBS : PATRLE : PLAVDIT : DVM : PETBV:M : PLE : And then the bungling bell-moulder stopped for want of room ; it was probably intended to finish thus-PLENIVS : A VDIT, in allusion, perhaps,

1 Edward Taylor, James Coles, John Coles (his son), William Wright, and George Heard. The boy (aged 10), who had an iron hammer in his hand, fell instantly dead; James Coles was knocked down ; and Heard was driven into the chancel. The shoes of three and the coat of one were shivered into shreds. The following epitaph was set up over the boys' grave:- " Pause, Sinner ! and reflect on these remains­ This spot-this little spot of earth-contains A youth, by lightning struck I. No moment given To raise one thought-one pious prayer to heaven ! This might have been thy fate. Oh, then, beware, Reflect in time, and give thy soul to prayer : Entreat thy pardon at the Heavenly Throne, Since not o~e moment canst thou call thine own." 24 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. to the bell, which was given by Bishop Courtenay in 1484, being recast in 1676 by Thomas Perdue (of whom hereafter), with additional metal w augment its sound. There is a curious circumstance connected with· this legend-the capital ~ in many cases is wanting ; the space is left, as is the cage in old MSS., the capitals being illuminated by other hands, so that the word reads, ltbSS. No. V. " A better bell than I " Cannot be found under the sky," may be the English version of No. V. There are eleven of these, and one has the initials R.S., which I believe to be those of Roger Semson, as I shall show when I come to the founders. The legend No. Vi is to me of more hidden meaning than I can attempt to explain with any satisfaction. It occurs on eleven of our bells ; each

3 has the same elegant floriated . cross, (Cut 3) one of those used by r n~ and his initials are on four of the bells out of the eleven. Any person acquainted with contracted Latin words would at first say that nta is short for dicta, but then what becomes of repltat without any mark of abbreviation? Perhaps the blame may be laid on the founder, for his ignorance or carelessness ; but, if he erred in one casting. he would cotTect the error in the next. Not so; for every bell is the same. It has been suggested that tJfa is short for nortrtna. and, if so, that the sentence has reference, either to the :first chapter of S. John or the sixth. I beg to leave it ~ a questio vexata for the consideration and decision of the learned. Having now gone through the six legends of moat frequent occurrence, a simple numeration of the others will, I consider, be sufficient, with such few remarks as each may require, reference being easily had to the peals THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 26 m which they occur m the alphabe~ical account of each parish in the Appendix. No. VII. t BAINCTI t OMNIEB * CONIFESBORES t ORATE t PIIOBIS. This very beautiful tenor bell in F is at Ta.laton. I believe it to be by Roger Semson. as the letters, which are peculiar, are the same he uses on his Ave Maria bells. Besides a Rose and Fleur-de-I is a."! intervening stops, there is an impress of the seal of jol)ana l1t titautbatnp, IDflr l1t J;ergabmp, for a description of which I refer to the account of the various armorial bearings found on our bells in the Appendix. She

might have been the donor of the bell, as her husband was owner of Larkbea.r, &c., in the pariah.

YIII. + ~i.GltJES! IN eiQ!:ft.SSJESS JH!O is only found at Alvington ; each letter is crowned in this way (Y~g. .3), with this initial croBS (Fig. 19}.

3 19 E 26 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON.

IX. + JE.f} o JfltlllJLmE~ o ~fl.fl.JE~ o JB.E~Gf}.em: o QI:~jll'~~~ o JGJf~NNI~. This occurs at , with the beautiful stops and cross used by William Ffoundor (Figs. 41, 47, 49); a very superior bell ~-

41 47 49 x + ~ btwS trine lap~u btftnlle rutne. This is the only bell we have dedicated to the Holy Trinity ; it IS at , with the stamp of r n and the arms of Ferrera.

XL + ~dontm fpe t>ladat Qt:tbt mey ~onu~ i~. ~. The lettering on this bell is very beautiful; each capital is crowned. (Figs. 69,

70 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 27

70, 71 ). By the initial crOBB on this bell and the next (Figs. 15, 16),

16 IS these two bells are recognised as the only work we possess by Austin B~ker. They also carry the three pots and three trefoil shields. Figs. 13 and 14.1

13 14

XII + 6um m.o~a J)ul.sata ~unlJt lltattttna

t A chevron between three laver pots are supposed to be the arms of the Guild ot Bell­ founders. The other coat (Fig. 14) has not been identified. F! 28 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. XIII. At and Townstall we find :

+ ~it Jaomm Domini llrnttJtctum, With the most elegant cross of any (Fig. 45}, " ibii mtrci, latJi btlp " encircling it ; there are · also two shields (Figs. 44, 46} which

44 45 appear to be trade marks. Bells by this founder are not common, but they occur in other counties eaat and north of Devonshire. He has not yet been identified.

This very ancient bell of small dimension is at Pyne. I presume that the bell was baptized Agam or Adam. On one of the high Tors of the Moor district, perched on a roc~ is a bell with this most appropriate legend for such a situation :

XV. + 8~1L1L1J~ o 1JO~®~ o ~8® o ~®1.1J.i o .ilJlP(!11t o OjllNI~ o MNO. There is a bell similarly inscribed at All Saints, Norwich. Figs. 28 and 30 are the cross and stops.

30 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 29 XVI. The very mysterious inscription on the tenor bell at A bbotsham is the next to be introduced to your notice. It is the more difficult to make out, because the words, in small Church Text, are set in backwards and upside down ; the word ·is repeated nine times, and there is neither cross nor stamp to indicate the beginning. The first three are upside down, the next four backwards ; ltmofinacy is the word ; it looks like lttnosnnarp, but it is ltmofinarp, aa short for eleemosynary meaning that the bell was given in charity. XVII. Much discussion has taken place amongst antiquaries about an equally, if not more, mysterious legend on a bell at Challa.combe, which runs thus in badly formed capitals : AS:ECO ANCEO A.MCEO AlPCEO RS, about eight inches between each word and Jines between the letters, which prove that separate types were made use o£ This cut represents one of the words.

88 In the very interesting old accounts of the Churchwardens of Woodbury, (extracts from which will be found in the Appendix,) there is an agree­ ment entered into in the year 1548-9 with one Roger Semsou, of Aish­ Priors, to cast certain bells. There is an account in detail how a party of seven men set out from Woodbury on a Sunday with nine oxen, the Churchwarden accompanying them on horseback ; how they rested and feasted the first night at Larkbeare (query, Fair Mile), next at Milverton, and the day after at Halse, near to which is Aish-Priors ; there they seem to have waited till the work was ready, for they returned by the same route, refreshing themselves and their beasts by the way, and meny-making on their arrival at home. 30 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON.

Havin~ found many Ave Maria bells and othel'B with t;he initials R.S.

90 (Fig, 90) after the legend, as on this bell at Challaoombe, I made up my mind that Roger Semson must be the maker of them all He uAed a fleur-de-lis stop (Fig. 12), and a very peculiar capital, not at all like the

12 letter. When I reached Luppit, my eye caught another Ave Maria bell, which, by the form of the letter, I recognized as the superior work of our friend R. S., but instead of any initials, I presently spied a lot of letters of the very cut of those on the Challacombe hell, closely set together, and backwards too, (NOSMESREGOREMIB) spelling, falsely, BI ME BOGER SEMSON; and, therefore, I have no doubt that the Cha.llaoombe bell was cast about that time at Aish-Priors in the County of Somerset, by the aforesaid illiterate but first-class bell-founder.3 I must not omit a short notice of two unintelligible bells, one at Sheepwash, bearing a medireval ship (Fig. 35), and a hand (Fig. 34),

· 1 I am infonned by Mr. Clarence that on a bell at Harston and Newton, Cambridge, "Austin Bracker made me," is all backwards. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 31

34 35 and a crown (Fig. 32}, as the founder's mark." The other at , without the hand, but with a different crown (Fig. 36). The same sort

36 of mark, a ship, has been found in other counties, but their meanmg has not yet been made out. I wish, pro hdc vice, to consider in our own county and diocese, as it was former]y, because Ford Abbey is in that parish, where there is a bell most beautifully ornamented ; it is the only one, I believe, we possess from the celebrated foundry carried on by the family of Braziers of Norwich. On the shoulders of this bell there are three stamps of a shield (Fig. 68), used by that family. The legend IS : + .JFac ~rgarrta + .Bobt.s ll)ec ~untra 11.rta o

4 The same marks-the ship, of two smaller sizes, and the crowns-! have found at Northover, Weston Bam.fylde, Sutton Mantis, Limington, Somerset; and Tortworth, Glou­ cester. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON.

68 Fig. 67 is the cross, and Fig. 69 a lion with lolling tongue placed after ll.tta. Figs. 70, 71, '72, 73, 74 are the ornamented capitals.

71

73 74 There is an ancient bell at S. Paul's, Devonport, which I ·hail as a Devonian, though it was not translated to its present belfry before 1851. It was obtained from S. Alban's, Worcester, (the tower of that Church having been removed to make room for local improvements) with three THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 33 other bells of less interest, now in the tower of S. James the Great, Devonport. It is supposed to be the work of Thomas de Lynne, though the legend is somewhat confused : o + o est o S!ngtlus o ~abntl o €bomrus o ;.fRt.ssus ll.pnlp. On the either side of this initial cross (Fig. 65} there is a niddy noddy

66 grote'3C}ue (Fig. 64) then the heads of a queen (Fig. 61}, and a king (Fig. 62), and a youth (Fig. 63), and the lion's 18 placed

62 63 between each word as stops. The king's head, being beardless, as represented on the Great Seal, may be Henry VI. ; if so, the queen would be Margaret of Anjou, and the youth. her son Edward4 •

4 Other royal heads have been found in different places. There are two, supposed to be Edward I. and Queen Eleanor, on a bell at Bottisham, Cambridge; Elmley Castle, Wor­ cester; Nettleton, Wilts; Winston and Dyrham, Gloucester. At the latter place I found them with this initial cross and the figures as here represented, At Stoneleigh, Warwick,

F 34 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. With these, not · omitting a bell at Harford, inscribed : !n Jaomtnt ~atrtg, and the one at Darlington, Dto ~tUiruS, I close the Devonian legends of the pre-Reformation period. But I have four examples of other bells of that period, the mt.laning of which has not yet been satisfactorily made out ; instead of any words or legend, they simply bear A B 0, &c.; and, therefore, are very. properly called Alphabet Bells. They are probably nothing more than a fancy of the bell founder to fill up the space usually allotted for a legend, which his employer had not supplied. At LuffinC!ltt they go no fatj,her than I, all very beautiful letters, as represented Plate VI., with the we1l known cross (Plate I., Fig. 1,) At Puddington the type is difterent, all capitals, the whole alphabet minus Z. At from A to I and N, with the initial cross, (Plate I., Fig. 3,) and bell stamp of r n. At Oombeinteinghead., fourteen letters, set in three and four together, with cross Plate I., Fig. 7; at , to 1.~ There is an ancient bell in the peal of six at S. Petrock, in Exeter, which I must not omit, because it is the only one we posReSs bearing the arms of Royalty. + ]'obanneg

S. Peter's at Gowt's, Lincoln, there are two different beads supposed to be Edward III. and Queen Philippa. This king's head as here represented is on two bells at Christ Church, Hants, with this initial cross, and at Frodingbam, Lincoln. • +

6 Alphabet bells are found at Bemerton, Wilts ; Morcott, Rutland ; EUUley, Cambridge SidtJ, Gloucester; Monkton Ooombe, Somerset; Elatow and St. Peter's, 1600, Redfordshire; Hoby, Leicestershire; Higham Ferrers, 1611; and Whittlebury, North!Ults; Patrington, York ; Barnetby le Wold, Burton Stathflf', 8. Ferriby, Horbtow, Lincolnshire; Elford, Staffordshire. At Leighton Bromswold, Huuts, on three bells dated 1641. (.IAlkiB, p. 80.) THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 36 is the inscription, with this initial cross (Fig. 38) and this ornament (Fig. 39) and Lancastrian coat at the end (Fig. 40).6

39 40 Besides the stamps or trade marks already not.iced, there are often to be found stops of a peculiar form intervening between the words of medireval legends ; these figures represent such as occur on our Devon bells :

23 22 25 24 26 27 I come now to a set of bells .which I should call Transition, cast before the close of the sixteenth century, before the medireval stamps were lost or worn out, and the old form of legend was still lingering in the minds of the founders ; such as the follo~ng, at :

trtnttu tn tbtono mt rtbbat nobdi .sono. 1592. Others are brought together iu the Appendix. At Molland is one dated 1562, bearing a sort of memorial or tomb-stone inscription repeated twice and backwards :

6 Bells with the same stamps have been found by Mr. Tyssen at Stopham, West Chiltington, llvington, Sussex, and by Mr. Fowler at S. Margaret's, Durham ; they are supposed to belong to a founder (patronized by Royalty) whose initials are t ~b. Fll 36 TBE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON.

tltoO~ SSfb03 tSSigam ttcaj ciJ1) or, ~tc jactt tnagWt 3of)lSS ~ookt. Mter this period, 1600, nearly all interest in inscriptions ceases. I have already selected a few as specimens. All we possess are presented in the following pages. They are arranged according to date, with the name of the founder, 'and the parish in which they are to be seen.

An Ancient Bell, from "Mersennus de Harmonicis," Lib. iv., Pari£, 1629.

Latus ------Waist

Labium _ Mouth

N.B.-The sound bow ia the line o£ the thickest part, where the clapper mtlllt strike. If the clapper strikes an inch too low, it will crack the bell ; i£ too high, it will not bring out the tone. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 37

MODERN LATIN MOTTOES ON CHURCH BELLS IN DEVONSHIRE

FROH 1600 TO 1865.

l>tJte, I Fourtdwl. .7bww.

1607 A.LLELUJA .. Ptt;rdU6

1608 \SOLI : DEO : DETVR : GLORIA .. .. Penningtqn of E(l)()n TO •lGLORIA ; DEO ; DETUR ; GLORIA .. Ditto 1677 GLORIA l SOLI : DEO l DETVR .. Ditto

1620 FILl DEI MISERARE MEl .. TP , Cheldon 1625 LAUB DEO GRATIA BENEFACTORIBUB .. TP Payhem bury 1626 QUALlS AB ORE BONVB TALIS AB ARTE BEPOB .. TP Portlemouth

1631 EX IMIB FUIMUB SIDERA TANGDroS .. p e'TIInilngt

] 633 MENTES TOLLITE VOS GAUDIA REDIMVB .. Pennimgtrm Ditto 1633 BERVIRE DEO REQUIEBCERE EST . . T P . . . Combeinteignhead

l 635 INVOCO IN TEMPLVll DOMINI . . T P . . . S. Stephen, Exon

1668 VOCO AD TEMPLVll ET BEPVLCHRVll . . I P ... Cookworthy (tenor)

1670 !NEST SVA GRATIA PARVIS .. T P Ottery, treble

1676 PLEBS PATB.LE PLAVDIT DVM PETRVll PLE . • . . PurdU6 Cathedral

1680 ORATE PRO SALVTE REGIS .. George N ympton

1709 BANTlE NICHOLIA ORA PRO NOBIB . . Molland

1711 BUM VITlE MORTIS TEMPORIS ATQUE TUBA •. Colyton, (tenor, re-cast 1837) 1718 INTER OMNES PAX . . EW1n8 ••

] 718 APUD FRATREB CHARITAS . • .. Ditto Ditto

1718 ERGA DEUM PIETAS .. Ditto Ditto

1718 IN ECCLESIA EPISCOPATUS . . .. Ditto Ditto

• These are found on thirty Bells. 38 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DKVON.

Dau. 1Jiu:oe,-. 1718 FLOREAT IN REGNO MONARCHIA Evans Chulmleigh

1718 GLORIA DEO IN EXCELSIS .. Ditto Ditto

1721 E FUMMA RESURGnroS .. Ditro Crowys U::orehard

1721 IN ECCLEBIA SANai'IT-\..8 .. Ditto Ditto

1721 APUD OMNES CHARITAS .. Ditto llitto

1721 CONCORDIA INTER FRATRES Ditto Ditto 1726 TRI VNI SIT GLORIA SEMPITERNA ...... K.ingsteignton

1728 LAUS ET GLORIA DEO .. I p . .. Stoke-in-teignhead

1743 FLOREAT BISHOP'S MORCJIARD .. Evans Bishop's Morchard

1747 HUC VERTE PEDES HUC ITER IN ASTRA .. Billne Kenton, tenor

1749 GAUDEO CUM GAUDENTIBUS FLEO CUM FLENTIBUS . . Evans St. Budea.ux, tenor

1762 MORS VESTRA VITA . . Pennington Moreton, tenor

1763 EXTREMUM PULSO . . Pennington Hallwell, tenor

1765 EGO SUM VOX CLAHANTIS PARATE .. .. Ditto Bickleigh, tenor

1766 NOS RESONARE JUBENT PIETAS MORS ATQUE Wroth Lympston VOLU.P'l'AS 1768 VOX CLAliA.NTIS PARATE .. .. Pen~ington Earl

1768 NOSTRA LABRA APERI Ditto Ditto

1768 ET OS NOSTRUM LAUDEH TUAH PREDICABIT Ditto Ditto

FLAMMA VORAX DEPRESSA RESURGO AC AUai'O , tenor 1769 DIDICI GRAVI ORE ORE LOQUI Bayley 1770 JESU NAZARENE REX JUDlEORUM FILl DEI MISERERE Pennington N. Tawton, tenor MEl .. 1780 SUM VOX CLAMA.NTIS PILm>ARATE VIAM DOMINI Ditto S. Budea.ux SI CARITAS NON HABEAM SUM TANQUAH &8 RE­ Ditto Ditto 1780 SONANS 1803 GLORIA DEO IN EXCELSIS . • Brialnt Bamstaple AD ECCLEBIAH VIVOS CONVOCO AD SEPULCHRA MOR­ 1806 TUOS .• Bilbie M.odbury, tenor 1806 DEO REG! POPULO . • Ditto Ditto

18061 VIai'ORIA LETA PAX BEATA Ditto Ditto

J825 DEO ET"ECCLESU: •• Taylor Buckland Brewer THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 39

Date. FIMIIiw1. 7btctr. 1826 CONCORDIA RESONA.T .. Mears 1835 DOMINI EST TERRA CA.NTATE DOMINO ·· PanneU .. Arlington 1835 .JUBILATE DEO VOX HARHONLE . . Ditto Ditto lb35 CONSERVA ME DOMINE .. Ditto Ditto

1835 DOMINUS NOSTER REFUGIU!I .. Ditto Ditto 184! IN GLOR.IAM DEI . . .. Taylm Dfracombe 1845 VOX HA.BMONLE ET AMORIS ·· PanneU Silverton 1845 abe ~aneta «ttnita.s .. Mears abe ll\tgnan.s ~tnt .lint Ditto " Ditto Slbe ~imple}: et «tint " Ditto Ditto , Slbe J)a~ rt t:batita.s .. Ditto Ditto ,, ll.u~ ~albator I Slbe Jftlt Ditto Ditto ~be ll\t~ Ditto " J)atet Creator Ditto ., ir?anrta «nntta.s unu.s Deu.s -t.serert Bobt.s Ditto Ditto ., Dto rt ecclt.sm tn fl)onorttn ~. -td)atli.s Ditto Ditto arctangeU, &c.* 1847 MA.XIMUS E :MINDIO MUTATA VOCE TRIUMPHO .. Meatrs Uft'culme

1855 CA.NTATE DOMINO .. .. PQ/IV11£U Upton

LAUDA.TE DOMINUM Ditto " ·· Ditto CONSERVA ME DOMINl!:. SEBA.STOBOL, SEP. ~ 18M N ·· Ditto Ditto EXULTA.TE DEO .. Ditto Ditto " DOMINUS REGNA.T Ditto " ·· Ditto CON~ DOMINO .. Ditto Ditto " , BEAT! DIMA.CULA.TI .. Ditto Ditto 1857 PATRIS OPTDII IN MEMOBLU£. I. H. G. .. Wamer Appledore 1862 IN MEMORIAM ALBERTI CONSORTIS REGII .. PII BENEVOLI, DOCTI BONA.RVM ARTIVM PA.TRONI Ditto Clyst S. George OMNIBUS DESIDERA.TISBDII } ., • Bee the Parish. 40 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON.

ENGLISH MOTTOES.

lJate. Frlwtdwl. .7bto.w. 1595 EMBRACE TREW MUSECK . . .. B'!}'TVkLn Clyst S. George

1600 PRAISE GOD .. Poole

1600 GEEVE TH.ANKES TO GOD .. .. Poole Ken tisbear

1600 PRAYSE NOT THY SELF .. B'!/f'dan

1611 0 LORD HOW GLORIOUS ARE THY WORKS .. .. Wisemam. ... Colyton

1622 DRAWE NEARE VNTO GOD .• TP

1632 GATHERED OF THE YOUNG MEN AND MA.YDS FYFTENE Penni'fl.gton Widdecombe lD the Moor DRAW NEARE VNTO GOD AND GOD WILL DRAW NEARE Ditto 1632 VNTO YOU Ditto 1637 I CALL YEE TO THE CHVRCH AND 'L'O THE GRAVE .. Pancraswyke 1637 WHEN I CALL FOLLOW ME ALL .. I Pennimgton ! HARK NOW I CALL PREPARE YOUR HEARTS AND I 1638 COME TO THE HOUSE OF GOD AND KINGDOME OF Purdue Membury OF HIS SONNE ...... 16

1705 PEACE AND GOOD NEIGHBOURHOOD .. Ditto V£>ry common

1707 ALL GLORY TO GOD .. Wrotk

1710 ALL GLORY BE TO GOD ON IDGH .. Ditto

1710 MUSICK IS NOT WORTH A GROAT •• . . Broken BeU I 1710 BUT YET MUSICK WONT AGREE .. ; Stadler Ditto

1710 UNLESS TIS SECONDlill BY ME .. Ditto Ditto YET ALL IS A CONFUSED NOISE .. Ditto Ditto 1710 WITHOUT MY LAST COIDdANDING VOICE

• All these letters are singularly formed Capitals with a crown over each. Plate :xn., Fig. 82, il a specimen shewing one of the letters. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 41 l>GU. .Fowtdwl. 7bwr•.

1705 GOD SAVE THE QUEIN BudhaU Broadwood Kelly

1711 GOD BLESS THE QUEEN AND SAVE THE CHVRCH Wroth.

1713 GOD PRESERVE QUEEN ANNE AND THE CHURCH E'IJ0/1UJ THOU HAST CREATED ALL THINGS 0 GOD AND FO Stadler Bishopsnymptnn 1715 THY PLEASURE 1716 GOD PRESERVE THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND .. Budkal£ Torrington 1718 PROSPERITY TO THOSE WHO LOVE BELLS .. .. Etx:r!M Newton S. Cyres 1720 WHEN YOU ME RING I'LL SWEETLY SING .. .. Ditto 1722 GOD PRESERVE OUR BENEFACTORS •• .. Ditto 1723 PROSPERITY TO THIS TOWN .• Bud,ka,U

172! LET US RING FOR CHURCH AND KING .• EW!n8 King's Nympton 'TWAS GENTLEMEN BROUGHT ME HERE Uploman 1725 AND PLEASANT TOGETHER ICH FIVE OF US ARE Wroth 1727 GOD SAVE THE CHURCH .. Ditto ... 1728 PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD .. Emm 1728 THE LORD IS AT HAND .. Ditto Ditto 1731 GLORY TO GOD IN THE IDGHEST .. Ditto S. Edmund' a, Exon. 173J AND ON EARTH PEACE .. Ditto Ditto 1731 GOOD WILL TOWARDS MEN .. Ditto Ditto 1731 LET MY SOUND MOVE THEE TO GOD'S GLORY .. Ditto Ditto A. GOODING CAST US ALL FOWER 1731 FOR TIDS NEW BUILDED TOWER .. Goodimg 1733 COME LET US RING FOR CHURCH AND XING .. . . E'IJ0/1UJ Newton S. Cyres 1740 GLORY TO GOD ON IDGH .. .. Wroth. S. John's, Exon. 1740 FEAR GOD HONOUR THE KING .. Ditto Ditto TO MEANS OF GRACE TO LIFE I CALL 1740 THE NEWS OF DEATH I BRING TO ALL Ditto Ditto (te~tor) 1742 PROSPERITY TO TRADE . . Evam Morcbru:d Bishop 1743 KEEP PEACE AND GOOD NEIGHBOURHOOD .. Gooding and Dart- mouth I AM LITTLE SMART AND SMALL . 1743 LUCK MADE ME CONCORD TO ALL .. .. Wroth. 1743 I LET BROTHERLY LOVE CONTINUE .. .. Ditto Ditto G 42 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON.

Dau. Founder•. Tou:w'.

1743 FEAR GOD HONOUR THE KING Wroth Goodleigh WHEN I BEGIN THEN ALL STRIKE IN 1744 I. II. III. IV. V. VI . . . Gooding Paignwn, and 1746 PRAISE HIM UPON THE lUGH SOUNDING CYliBALS .. Wroth Lympston

1746 PRAISE HIM UPON THE LOUD CYliBALS .. Ditto Ditto LET EVERY THING THAT HATH BREATH PRAISE THE 1746 LORD .. Ditto Ditto 1846 GOD SEND GOOD LUCK .. BilbU Cullompwn BILBIE THE FOUNDER BUSH THE HANGER 1746 HEATHFIELD'S THE MAN THAT RINGS THE TENOR Ditto Ditto BILBIE THE FOUNDER RUGG THE HANGER 1747 CARTER THE SMITH, AND TREBLE RINGER Ditto Kenton

1748 LET MEN AGREE AS WELL AS WEE .. .. Rudhall . George bam

1748 IN CONCORD SUCH THEY'LL PLEASE AS MUCH .. Ditto Ditto

1748 AS WE THAT CHEER THE LISTENING EAR .. Ditto Ditto FOR CHRIST HIS FLOCK I ALOUD DO CALL 1749 TO CONFESS THEIR SINS & BE PARDOND ALL .. .. BilbU Honiwn LET ME MOST SWEETLY CLOSE THE STRAIN 1749 LIKEWISE THE DEATH OF ALL PROCLAIM BilbU Alpbington 1750 PEACE AND GOOD NEIGHBOURHOOD IS BETTER THAN Smith and DISCORD Bayley HEALTH WEALTH AND PEACE TO THIS NEIGHBOUR. 1750 HOOD .. .. Dittc Topsham 1750 LET BROTHERLY LOVE CONTINUE .. ··I WrotA 1754 PROSPERITY TO THIS TOWN & PARISH .. Evans Witheridge

1756 LET US RING FOR CHURCH AND KING .. Ditto West Buckland GOD PRESERVE OUR KING AND KINGDOM AND SEND 1756 US PEACE Ditto Ditto J756 PEACE AND GOOD NEIGHBOURHOOD •• .. Ditto Ditw and common

1756 GOOD RINGING YIELDS HEALTH & DELIGHT .. .. Bayley 1759 MY TREBLE VOICE YOUR HEARTS REJOICE .. Ditto Ditto 1760 TO CALL CHRIST'S FLOCK I ALOUD DO SING .• .. Bilhie 1761 GOD BLESS THE CHURCH . . PennVn.gron. Belswn 1761 PROSPERITY TO TmS PARISH .. Ditto Ditw and common 1761 GOD SAVE THE KING .. Ditto Ditto and common 1761 I CALL THE QUICK TO CHURCH AND DEAD TO GRAVE .. Ditto Ditto and common THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 43

Date. 1762 WHENE'ER I CALL FOLLOW ME ALL . . Pennington. Moreton Hamp- stead 1768 GOD PRESERVE THE CHURCH AND KING . . Bilbie &c. •. . 1745 Wroth, Bud- I TO THE CHURCH THE LIVING CALL { hall, Bilbie, Very common to AND TO THE GRAVE DO SUMMON ALL Penningt

IF YOU HAVE A JUDICIOUS EAR Ditto, Newton Ab­ 1773 YOU'LL OWN MY VOICE IS SWEET & CLEAR .. .. Ditto bot, and Charles, SUCH WONDROUS POW'ER TO l'riUSICK'S GIVEN 1773 IT ELEVATES THE SOUL TO HEAYEN .. Ditto S. Sidwell's, and . Charles, Plymo. YE PEOPLE ALL THAT HEAR ME RING 1773 BE FAITHFUL TO YOUR GOD & KING ·· Ditto S. Sidwell's and WHILE THUS WE JOIN IN CHEARFUL SOUND Newton Abbot 1773 MAY LOVE AND LOYALTY ABOUND ·· Ditto S. Sidwell's YE RINGERS ALL THAT PRIZE YOUR HEALTH & D,;tto Ditto and Newton 1773 HAPPINESS ~ BE SOBER, MERRY, WISE & YOU'LL THE SAME POSSESS Abbot

ALL YE THAT JOIN IN WED LOCKS BANDS • . Ditto S. Sidwell's and 1773 YOUR HANDS & HEARTS UNITE Charles, Ply- SO SHALL OUR TUNEFUL TONGUES COMlUNE TO LAUD THE NUPTIAL RITE mouth 1778 RELIGION, DEATH, AND PLEASURE MAKE ME RING . • Bilbie (Tenor) 1778 FOLLOW ME ALL . . • . Bilbie Clyst S. Lawrence SOME GENEROUS HEARTS DO ME HERE FIX .. Pyke 1780 AND NOW I l'ri.AKE A PEAL OF SIX .. Stockland

1780 I LEAD IN THE MELODIOUS ROUND . . • . Bilbie Honiton (treble) THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON.

Dau. n-r. 1784 OUR SOUND IS GOOD OUR SHAPES IS NEAT .. . . . Stoke Rivers IT'S DAVIS CABT US SO COMPLEAT ·· Davis Mears, late 1792 GLORY TO GOD ON HIGH .. Lester Pack and 1792 HIS WONDERS NE'ER WILL CEASE •• Ditto Ohaprrum 1792 WE NOW SHALL DWELL IN UNITY •• .. Ditto Ditto

1792 AND END OUR DAYS IN PEACE .. Ditto Ditto

1797 YOU US RING WE'LL SWEETLY SING .. Pennington. La.pford

1797 WE'LL PRAISE THE LORD WITH ONE ACCORD .. Ditto Ditto 1797 OUR VOICE WE'LL RAISE THE LORD TO PRAISE .. Ditto Ditto 1797 HEAR WHEN I CALL 0 GOD .. .. Ditto Ditto 1803 PROSPERITY TO THE PARISH OF .. .. BrimnJ, Tawstock

.821 LO I COME TO DO THY WILL 0 GOD .. PanneU AIIDinster (tenor)

1825 HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, LORD GOD OF SABAOTH .. .. Mears Oakford 1826 PROSPERITY TO OUR CORPORATION .. .. Pam. nell Dartmouth WE ARE A BEACON TO YOUR GOD 1826 ATTEND OUR CALL & SCAPE THE ROD .. Tayler Hartland THE NAME OF DENNIS BEARD CHOSE & ROWE WITH US CAN NEVER DIE .. .. 1826 THEY SAVED OUR LIVES NOT ONLY SO Ditto Ditto BUT MADE US MULTIPLY

1826 WATCH FOR YE KNOW NOT THE HOUR OF DEATH .. Ditto · ... 1 Ditto (tenor) BE NOT WISE IN YOUR OWN CONCEITS 1827 JUDGE NO MAN & YE SHALL NOT BE JUDGED Ditto SQUIRE ARUNDEL THE GREAT MY WHOLE EXPENSE DID RAISE 1827 NOR SHALL OUR TONGUES ABATE TO CELEBRATE HIS Ditto PRAISE 1827 CALL A SOLEMN ASSEMELY .. .. Ditto .. Ditto PROSPERITY TO THE PARISH OF DARTINGTON AND 1~27 PEACE TO THE RINGERS .. HamlJling... nartington 1829 WHAT I SAY UNTO ALL WATCH ·· Taylor Maris tow ] 829 TIME HOW SHORT. ETERNITY HOW LONG ·· Ditto Ditto 1829 A VOICE FROM THE TEMPLE A VOICE FROM THE LORD Ditto Ditto & Hartland

1830 'LONG LIVE KING WILLIAM THE FOURTH .. PanneU Bishops Nympton ) 830 LONG LIVE KING WILLIAM & QUEEN ADELAIDE .. Ditto Charles Chapel, Plymouth THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 45

lJGU. Fotlfldw1. .7bwr. 1831 BOTH DAY AND NIGHT I MEASURE TDIE FOR ALL ·· Pannell Plym;.ton Earl TO MIRTH TO GRIEF TO CHURCH I CALL enor) 1840 LET MY SOUND BE WUD AND EVEN Meatrs Bisho~'s Teignton CALLING SOULS FROM EARTH TO HEAVEN Tenor) 1848 HEAR ME WHEN I CALL Ditto Widdecombe lD the .Moor 1848 ATTEND 0 YE PEOPLE ·· Ditto Ditto SHOULD I BE FOUND TO SPEAK WITH GRACE & EASE AND WITH MY FELWWS ALL OUR HEARERS PLEASE 1852 THE CHIEF DELIGHT. OF ME THE THIRD SHALL BE TO SOUND THE PRAISES OF THE TRINITY .. Ta.ylm Bishop's Tawton CAST BY SUBSCRIPTION IN MEMORY OF F. M. THE 1853 DUKE OF WELLINGTON WHO DIED SEPT. U, 181i2 . . Pa'TIIMll RECAST BY JOHN TAYLOR AND SON WHO THE BEST PRIZE FOR CHURCH BELLS WON 1853 AT THE GREAT EXHIBITION IN LONDON I . 8 . 6 AND 1 .. Taylm Pilton

1853 PRAISE YE THE LORD . . Pa'TI/Mll Church Stanton

1855 TRUE HEARTS AND SOUND BOTTOMS .. Ditto ALL MEN THAT HEAR MY MOURNFUL SOUND 1&56 REPENT BEFORE YOU LIE IN GROUND .. Mears Staverton (Tenor) I TOLL THE FUNERAL KNELL I RING THE FESTAL DAY 1864 I MARK THE FLEETING HOURS AND CHIME THE CHURCH TO PRAY . . .. Warner Clyst S. George I (Tenor) B

This cut, from a block A. Elm Stock. kindly lent by M8118J"11. B. Oak Wheel. Me&.rs and Stainbank, D. Aah Stay, &c. shows the present method E. Slider. of hanging heavy Church Bells in a peal. G. Oak Frame or Cage. H. Roller of Elm and Lignum Vitae. 46 'l'HE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON.

THE BELL FOUNDERS.

The first, I shall introduce to you, and I believe the earliest, is Robert Norton, of Exeter. He used as a trade mark, on either side a bell, the initials t Q n (Plate l, Fig. 5), the whole surrounded by a twisted

5 circle or cable, to which I have alluded at p. 21. I am sorry to bear witness, that though his castings are a proof that he was an excellent workman, his mode of carrying on business with his employers stamps him to have been a most dishonest tradesman. This is proved by the following record taken from the early. Chancery proceedings in the reign of Henry VI. " To the right worshipfull £'lder in God, the Bishopp of Bathe, Chancellor of Englond.1 "Beseechith mekely the pore parshenes of Plymptre in Devenshere, that where as they by John Forde one of the same parisshe, bought of one Robert Norton of Exeter, Bellemaker, iij Bellys to paye for evry cu. of the wight of the metal ther of xxvij .. there the sayd John and Robert by ontrewe ymagynacion coneyn and desseit enformyd the sai~ paryshenes that the said bellys were of the wight of ij mill ccc~ ij li. wher as m dede thay weyyd but xviil·u. so that the said parishenes have paid ther fore · the said Robert by the handys of the said John accordant to ther said ontrewe en formaci on that ys to sayng for ':riiij ijii. of metall more than the said Bellys weyn to the grete

1 In 1431-2, John StafFord, bishop of Bath, was made Chancellor. In August, 14!3, h~ \vas translated to Canterbury, so we get the probable date of the record, viz., about 1432. THE CHURCEI BELLS OF DEVON. hendryng of the said pa.rishenes, wher of they may have no remedy by the comyn lawe ; plese it youre gracious lordship to compel and to make the said John and Robert to apere byfore yowe at a c'tain day by. yowe to be alymyted to answere to the said mater and to do right ther of after yor high discrestion for the love of God, and in the werk of charite." No record of further proceedings has been discovered It will be seen by referring to Plymtree, that all Norton's bells have disappeared. He used the elegant :floriated cross (Fig. 3), which invariably precedes the

3 4

legend No. VI., p. 20, and as his initials are occasionally annexed to that ]egeud, it may be fairly presumed that all those bells came from his foundry. The other crosses which he used were (Figs. 1 and 4 ), and though his initials are found only on twenty bells, yet the mouldings round the shoulders, the ribband and beads (Fig. 85) prove his workman­ ship ; and so were all those bells with the legends in the beautifully ornamented capitals represented in Plate VI. His trade mark r Q n occurs in two sizes. 48 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. At his initials occur on a bell inscribed ";ffle mtltor, &c.," accompanied by the representation of one of the Saurian species

•

Fig. 57.·. '.As the initial cross (Fig. 20) IS different, the bell may be from some other foundry.

20

There was another founder about this date using the initial i t, on either side of a bell within a cable circle, outside of which is a plain circular line (Fig. 6). It is found on thirty be1ls ; Fig. 1 is the cross most commonly used ; but he also had others, Figs. 2 and 4 ; both these tradesmen used the same stamps and legends, and moulded the shoulders in the same way, and therefore without some further evidence it is

6 2 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 49 difficult to decide which was the earliest of the two ; but the pro­ bability is, that the one succeeded the other in the same foundry ; and as Thomas Byrdan in 1601, on a bell at Kingston and elsewhere, uses the cross (Fig. 4), and fleur-de-lis (Fig. 2), with the bell stamp of i t, Robert . Norton was probably the earliest founder; and certainly they had a most :flourishing trade in the fifteenth century, coevally with the re­ building of most of our towers and Churches. There sti11 remain a few peals in the very cages or frames in which they were orignal1y hung. Such will be found at Ashcombe, , , Combeinteignhead, Stokeinteignhead (there are four bells at the two last places, and the whole gear appears to be original), at , and Torbrian. In the following towers the whole peal of three are original medireval bells, Brushford, Buckerel, , Honey Churc~ High­ hampton, Huish, , Monkton, Morleigh, Newton Tracey, East Ogwell, W oolborough, and W embworthy ; at N orthleig~ the four bells in their original hangings are no doubt the same as are enumerated in the inventory of 6 and 7 Edward VI., which will be found in the Appendix. At Dunchideock. there is an original wheel most beautifully wrought, :md I believe it to be C

SI

18 were composed in smalls, without any capitals. Another cross (Fig. 51) was used by the said t g. B so THE CHURCH BELI..S OF DEVON.

Another unknown founder used the elegant cross Fig. 21, also 19 and 81, and over all his capitals a crown as shown Fig. 3, Plate VI.

21 19 81 There is another celebrated tradesman of this period, known by the name of "William fFoundor" ; this appears on a circular medallion, with other stamps (Figs. 47, 49, 41, 43), and as he uses a shield (Fig. 42),

49 47 · found on many bells in Kent, he may have itinerated from that county . •

41 43 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 61 The bells of all these founders are given at the end, under each parish. Austin Bracker "\Vas a celebrated London founder, about 1400. No. 15 and 16, Plate II. are the initial crosses used by him ; they are on the bells at W oolborough (see p. 27). He uses also the shields Figs. 13 and 14, three laver pots and three trefoils. His capitals are beautifully formed and crowned (see p. 26, also Figs. 76, 77, 78, Plate XL) In the parish of Thorncombe, formerly in this county, and therefore in this diocese, I hail the discovery of a bell at Ford Abbey from the celeb~ted foundry at Norwich, carried on by the family of Brasyer. He used a beautiful shield represented by Fig. 68 and other stamps; his letters too are of a very superior form ; a few of the capitals are shewn Figs. 70 to 74, Plate X.

68 The next tradesman in succession may be Roger Samson, who certainly had a foundry at Aish Priors, in the county of Somerset, in 1549, as appears by the entries in the Woodbury churchwardens' accounts ; but there is no tradition remaining in that village of any such trade or faQlily. As the Talaton tenor is certainly a century older, and bears the types used by him, it is probable there were more than one or. two generations of Semson founders. At his initials follow a "~t mdiOt" bell. I now come to the founders after the Reformation. The first I have met with is "Thomas Byrdan made me 1601," on a bell at Kingston. He is · found at Woodbury, 1605. At the initials I ~ (Fig. 80) are found, and on the second bell in our Cathedral, both dated HI 62 THE CHURCH BELIS OF DEVON.

Bo 1616 ; and another at Woodbury, 1625. An entry in the Chapter Records, 1612, supplies us with the name of this founder; and as at Woodbury and Clyst Hydon he uses the cross Fig. 4, and even the initials and bell stamp of t t at Kingston anc.l Clyst H ydon, many years after t t must have been dead, we are furnisL.ed with a proof that the same foundry existed, and that the plant of bell moulds, &c., had passed down to the successors in trade, and were used, perhaps, till they were lost or worn out, as they appear to have been from the very inferior Impres­ sions which exist at Clyst S. George and in other towers.

79 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 53

Ja Q flt in capitals with a large bell stamp between. (Fig. 79) IS on a bell at , dated 1596; also a,t Clyst Honiton m small capitals, with this crown, Fig. 37, of whom I know nothing but his good works.

37 In 1580, John and George Poole, of Yeatminster, were bell founders, and cast a bell for Colyton. .(See Bond in Appendix.) In 1611, Robert W~eman C88t the present third bell at Colyton. (See the whole cost and proceedings in Appendix.) He used this mark Fig. 91.

gr

In his will, proved m the Probate Office, August 16, 1669, he is styled of Montacute, Somerset. At the very beginning of the seventeenth century, the taste for medireval characters appears to have quite gone out ; for we now meet with nothing but Roman capitals : at first the letters were very large and :tla.t, and broad on the surface ; and, therefore, called flats. Specimens may be seen at Ashcombe, 1607, and other places in the· list of bells under each founder. These fiat letter bells were the work of the Purdues, George,' • 1 George Purdue used a very inferior stamp, Fig. 87. 54 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. Roger, or William. Their foundry is supposed by Mr. Lukis to have been at Salisbury. Thomas Purdue was later. In 1676 he was the re-founder of our celebrated " Great Peter," and in the same year he re-cast three of the other bells. Though not a Devonshire worthy, yet for his works' sake, I would here record his memorial as set up on an altar tomb in the Churchya.rd of Closworth, in the county of Somerset, where he certainly resided. (See Order of Chapter in following pages.) " Here lieth the body of Thomas Purdue, who died the lst day of September, since the year of our Lord 1711, Aged 90 years. "Here lies the bell founder honest and true, 'Till ye resurrection-named Purdue." THE CIIURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 55

-.~

82

'---· 83

' ~ I -I 86 56 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. All these Purdues adorned their bells with a very elegant frieze orna._ ment runuing round the shoulders, representing vine leaves and grapes, Figs. 82, 83, and 86, and a cluster of small stam for stops • : • t Besides these ornamental friezes, Thomas Purdue (sometimes called Purdy) occasional]y used a curiously formed letter with a crown over it, with sprigs intermixed. Fig. 84 is a specimen of one on the tenor at A wliscomhe: He used the same letters on the celebrated Wolsey bell at Sherborne, which was cracked November, l 858. But I must return to the Devonshire worthies, Thomas and John Pennington, of Exon. These used large Roman initials with a bell in

94 95 outline between, Figs. 94 and 95. The earliest is found at , 1616. He probably succeeded John Byrdan, whose last work was at Woodbury in 1625. The Penningtons generally used five dots · ; · for intervening stops, and this fleur de lis as a frieze above : sometimes they impressed the coin

2 1613. "George Purdue, of Taunton," agreed to cast a bell for Nettlecombe in the county of Somerset.-(Extract from old Churchwardens' Accounts). 1624. Roger Purdy, alia& Purdue (by records still extant at Wells), agreed with the mayor, &c., to cast three bells for St. Cuthbert's in that city; he is styled "of the cyttie of Bristoll, bell founder." THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 67 then cun·ent. At Ottery S. Mary, 16'71, and at 8. Martin, Exeter, 16'75, they used a satirical medal a representing as may be seen, a ·Pope and a

54 55

King under one face, another representing a Cardinal and a Bishop (Figs. 54 & 55). I have not succeeded in finding an original piece of the sort. On a bell at Philleigh in Roseland, 1 '751, the initials C Q P appear with the skeleton of a bell (Fig. 94), the very same as that used by Thomas and John Pennington, of Exon, from 1618 downward; provmg, if not a relationship, that they used the same trade mark.

a " At the close of the sixteenth and throughout the seventeenth centuries, satirical medals were not uncommon. At a time when the powers of the printing press were still in their infancy, and printed books, and · even rude printed pictures were nearly as expensive as manu­ scripts, they could be of little use in popularizing, by a widr-spread distribution, any kind of ridicule, especially that in the form of caricature which required the illustration of form to give it its chiefest poignancy." "At that period, however, modem die-sinkers had already begun to achieve a success in their art which very nearly rivalled the most beautiful models of cl.assical antiquity; and while book-printing was in a rude infancy, and the reproduction of pictorial subjects by engraving almost unknown, medals were engraved, especia1ly in Italy, exhibiting an extraordinary degree of excellence. It may easily be conceived,. then, that a satirical medal would, at such a time, form the most convenient form in which political enemies could cast any special forms of ridicule upon their opponents in Church or State. A medal of this kind could be conveniently carried in the pocket without injury, and be pro­ duced upon suitable occasions. The design was generally sufficiently obvious to exhibit its import in a striking manner, even without the assistance of the legend or inscription, which, however, when interpreted by a competent person, seldom failed to give additional point to the satire."-From a clever Paper on the subject with several illustrations, by Mr. H. Noel Humphrys in OnctJ tJ Weelc, January 14, 1862. See also RtJntJ Numinnatique, Rlois, 1851, p. 36 et seq., Plates II., III., IV. 1 68 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON.

The earliest bell by John Pennington is at Payhembury, 1635 ; and the latest, 1690, at ; in all sixty-six bells. In 1669, T. P. and I. P. appear together on a bell at Merton, as if they were partners. There are ninety-six bells bearing the trade mark Fig. 95 from 1618 to 1763 ; of course one or two generations. Besides these members of the family at Exeter, on a bell at , dated 1710, are found the initials of Christopher Pennington ; he wa..

g8 name resided in the Close, Exeter, and about 1750 occupie<;l the premises of the late Mr. Gendall, before him Moll's Coffee HouSe. There are sixty-four bells by Wroth from 1691 to 1774. His trade mark was a bell in outline, Fig. 96. 60 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. But Bilbie, who is known as a founder throughout the kingdom, we may claim as a resident at Cullompton; where, from 1715 to 1815, the family set up in our county 352 bells. They had also a foundry at Chewstock in Somerset, whence Thomas Bilbie, who was a freeman of , migrated and set up at Cullompton "the West of England Church Bell Foundry," which flourished there until the death of his only son, Thomas Castleman Bilbie, in 1813, aged fifty-five years. At are six bells by Thomas Bilbie, 1814, and Mr. Lukis quotes , the names of William and Abraham. In 1776 there was a William Bilbie at Chewstoke, as appears by a bell at North Stoke, county Somerset; and in 1791 Thomas and James were at the same place in partnership. Their trade mark was a series of little bells after their name. 4

William Pannell, a tinman, succeeded Bilbie at Cullompton, and there continued the business ; at first by himself, and then in partnership with his son Charles, who for a time worked as a bell founder at Messrs. Warners, in London, and was the maker of the peal of eight sent from that foumlry to Bishop Medley at Fredericton, 1851. Afterwards Charles . Pannell removed to Exeter, and set up a foundry in Long brook street, which came to an end in 1855. There are fifty-four bells bearing their names. In 1825, a bell foundry was established at Buckland Brewer, by William a.nd John Taylor, brothers. Their father served his apprenticeship with Edward Arnold, a noted bell founder at S. Neot's, Hunts, and succeeded to his business, and continued· it there till about 1820, when they removed to Oxford, from which place John Taylor carried on a branch business at Buckland, and continued it for ten years, when he returned to Oxford. That foundry was closed in 1854; before which, about 1840, John Taylor set up a foundry at Loughborough, where his widow with her son, of the THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 61 same name, now carry on an extensive business. There are 115 bells bearing their name. At , nn ingenious blacksmith, by the name of William Rambling, who had seen how the work was done by those itinerant founders from Lezant, Cornwall, succeded in casting twel_ve bells for different Churches in his vicinity from 1823 to 1845. He was much patronized by the late Archdeacon Fronde. He is the last of our native founders : but there are others whose names and works must be recorded. Evan Evans and William his son, of Chepstow, produced many good peals and single bells from 1713 to 17 56. We have as many as 152. Their trade mark was a bell between their initials, Fig. 97 ; the last of the firm died in 1770, aged eighty. Four of the bells in our Cathedra) are by William Evans.

97 From 1750 to 1769, Bayley and Street, of Bridport, supplied us with nineteen bells ; they were clock and watchmakers. They put their name on a very elaborate shield, the shape being in the style of the time of Louis XIV. Thomas Pyke flourished at Bridgwater, and sent us five bells in 1780-1. G. T. Davis of the same place probably succeeded Lim ; as from 1784 to 1787 there are six bells by him: and from 1790 to 1826, John Kingston of the same place sent us four bells. I hav~ not. been able to find out anything more about these parties, nor about a foundry at Hertford belong­ ing to John Briant, who sent a peal of six to Ba.rnstaple in 1806.4

• John Briant is mentioned in Turner's Hutory of HertjOf'd, p. 407. Born at Exning in Suffolk, and intended for holy orders, but his love for mechanism was so great that he was apprenticed to a clock maker. He cast many peals of bells. He died in 1829, ret. SJ, and is buried at Hertford (See Note& cmd QuM'ie6, sec. 3, vol. ix., p. 35.) 62 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. Of the other foundries in other oounties which. have supplied us with bells, the two principal ones were at Gloucester and London. It is known that a bell foundry was established at the former city · early in the fourteenth century. In an early record, tem. Edward II., money is paid to John of Gloster for bells. There was not long ago found in the Thames a seal of Sandre de Gloucestre, of that early date; it is repre­ sented in the Archmological Journal, vol. xiii., p. 73. The design is a tripod or laver-pot, and over it a bell. He was, no doubt, one of those called Bellzetter,O or Bellyater, which is found in the Churchwardens' acooun~ Woodbury, 1549, "Bellauter." For more than 500 years this foundry _was in active operation, and especially from the close of the seventeenth century about 1684, when it came into the hands of the Rudhall's ;6 passing from Abraham senior, to Abraham junior, then Abel, Thomas, and, last, John,

93 down to 1830, when it was fused into the foundry at WhitechapeP They must have been of that class of Englishmen called good " Church and State people," for nearly all their bells bear good wishes for the one and the other. According to their published lists they sent to all parts of England and Ireland, East and West Indies, North and South America, about 5,000 bells. Notwithstanding this world-wide celebrity of their foundry, we possess only forty-nine bellR by them ; their fullest peal (six)

:~In the Promptorium P~ulorum, published by the Camden Society. Bellezeter means Campanarius or Bell founder. The tradition of Bellezeter, a bell founder, is preserved in Billiter Lane, London, the locality of ancient foundries.-Promptorium.

& Aa stated by Mr. Lukis, in hia Hi&toty of Wiluhire BelZ., from 1626. 7 One of the epitaphs in Gloucester Cathedral runs thus: "Abraham Rudhall. bell founder, famed for his great skill, beloved and esteemed for his singular good nature and integrity, died January 25, 1785, aged 78." THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 63 is at Torrington, dated 1716. But their tenor at Pilton, m D, dated 1 712, is considered one of the finest bells in England We now ' come to a foundry of equal, if not of greater importance-that at Whitechapel, which has supplied our county with 190 bells, besides many single ones in turrets. Mr. Tyssen, in his History of Church Bells in Sussex, has thus traced the history of the ·foundry in Whitechapel from the fifteenth century. In l 600 Robert Mott was the owner ; he was succeeded by Joseph Carter, who had also a foundry at Reading. In 1619 one Thomas Bartlett became the master, • and it remained in that family till 1700. Their business was small, because the Hodsons (who cast the Tom of Christ Church, Oxon) were the principal founders in London during the latter half of the seventeenth century. Upon the death of Anthony, the last of the family of Bartletta, Richard Phelps obtained a lease . of the premises, and under his manage­ ment as ml\Bter, thie foundry assumed the importance it has ever since maintained. He was the founder of the great bell of S. Paul's, London. He died 1738, and was succeeded by Thomas Lester, in which year the present foundry was built. He had been Phelps' foreman, and his master bequeathed to him by will the whole plant of implements and materials on the premises. There are five bells at Ashburton by him, dat-ed 1740. About 1752, he is found in partnership with one Thomas Pack. There are five bells at S. P~trock in our city by this firm dated 1754, and five at dated 1761, and three at , 1765. This firm con­ tinued till 1769, in the summer of which year Lester died, and by his will he directed that William Chapman, his nephew, was to be taken into partnership on equal terms ; then the firm became Pack and Chapman. The noble (now much neglected) peal of eight at S. Sidwell's were cast by them in 1773;- the year before, they had sent six bells to Newton Abbot. In 1762 these founders had to re-ca.st the big bell at Canterbury- 70 inches diameter, weight 70 cwt.-and William Chapman was sent down to Canterbury to do the job on the spot ; and he put on it, after the name Lester and Pack, " William Chapman molded me." While there, he observed among the bystanders a youth who took an unusual interest in the proceedings, and he offered to take him to London with him and 64 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. teach him to be a bell founder. This was William Mears; and it was through this incident that the foundry has come to its present proprietor. Early in 1781 Thomas Pack died of consumption ; William Chapman was alone for a short time, and William Mears had before this started a foundry on his own account; but they soon thought it expedient to · coalesce, and in 1782 the names of Chapman and Mears are found on four bells at Charles Church, Plymouth. Chapman died of consumption in 1786, aged 52 ; Mears wa.s then alone until 1785. After this we find W. and T. Mears, 1787-1791 ; Tho~as Mears, senr., 1791-1804; T. Mears and Son, 1805-1809; Thomas Mears, junr., 1810-1844; C. and G. Mears, 184.4-1858. Mter 1859 the bells were inscribed with the name of "G. Mears" only, in whose hands the foundry continued until 1865, when John Stainbank became a joint partner. The next and last founders I have to :record are John Warner and Sons, of Cripplegate, London. We have only twenty bells from their foundry, anq the earliest of these is dated 185 7. The truth is, that though their establishment as " Bellzetters," or workers in metal, is of very long standing, it is only since the year 1850 that they have turned their attention to the casting of large bells for Churches ; but they possess a tradesman's token of the seventeenth century inscribed "John Warner, Bell Founder," a proof that they are of earlier date. It would be invidious and out of place for me to attempt to draw any comparison between the . work of one founder and another ; but I may say in the general, as I have already shewn, that from some cause or other the most ancient bells are far bett~r than the modern ones. This closes my account of the Bell Founders : but I have a few words to add about the Bells. Bells have often been the gift of private individuals, Clergy and others, in former days as they are now ; and the record of the donation is generally cast upon them. The earliest such is on our Great Peter, which, though a re-cast, recerds it as the gift of Bishop Courtenay, 1484. The tenor of our Cathedral peal was the gift of Bishop Grandison, re-cast 1729; and upon it is a medallion, intended no doubt for a likeness, but it is evidently an impress from a medal representing Archhishop Laud.s

8 See E~Jelyn on MetlaZ., p. 114. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 65 · Bells which have been given, often have the arms of the donor emboss­ ed on them ; most of these are represented in Plates VII. and VIII., and are fully described in the Appendix ; the most beautiful one is at Talaton : others are at Dunchideock, Colaton Raleigh, Portlemouth, Churston Ferrers, Sidbury, , Eggesford, S. Petrock Exon, , MoHand, Ashburton, , , Membury, Appledore, Totnes, and Kentisbeare. Besides thoae bearing the arms of donors, we have other bells inscribed with their names ; and others that . they were cast or re-cast by voluntary subscriptions. On the six bells at Ashburton : "The Gift of the Rt. Honble Sir JVm. Yonge, Bart. and Knight oj the Bath, and John Harris of Baine, Esq. 1740." · At : " Give'n by Catherine Ilbtn"t, 1735,'' on the treble ; besides on one or other of the six bella, the names and ages of seven children of William T. Ilbert o.nd Catherine his wife are recorded. At Appledore : "I. G., Patris optimi in memoriam, 1857." At Bickleigh by Tiverton, on the tenor: "John Slade and Mary his wife gave this Bell, 1699. At Bishop's Tawton, on the treble: "Added by Subscriptioo in 1823. Recast in 1853 at the sole expence of R. Chichester, Esq." Braunton, 4th: '' Re-ca.st at the sole expence of Robt. Chichester, Esq. and Rev. T. W. Landon, Vicar, 1830." Also the 2nd and 5th. Bradstone, 2nd : " Squire Arundel the great my whole expense did raise, Nor shall our tongues abate to celebrate his praise." , 6th : " Samuel Roll, Esq., a good benefactor, 1739." The treble at Culmstock : " This additional Bell, was the free Gift of James Collier, of Furze Hayes,· and John Collier, of Bowhayes, 1863." At S. Edmund, Exon, the tenor is inscribed : " Given by Samuel ~llortimer as a token of regard for his native parish Saint Edmonds sup. pont. Xon. 1833." At Filleigh, five bells : " The Gift of Hugh Fortescue, Esq., 1703." At S. Giles in the Wood: "The last Tenor Bell was given by Sir , of , Knight of the Bath, 1697, and was re-cast at the K 66 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. expence of Lord John Rolle, when the pe(}.l of five was re-cast into S'l.X by William and John Taylor of Oxford, 182~." •, treble : "Erected by Subscription, 1827." , 5th: "Gi·uen by the family of the late Rector, Owen Lewis Meyrick, consisting of two sons and four daughters, 1826." 6th : " The expen$e incurred by placing a set of eight Bells in this tower was defrayed by a Subscription, which ·was raised through the per­ severing exertions of Francis Thorne, and his Nephew Francis ThO'rne Honey, 1826." 7th : "E Dono Humphredi F. Davie, Baronetti, A.D. MDCCCXXVI." 8th: "The gift of Philip Henry Earl of Stanlwpe, 1826." Hemyock, 1st: "P.resented by Subse1-iption through the instrumentality and exertions of Edward Nutley and James Bowerman, junr., 1858." , 2nd: Hvmphry Vigue1·s, he gave this bell I will you tell, 1711."' Okeford: "These eight Bells were given to the Church by the Rev. James Parkin, Rector, 1825." Pilton, 1st: Robert Chichester, Esq., of Hall, out of good wt7l to the Borough of caused me to be made, 1853." 3rd: Robert Chichester, Esq., of Hall, caused me and the 4th and 6th to be recast and us to be made." Poltimore, 6th : "Sir Ooplestone Warwick Bampfylde, Benefactor, 1723.'' Plymtree, 1st: "Erected and raised by Subscription, A.D. 1826." Plympton S. Mary, 6th : " Mrs. Marie Strode, the founder of this Belt, 1614." Plympton Earl, 1st: "By Subscription of the Inhabitants of Plympton, 1833." At Charles Church, Plymouth, it is recorded on a tablet outside the tower that six bells were cast in London and delivered in Plymouth 1709, at the sole charge of Joseph Tovy, Esq., of London, a native of the town ; none of that peal exist, the earliest is dated 1 782. Roborough; ''This Bell was reca.st by Subscription. Henry Hole, Esq., of Ebberley House, gave fifty pounds. His motive is the public good, 1823." 6th : " The old Tenor was given by Roger Woollacombe, · Esq., 1706." , 1st: "The gift ofT. L. Fish, Esq., of Knowle Cottage, to the Rev. W. Jenkins, and presented to the parish 24 May, 1844." THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 67

The tenor at Sowton records a munificent gift: "Deo et Ecclesim hanc mdern sanctam una cum novis campanis (eight) obtulit Johannes Garratt, 1845." All Saints, : "The gift of Henry Hele Treby, 1859." Stockland, lst : "Some generous hearts do me here fix." 5th: "Ex Dono Thomm Strangwayes Horner." , 7th and 8th: "The gift of the most noble John Duke of Bedford, 1769." Tedbnrne, 1st : This Bell was added by Subscription." , 1st and 2nd: "By Subscription, 1861." Trnsham, 1st : "John Stook gave this BeU, 1684." Upton, Torquay: "This peal of eight BelL'l erected by Subscription, 1855." Widdecombe in the Moor, 3rd: "Gathered of the younq men and mayds Fyftene. 1632." All other inscriptions will be found by referring to the different parishes in the Appendix.

There are several instances of a lesser number of bells being cast into a greater number: Three cast into four at Shute. Four cast into f\ve at Clyst S. Lawrence, Rewe, &c. Five into six at Moreton, , Ba.rnstaple, &c.

With regard to any large heavy bells, there are none worthy of note besides those in our Cathedral

Taking the diameter of the tenor as a guide, the heaviest peals of eight are at S. Andrew's Plymouth, 59 inches, and Tiverton 53 inches.

The following are. the heaviest peals of six : Diameter. Diameter. 49 incheR. Colyton 52} inches 50 , Plympton 53 ,, Staverton 50 , Witheridge 53l , ... 50 , K.

• 68 'l'HE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON.

As to the weight of any of these-the reputed weight 18 not to be depended upon-the exact weight can only be known by actual weighing. In the Appendix will be found Tables of the diameter and weight of some which are known and may be depended on in different places and by different Founders; by reference to which the approximate weight of any of the bells in our County may be ascertained from the diameters I have given from measurement.

A bell is not an inappropriate memorial to a departed relation or friend. There is one At Culmstock set up in 1852 by subscription, to the memory of Field-Marshal the Duke of Wellington; one at Clyst S. George set up in 1862, to the memory of Prince Albert, and another in the same tower to the memory of my only grandson; at Appledore, 1857, "Patris optimi, in memoriam."

As to the number of bells m Devonshire : There are m ringable peals of three 96 total 288 peals of four 64 " 256 peals of five 122 " 610 peals of six 137 " 822 peals of eight 19 " 152 one peal of ten 1 " 11

2139 Six old Churches have two bells 12 Old Churches with single bells m towers or bell cots... 27 In new Churches and Chapels I believe there are 70

2248 Of the above number, 70 are cracked or broken ; 275 are medireval, or pre-Reformation bells; probably the very same as were in the towers at the time of Edward the Sixth's Commission, when the return amounted to 1645 bells. (See Appendix). This last number does not include those in the Cathedral, nor those in the City. Strype, in his Memo'rials, vol. ii. pp. 270-1, says, that "when the Rebellion of 1549 was well allayed, it was remembered how the bells in the Churches THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 69 served by ringing, to summon and call in the disaffected unto their arms. Therefore in September an order was sent down from the Council to the Lord Russell~ to execute a work that proved, no doubt, highly disgustful to the people, viz : to take away all the bells in Devonshire and Cornwall, leaving one only in each steeple which was to call the people to Church. And this, partly to prevent the like insurreCtion in future, and partly to he1p to defray the charges the King had been at, among them." Strype prints this letter of the Council, and states that "two gentlemen of those parts, Champion and Chichester, assistants perhaps against the. rebels, took this opportunity to get themselves rewarded, by begging, not the bells, but the bell clappers only, which was granted them with the ironwork and furniture thereto belonging, and no question they made good benefit thereof." Be that as it may, it is very certain that the bells were never removed, as the Inventory taken a few years after that date will shew. It is not unlikely that the gentlemen referred to solicited and obtained a grant of the clappers, for the express purpose of keeping the bells in their places. It is a well known historical fact, that antecedent to the date of that Rebellion 1549, a very great spoliation of Church goods and ornaments took place ; whereupon Commissioners were sent into divers counties to obtain inventories. The authority, under which those of the 6 and 7 Edward VI. were taken, states that inventories had previously been made ; and that commands had been given that none of the goods should be sold It then adds, " yet, nevertheless, for that we be informed that some part of the said goodes, plate, silver, juelles, and ornaments of Churches be in some places embeselled or removed contraye to our former express commandment." Commissioners are accordingly appointed: to visit the several counties, those for Devon being " Sir Peter Carewe, Knyght, Sir Gawen Carewe, Knyght, Anthony Harvy, Esquyer, and Thomas Haxh, Esquyer." Among the instructions to the Commissioners the following words occur­ " Wee do further geve you auctoritye to collect all redye money, plate, juelles certyfied to remayn iu any Church, Chapel, &c.,9 "and also to sell or cause t<> be sold, all parcells or peces of metall except the meta11 of great bells, sawnse bells in every the said Churches or Chapells."1 And " We

9 See Perry's Oluwch Ornamenu, p. 85.

I Date of this is 16 January, 1552, Tyssen, SusBe:& Oharch Bells, p. 19. 70 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. give unto you full power and auctoritye straitlye to charge the Churchwardens &c. that they safely kepe unspoiled, unembesiled, and unRold, all suche bells as do remayne in every of the said Churches and Chapels," &c. I have the pleasure to annex a most valuable and interesting return consequent upon the al-ove Commission of Inquiry so fi~r as relates to the bells of Devon. It begins with a few notices of the bells that had been sold, and the value of which had been recovered, together with one or two other trifling notices of the bells having been dealt with, and then "Herafter foloith the number of belles ami chalices that remayne in the custody of the parissheners of every parisshe in the said countie," &c. (See the Appendix). In nearly all our towers the peals were complete at the time of the death of Edward VI., July 6, 1553. Queen Mary succeeded till 17th November, 1558, wheu Elizabeth ascended the throne. Very early in her reign great excesses were committed in the demolition of Church ornaments. She had issued her injunctions for the removing of certain Romish ornaments; and under color of these injunctions, the people "went further than Her Majesty intended," (Collier, Eccl. Hist, vol. ii p. 471,) "And because the bells bad been consecrated, and the Churches abused to superstitious nnd idolatrous worship, they took down the bells, and made money of them ; turned the steeples to pigeon houses, and stripped the roof for the lead. In consequence of that, a Pro­ clamation was issued (dated 19 September, 1560,) by Elizabeth, to check the carrying out to excess the Injunctions she had issued in 1559." Among other things recited is the following-" And whereas the covetousness of certain persons is such, that ~ patrons of Churches or owners of parsonages impropriate, or by some other colour or pretence, they do persuade with the parson to take or throw down the bells of Churches and Chapels, converting the same to their private gain,"-" Her Majesty doth expressly forbid any manner of person to take away any bells or lead of any Church or Chapel now used, or that ought to be used with public and divine service.", From these documents it may surely be inferred, that if any of our Churches were deprived of their ancient bells, leaving only one, (still

2 Cardwell's Doc. Ann., vol. i., p. 289; quoted by Perry, p. 175, and Weever, Funeral .Monument., p. li. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 71 to be found in some towers;) it must have been done after the death of Edward VI., and not (as is stated by Southey in his Book of the Church, vol ii., p. 121,) by any mandate of Protector Somerset,' to parishes to sell all their bells but one, which would be sufficient to call the people to service ; and that this authority was so generally acted upon, " that bells to be cast into cannons were exported in such quantities that the further exportation was forbidden, lest metal for the same use should be wanting at home." This seems to be a fit place to bring to your notice another old record relating to our bells, which has speeial reference to that period of most eventful history when matters were ·done and undone and re­ done at the will of the Sovereign, t-o the great distraction of parishioners. I allude to Woodbury, where there exist in beautiful condition the accounts of the Churchwardens from 1537; extracts from which will be found in the Appendix. There may be similar and equally interesting accounts in other parishes concealed and overlaid in the old parish coffers. It would be doing good service towards our parochial histories, if gentlemen who have access to such stores of information would kindly make search for them, and favour me, or our Committee, with the result of tht'ir discoveries.

a Somerset was Protector from 1547 to 1549. 72 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON.

@;h~ ~tlls nM tltt ~nthtd~al othur~h llfl J. §ttttr, ah~nn.

In a Paper like this, the far famed bells of our Cathedral seem to demand some special notice. It may be gathered from the Fabric Rolls, examined by Dr. Oliver, from 1286 to 1439, which, by the kind permission of the Dean and Chapter, I have also been allowed to see, that there were at that early period ten bells. Such an unusual number can on1y be accounted for by supposing that some of them were provided for certain services, and were hung within the choir or nave.' For it appears by Rocca, in his Treatise on Bells (1612), and Carlo Borromeo, before cited, that seven was the number allowed to a Cathedral tower. These names appear on the Rolls : 1286 Walter, for jobs 2•·, called from its donor, Bishop Walter Bronescombe. Bocke1·el, hanging, - } . . h . m the North Tower, Wlth two ot ers. Oh auncel , h angmg, - · Germacyn, (Qy. from Ralph Germacyn, Precentor, 1308 to 1316}. 24•

1319 Jesus, 2•· 64• ironwork. In St. John's, or South Tower. 1324 Repair of the bell called Mary, and "the Base, 214.''& 1330 "Pro una clavi pro campana que vocatur "Petre,'' de novo facta, 3"·" 1350 Grandison, repairs, 124• 1351 Peter, - 6'· 1372 One of the bells was cast or recast; paid for coals and fuel, "in purificatione metalli et fusione campane et in follis condutis ad

id complendam, 1 L 14 •· 74·" 1374 A clapper for Grandison, 13'·, made at Colyton.

1389 "Twenty-six lt. de bras, pro S. Mary's bell, 204·" m S. Paul's or North Tower.

' In the Roll 1329-30, there is a charge, "pro tmt.J cltwi pro cmnpt.Jnt.J i• 01fio clwri, 54·" .o; A term not known now ; it probably means the biggelt bell. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 73

1396 Trinity, repairs, -. 1396 Gra.ndison, in the North Tower with three others, repairs, 124• 1399 For repairing the four bells in the North Tower, 154•

1415 Bracton, repairs, 144•

1452-3, is a charge of xx4• "in una bauderick pro ma.xtma carnpana in campanile boreali:' Of the bells here enumerated, there are only two at prasent known by the same name : viz., Grandison, which is the Tenor of the peal of ten, and Great Peter; but tha.t Peter nmst have been different from the present one, which was the gift of Bishop Courtenay in 1484. There is a tradition at Llandaff, that our Peter bel1 was taken from that city in exchange for five bells brought from Exeter, in Bishop Courtenay's time ; and certain it is, that the tower of Llandaff was built 1484, the date of the gift of this bell. 6 There is another tradition that Cardinal Wolsey about 1513, when Lord High Chancellor, and possessed of the revenues of the Bishopric of Tournay, sent over from that place five large bells, and distributed them to divers Cathedrals; the smallest he gave to Sherborne, (that he gave one there is no doubt, as it was so inscribed) and one to .Exeter.7 Be that as it may, it is perhaps hopeless now to find out the true history of the whole of the original bells of our Cathedral, nor how they were broken or destroyed. However, I have been successful in finding the name of the founder of the bells set up in Bishop Quivil's time, and I believe he will tum out to be the earliest one of his craft known in the kingdom. By the kindness of the principal officers in our Public Record Office in London, I am enabled to publish, for the first time, the name of Roger de Ropforde (Campanista1ius), of Paignton, whose son William, and grandson Robert, as next heir, carried on the business at the close of the thirteenth and beginning of the fourteenth centuries, and were the parties employed by Bishop Quivil and the Chapter in 1284, to make the four

• Dr. Oliver (History of Ezeter, p. 64) remarks, "that, although the date 1453 was twenty-five years before Courtenay was made Bishop, yet precisely in that year he waa appointed Archdeacon of Exeter ; and perhaps on that occasion, may have offered such valuable presents." 7 Strype's ..d.nnals and Hutchins' Dor1B1. L 74 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. bells m the North Tower, which we find recited in the Fabric Rolls just quoted. They were also engaged to repair the Organs and the Horologe. In an lnspeximus Charter of Edward II (Patent Roll, Part i, m. 5.) is a recital of a deed of Bishop Quivil, dated ij Ides of July, 1284, by which he grants a tenement, with house and land at Paignton, to Roger de Ropeford, his son and heirs, for the annual payment of one penny at Easter, in consideration of which they are to make the bells for the Cathedra~ and repair the organ and Horologe, the Chapter, who were consenting parties, undertaking to provide all things necessary for the work to be done ; also victuals and drink whenever they are so employed. From not having examined the original Record, both Dr. Oliver in his Lives of the Bishops of Exeter (p. 1 78), and Britton in his History of the Cathedral (p. 123,) were misled by an erroneous entry in the published Calendar of the Patent Rolls, which gives the name of "Robert son of Walter" only, and that he was to toll the bells, whereas the Record is a confirmation to Robert, the grandson of Roger de Ropeford, of the same premises in Paignton, for the same services and payment by which they were first granted by the Bishop. (See the Record in Appendix.) Risdon, in his Survey of Devon, which is supposed to have been completed before 1640, says, "There was lately a cage of four broken bells in the North Tower, and also the clock bell called Peter's bell.'' 8 These were probably the work of Roger de Ropeford. I have not been able to discover what became of them; they may have been melted down to increase the number of bells in the South Tower, "where" Risdon goes on to tell us "there be eight bells serving for daily use, which were escheated with all the Church goods in the sixth year of Edward VI, by commission and commandment then given to the Treasurer of the Church, for answering the same at all demands." 9 What Risdon means by saying " serving for daily use," I take, they were, chimed for service something in the way they are now, and if so, the probability is, that the present mode of chiming, (I do not mean to say with the wooden keys or levers, and hammers striking outside the bells)

8 Query. Might not this first Peter bell have been named after Bishop Quivil ? 1 This return by the Commissioners cannot be found in the Augmentation Office. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 75 has come down to us by tradition, and is a relic of the use practised m Bishop Quivil's time. For Bishop Grandison, in his Statutes for the Government of his Collegiate Establishment at Ottery S. Mary, alludes to t.he manner of tolling the bells in each tower at Exeter, vide infra p. 89, and Bishop Oldam, 1511, in his Statutes, directs how the Annualarii 1 (or Chantry Priests) were to sound or toll a certain number of times with one bell, then a. full tolling of all the bells at the canonical houl'B, after the oocustomed manner ; at the close of which the service was to begin. And surely very like to this is the present use. Every person living within sound of these glorious bells knows that at the hours of service each bell is first sounded a few times, and then the whole are sounded or chimed in succession ; may it not, therefore, be fairly presumed that this has sprung from the ancient usage ; and though it may have been interrupted in the days of anarchy and confusion, yet upon the return of better things, the old way would have been in remembrance (If some and would be restored, serving for daily use, as Risdon tells us was the practice in his time. In the statutes of Bishop Grandison relating to Ottery, it may be pretty well made out in what way these bells were sounded at Funerals,

(see the passage in note below,2) though his reasons for inhibiting long ringings (" sicut solet Exonie,") are very remarkable-looking at the date, 1339, viz., "that they do no good to the departed, are an annoyance to the living, and injurious to the fabrick and the bells." And in another section of his statutes, " De exhibitione cereonum," &c., we see the beginniug of laymen being allowed to handle the bells.3

1 See .A..rchmologia, vol. xviii, p. 403, in a note from Tgrwhitt'& Chaucer, vol. ii, p. 244, &c. "Not so call-;d from receiving a yearly stipend, but from being employed solely in singing annuals or anniversary masses for the dead, without any cure of souls." 2 Sec. 76 : "Insuper statuimus quod Classicum pulsetur pro mortuis parum antequam incipitur ' Placebo,' quousque incboeter ' Dirige,' et similiter ante missam dum dicuntur Commendaciones. Ita, videlicet, quod tam in obitibus quam eciam quando corpus presens habetur secundum clignitatem persone brevius vel longius predictis semper temporibus pult!etur cum majoribus et pluribus vel minoribus et paucioribus campania ; sed inhibemus ne nimis prolixe pulsentur, nee iterum post officium vel in aurora, sicut solet Exonie; quia nicbil prodest animabus 'IIlii sonans aut cymbalum tinniens,' et tamen multum nocet auribus et fabrice ac campania." 3 Sec. 3: '' ~n duplicibus autem festis, maxima in majoribus custos, minister, cantor, et saorista, L 76 THE CHURCH BELlS OF DEVON. With regard to the bells at present in the South Tower, none are earlier than 1616, which is the date on the second, with the beautiful initials I ~ (Fig. 80) for John Birdal.' In the Acts of Chapter, 21st March, 1611, "Decreed as follows, that the Peter bell crazed 5th November last past should be new cast at the charge of the· Church, the consideration and good husbandry of that business is referred to any four, three, or two of the Chapter that will meet this next week about the same.'' In the same book, 13th April, 1612, they decreed as follows, "That according to a former Act made 21st of March last, the Peter bell should be new cast by Mr. John Bird all in the workhouse of the Church, or in Mr. Dean's yard, with such addition of metal as shall be convenient, the consideration whereof is to be had as in the pre3ent .Act, 21st March last is contained." If Birdall did cast the Peter according to the order of Chapter, it must have been crazed again, for the present date on that noble bell is 1676, when it was cast by Thomas Purdue. The next entry in the Act Book is 6th April, 1616-" They decreed that John Birdall 4 should new cast . and maks tuneable the bells in the south tower, and to be allowed for his charge the sum of thirty-eight pounds six shillings and cightpence according to the schedule of covenants contained in paper and now read in the Chapter, and that the said covenants be engrossed and one part of them sealed with the Chapter seal." The next entry in the Act Book dated 29 April, 1625, decreed that three bells in the South Tower, viz., " Grandison bell, Nine o'clock bell, and the third • thick bell of the ring be new cast by Mr. Pennington, who is to have for his labour for all manner of charges belonging to the flame, forty pounds, and entering into covenants and giving his voluntary oath of the true performance of the said work." There is no bell of the date of that Act, and nothing was probably quilibet eorum unum famulum fidelem ad pulsanium cum clericis in eorum adjutorium, si oportuerit transmittant vel cum eis faciant pernoctare."-(See Oliver's .Mona&ticon, p. 272-3.) 4 The aame as elsewhere called Byrdan. & This, probably, means the half-toned bell (called Pongamouth) so cleverly inserted in the riDg or peal, for the purpose of occasionally alteriDg the key. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 77 done, as there is a similar order in Act Book, 5 September, 1629, when it was " decreed that Mr. Pennington do cast the three bells, viz., Grandison, the Nine o'clock bell, and the third bell in the South Tower, and to free the Chapter by covenant of all manner of charges belonging to the same whatsoever, and to have for his labour upon :finishing that work fifty pounds." There are no bells of that date-the nearest is the 4th, (A flat, called Pongamouth) which was cast by Thomas Pennington, of Exon, 1630. The next bell, according to date, is the 3rd, re-cast by John Pennington in 1658; and then we come to 1676, the date on the 4th (A natural); the 7th, called Cobth01-ne (from the Dean of that name, elected 1419); the 9th, called Stafford (Bishop, 1395 to 1419) ; and Great Peter, the whole of which were re-cast by Thomas PurJue. But no entry in the Chapter Acts has been found, the next entry being 28 September, 1~89 : "Upon report that Mr. Beavis ha.th made a bargain with the bell-founder to re-cast the bell for twenty pounds, they did ngree to the said bargain, and that the bell be taken down and put up at the charge of the bell-founder, who is to have three pounds more in case Mr. Beavis approves of the bell when new cast." There is no bell of that date-but the order for re-casting the Doom bell dated l 693, appears in the Act BooTe, 24 September, 1692, "Ordered the bell commonly called the Doom Bel~ lately cast by Mr. Pennington, to be new cast by Mr. Thomas Purdue, of Closworth, Somerset, bell-founder, and to be made tuneable and useful in his place, and that Thomas Purdue be contracted with for the same, as Mr. Beavis shall direct for the new casting of the same, and making the said bell full weight, the sum to be contracted for not exceeding twenty pounds, besides allowance for metal to be added." We now come to 1729, the date on the Treble or lst ; the 5th called Fox (after Bishop, from 1487 to 1491), the 8th (old nine o'clock re-c.ast before in 1629) and the lOth or Grandison, (Bishop from 1327 to 1369) also re-cast before by Pennington, in 1629 ; whlch were all re-cast by William Evans, of Chepstow. The order as entered in Act Book, 11 Jam1ary, 1728-9, viz., "That the three bells which are now cracked be new cast with all convenient speed by some skilful hands, and that the others be new hung, in such manner as shall be adjudged proper, and that the president of the Chapter for 78 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. the time being, and the residentiarys now present, or any two of them be authorized to treat and contract with Mr. Evans, or any other skilful bell founder for the performance of this work." Looking at the various dates of the several bells which compose this noble peal, (surpassed by none in the kingdom, either in weight of meta], or l'ichness of tone,) it is a matter of surprise that they harmonize so perfectly together. And, so scientifically has the whole ring been con­ structed, that, besides the peal of ten in B flat, of eight in B flat, of six in B flat, and six in F, which it contains, it is capable of pro­ ducing (by the introduction of A flat,) three other peals, viz., one of six in E flat,6 one of eight in C minor, and one of six in C mmor. The capabilities of these bells are here set down in musical notes.

FIVE MAJOR. Ten F r ~r J J ~ J 9J J :J;J H Eight~ J J ¥ J 9J J :JtJ II Six ~ r r 9J J J J u Six ~ J J~ J J :liJ II Six ~ r 9J bJ J J 9J II TWO MINOR. 9J hJ Eight~ r J J 9J J :J I Six bJ ~ J J ~ J J ::J to 6 On Friday, June 28, 1867, being the Queen's Coronation Day, some members of the London Scciety of College Youths, who happened to be passing through Exeter, obtained admission to the belfry, and rang on the six in E b two peals of six scores Doubles, each in six minutes. This is probably the first time such beautiful peals of scientific pulling were ever performed there. The ringers were: W. Banister, treble; E. Farling, 2nd; C. Percival, 3rd ; J. Baxter, 4th; H. Ford, lith; C. Ball, tenor. Conducted by Mr. W. Banister, of Woolwich. (For the Legends on Cathedrul Bells, see page 162). THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 79

APPENDIX A.

LIST OF THE ANCIENT AND MODERN CHURCH BELLS IN THE OLD TOWERS AND BELL GABLES, AND THOSE SET UP IN NEW CHURCHES AND CHAPELS,

N.B.-New Churebes and Chapels are printed in Itali.cl. Bell Cots, Turrets, or Bell Gables are marked with an ssteriak. The " Medialval" column includes bells cast befora .a..D. 1600. The third column shews the number broken.

No. or Cruodor Bello. Medllr:nl Brolr..... ~ Modlaenl\=• S!tcfJb~ ot eutn. I DEANERY OF CADBURY. DEANERY OF AYLESBEARE. Brampford Spelte 6 Cad bury .. 4 2 Ay-lesbeare .. 8 8 6 Btcton 1 Cheriton Fitzpaine .. 6 • Bi•/wp8 Court 1 Colebrooke .. 6 .. 6 DownS. Mary 3 Broadclr.t .. 6 Kennerlc~ 3 8 3 Bucilcig , East .. 6 Morohard ishop .. 6 Clyst St. George .. 6 2 •Netherexe 1 Clyst St. Mary .. 3 2 N cwton S. Cyres .. 6 Clyst Honiton •. 6 2 Po~hill .. 6 Colaton Raleigh .. 3 8 1 Bart ord .. 6 •Oounteu Wear, S. Luke'• 1 Shobrooke .. 6 •Culm John 1 Stocklcigh English .. 4 2 2 • :&oot, 88. Philip and Jamu 1 .. 3 8 1 &mouth, Holy 1rinitg .. 1 Thorverton .. 6 Farringdon 1 Upton Hellions 1 1 Fen Ottery 3 UptonPyne .. 6 Harpford 3 1 • 1 1 DEANERY oF CHRISTIANITY • , Four .Evangeliltl 1 OB EXETER. 6 ~petone .. 6 • Allhallows, Goldsmith-street .. 1 ewton Popplefotd 1 .A.lllialkJw•..qn-t/ie- walU •• 1 Ottery S. Mary •• 6 • Bedford (]lw.JMI 1 •--..J.lfinuton, S. James 1 S. David .. 6 •-- Wut Hill, S. Michael .. 1 S. Edmund .. 8 •-- Tipton, S. John I •Holy Trinity 1 .. 6 •S.Jamu 1 .. 4 2 8. John .. 6 Poltimore .. 6 •st. John's Hospital 1 .. 6 8 . Kerrian 1 Regis .. 3 1 8. Lawrence 1 1 Sidbury .. 6 8. Leonard 1 Sidmouth 6 8. Martin 1 •-- All Saintl .. 1 8. Mary Arches .. 3 2 Sowton .. 8 S. Mary Major 1 .. 4 •s. Mary .Magtlalm4 1 Topsham .. 6 S. Mary Steps .. 4 Whimple .. .. 4 4 S. Olave .. 2 1 Withyoombe Raleigh 1 •s. Pancras .. 1 1 -- s. .M~lttul 1 •Guildhall 1 1 Woodbury .. .. 6 1 8. Paul 1 • WOIIflln4ry Ballerton, Jiolf Trit~ity 8 8. Petrock .. 6 1 80 THE CHUR('JH BELI.8 OP' DJWOIL

No.al Cruedor No. al BeliL Modlaonl Brokcll. llclls. Mecllleftl CnJU8TlANITY-..tinwd. Kmno-Clmtimltd. -- B. Sidwell 8 -- B. Stephen 3 6 Hee.vitree 4 1 • 1 •--Licwydou . , 1 Croditon 8 •-- Whipw1, .All Sainu 1 ·--Polbtl'lf 1 • Wy~~t~rd'• H04pitlll 2 6 •--s. Jl~~rk 1 DEANERY OP . Dunchideoclt 3 2 Exminster 6 Awliscombe 6 2 • Eswiek, S • ..d.rulr1t0 1 Church Stanton 6 1 Ide 4 2 6 Kenn 6 Combo Raleigh 3 1 1 Kenton 6 Dunkeswell , , 3 •Luron 1 •--Holy Trinity 1 6 1 Hemyock 6 •Oldri~ 1 •--CWmDtwy 2 Ogwell, 3 3 1 Luppit 4 3 Ogwell, West 3 Sheldon 3 2 1 Powderham 3 Upotte~ 6 Shillingford 1 Yarcom li •Starcrou 2 Teignmouth, East 3 3 2 DEANERY OF . West 4 3 1 Teignton, Bishop's I .Ashton 6 ThoiiUUI, S . 6 4 1 2 4 1 Ohagford 6 Cheriton Bishop 6 1 DEANERY OF PLYllTREE. 6 Doddiscombaleigh 3 2 Blackborough 1 Drewsteianton 6 Bradninch 6 Dnnsford 6 BroadhOJmbury 6 1 Gidloigh 4 3 Buckcrcl 3 3 3 2 Butterl eigh 3 1 4 2 1 C1yst Hydon 6 ~reyton 6 Clyst S. Lawrence 6 awton, South 6 Cullompton 8 1 Tedblll'Il S. Mary 6 Foniton li 6 Kcntisbeare 6 1 Whitetone 4 2 1 Pa.yhcmbury 6 3 Plymtree 6 1 DEANERY OF HONITON. Rowe 6 Silverton 6 Axminster 6 Talaton 6 2 3 •Beer 1 1 Colyton 6 DEANERY OF TIVERTON. Combere 3 ll Cotleig 3 Bampton 6 6 2 •--PettM UMpel 2 2 3 1 Bickleigh 6 3 Burlescombe 6 Honiton, S. Paul 6 Calverlcigh 3 1 1 --Old Church 6 Clayhnnger 3 Kilmington 6 Culmstock 6 1 Ifem bury 6 2 6 Monkton 3 3 Hockworth~ 3 llusb~ 6 Holcombe 6 1 Northltngh 4 4 Hunteham 3 2 Oft'well 6 2 Loxbeare 3 I See.ton 4 2 6 Shute 6 6 4 1 Templeton 3 1 Stockland 6 Tiverton, S. Petw 8 Thomcombe'o 6 •--s.o_,, 1 --Ford .Abbey 1 1 --S.Paul 6 6 ·-- OMcyt~. s. .7'Aollal •• 1 ~!kei worthy 6 •-- ~. 8. Johtt 2 •-- WWileigh 1 DEANERY OF XENNE. Uft'culme 6 ~loman 6 1 1 Alphington 8 ashfield 6 Aahcombe ··! 3 1 a • Kow Ill Donet. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 81

No. or 1Crnzedor Bells. M.ediznl' BrokciL '!tt{)bwo~ of lSatru~taple. ~ Medlznll'i:~n':' DEANERY OF HOLSWORTHY I Abbot's . . . . 3 2 DEANERY OF BARNSTAPLE. ABh Water 6 6 Atherington 6 Bradford 6 Darnstaple 6 6 --Holy Trinity I Dri~rule 6 --Mary Magdalem . , 2 Cook ury 3 Bickinra:n, High .. 6 3 Chittle ampton .. 6 Halwell 6 • Chittkhtlmlwlt I Holsworthy 8 Fillei~h 6 Hollacombe 3 Fremington 2 3 2 Horwood •3 2 3 3 1 Pa.n~e 6 3 1 Putford, est 3 .. 6 6 • Newport, 8. John Bapti&t 1 1 3 N cwton Tracey 3 3 1 Pilton 8 Thornbury 3 6 Tawstock 6 • HarraaJtt, Holy Trinity 1 Tawton, Bishop's 6 DEANERY OF SmRWELL. Westleigh 2 Yamscombe • 2 • Arlington 6 Ashford 2 2 6 • DEANERY OF CHULMEIGH. 1 Bratton Fleming 6 Braunton Bow, or Nymet Tracey 6 6 Brendon 3 Bruahford 3 3 Buckland, East Bundleigh •4 4 2 Buckland, West 6 B~n 6 Cballacombe 1 2 4 2 Chawle~!fh 6 Charles 6 Chulmle~gh 6 Combmartin 6 3 Countisbury 3 Coleridge 6 Down, East Eggesford 3 Down, West •6 6 6 I ~hameigh Tawton, North 6 6 Heanton Punchardon 6 3 3 Highbra 3 6 •6 --88. Philip arul Jamu 1 • --IM, 8. MattMVI I DEANERY OF HARTLAND. • •3 2 Abbotsham 4 2 ~~oe 2 AI verd.i.scott 3 ~ Marwood 6 Alwiugton 3 Morthoe 3 2 • Appledore, 8. Mary •1 Parraoombe 3 Bideford 6 6 Buckland Brewer 6 Stoke Rivers 6 3 • 2 4 2 Hartland •6 •--- Chtlpel 1 DEANERY ·Landcross 1 OF SOUTHMOLTON. Littleham 4' 2 Monkleigh 6 1 Anstey, Eaat Northam 3 6 Anstey, west • 1 6 Cheldon •3 •Putford, East 1 •ereacombe '1 Wear Gilford 6 ••• 6 Welcombe 4 Kingsnympton 6 W oolfnrdisworthy .. 6 3 2 •--S . .A.tm, Bt1ck'• Mill 1

M 82 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON.

1 No. of Crazed or No. of Crued or I Bells. Mediznl Broken. Bd1s. Mediznl 8rokeA. 8oUTHllOLTON-«mlinU«J. lPPLBPBN-«mtinued.

Ma.riansleigh 4 LiffioH~pston 6 Meehaw 4 Lanti8Cf)t)e, 8. MatthiM 1 Holland 4 2 S. Mary Church • . . • 4 2 Northmolton 6 Marldon 6 1 1 Nymet Bishop 6 S. Nicholas 1 Nymet S. George s Paignton 6 1 Oakford 8 •-- Oollaton, 8. Mary tlu Virgin 1 Puddinaton 3 Staverton 6 Racken1ord (j 1 Stokeinteignhead · 4 3 1 6 Rosea.sh 5 • . . . 6 Satterleigh 3 Torbrian 4 4 Southmolton 8 Tor Mohun, (Torquay) 3 1 (j •-- 8. Lulre 1 (j •--8.John 1 Twitchen 3 1 •-- Trinity • . • • 1 Warkleigh 3 2 -- Upton 8 W Mhford Pyne 3 --8.Mark 1 Witheridge 6 --8. MattMM 1 W oodfardisworthy 3 W~d 3 1 W orlington, Ew!t 4 W olborough . . . • . . . . 3 3 W orlington, W eet 6 2 Wolborough(NewtonAbbotTower) 6 •--8. Leonard 1 •-- 8. Paul • .. • 1 DEANERY OF TORRINGTON.

Asbreigney 6 DEANERY OF MORETON. Beaforil 3 2 4 Ashburton 6 Dolton (j Bickington 3 Dowland (j Bovey, North 6 S. Giles in the Wood 6 6 S. Giles in the Heath 1 (j •--8. John . . . . 2 Huish 3 3 Buckland-in-the-Moor 6 Iddeeleigh 4 1 Hennock 4 2 (j ...... 6 4 2 Highweek(NewtonBushel)AllSaints 6 Merton 6 1 -- S.Mary,.... 1 Newton Petrock 3 2 !deford 3 2 Peter's MariaM (j 2 • .. • 6 1 Petrockstow (j •-- Knighton 1 Roborough 6 . . . • 6 6 Lemden, 8. John . . . • 1 SheepwllBh 1 1 4 Torrington, Great 6 4 3 Torrington, Little li Moreton Hampstead 6 •Taddy Port 1 . . . . 2 ii Widdecombe-in-the-Moor 6 DEANERY OF OKEHAMPTON

~rq)beatonfl! of ltotnes. Ashblllj 3 2 1 3 (j DEANERY OF . ... . 6 1 Broadwoodkelly ... . 6 1 • , .. 3 6 6 Garmansweek 3 1 1 • JJrizham, Lower •••• 1 6 Broad Hempston (j Highampton 3 3 Churston Ferren .... 4 3 Honey Church 3 3 Coclrington •..• 3 Inward leigh 6 Coombeinteignhead 4 2 Jaeobstowo 4 2 1 Coflin.swell 4 2 Monk Okehampton 4 3 Denbury (j 1 North Lew 6 *Haccombe 1 Okehampton 6 Ipplepen 6 --S.Jamee 1 Kingakerswell Petherwyn, North• 6 KingBweare ::::1 ~ ·2 I 6

' In DeaDer," of Trigg llaJor. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 83

No. of Crazed or No. ol CrueciOC" BeUs. Medlatoal Broken.. llcllo. Mocll2ftl Broltea. DE.ili'ERY OF PLYllPTON. T..t.VIBTOClt-etllltinlllll.

Brixton 6 6 Budeaux Broad woodwidger 6 •-- Knacker•knowll •1 Coryton a 1 Comwood 6 3 1 Devonport-8. Jamu 3 1 Keily ······ 6 •--S.Mary .... 1 6 --S.Patu 1 1 --NortA , CArilt CAurcA 1 --8. Stephen 1 Lewtt-enchard 6 Eg5 Buckland 3 Lidfonl 6 Ermington 6 Lifton 8 Harford 3 2 1 Maristow 6 1 6 6 •Ivybridg~ 1 Stowford 6 Kingston 4 3 6 Maker 6 Sydenham Damarel 6 ·--Jlilllwook •• 1 Tavistock 8 6 •--8. Paul'• .... 1 •--BrownatOM, 8. John I 6 Newton Ferrers , . , , 6 • Virginstowe 1 6 Plympton S. Mary 6 DEANERY OF TOTNEB. •--- SparkweU 1 Plympton S. Maurice 6 6 •... 6 1 Be:k!'omeroy ...... •-- H~, 8. John 1 Blac wton ...... •6 1 Plymouth-B. Andrew 8 •--Street, 8 Miehtul 1 --Dock Y ani Chapel 6 Brent, South 6 •-- PennycroBB 1 6 •--8. Andrew 1 Comworthy 6 •--8. Jamu th6 Le# 1 Dartington 6 2 2 •--S. Peen- 1 --Brooking, 8. BaNIMa6, , . , . , 1 .. •--- Holy Trinity 1 Dartmouth, S. Saviour's 8 •--- Chrilt CAurcA 1 Dean Prior 6 -- Charles 8 6 • --- CAarle• CAaptl 1 Ditti.sham 6 •--S. John E,·angelist 1 Barberton ...... 6 •--- 8utton-on-Pl!f111. 1 • Harbertonford, 8. bin' 1 Revelstoke 2 1 Halwell 6 •--N011 Mayo I Holne 6 Shaugh 6 Petrox 6 Stoke Damerel 6 4 •--S. Au!Jyn 1 Totnes 8 •--S. John Baptilt 1 Townstoll 3 •-- 8. Miehtul 1 • Stonehouse, East 1 DEANERY OF WOODLEIGH. --S.Paul 1 ~borough 8 .Al.l.ington, East ••.. . . 6 embury 3 Allington, West • , , • , , 6 Yealmpton 6 ...... 6 ...... 6 DEANERY OF TA.MERTON. Buckland Tout Saints 1 Chivelstone 6 2 Beer Ferris 6 1 Charlton 4 Bickleigh ...... 6 4 1 Buckland Monachorum 6 Dodbrooke 6 •-- 1 6 6 ••.•.• 6 2 ~~ 6 2 , . , .• , 3 1 Malborough 6 Sheepstor .. , ... 6 Moreleigh 3 3 Te.merton Foliott 6 Pool, South 6 Tavy, S. Peter 6 1 Portlemouth 3 1 1 Tavy, S. Mary 6 1 Balcombe 1 W alkhampton 6 Sherford 6 1 Whitechurch 6 Slapton 6 Warrington 2 South Huish 1 1 South Milton •6 DEANERY OF TA.VISTOCK . 6 Thurleston 6 Bradstone 6 Woodleigh 3 1 Brentor 3 2 Ringmore ...... 3 1 1 M' 84 THE CHURCH BELI,S OF DEVON.

APPENDIX B.

THE NUMBER OF THE BELLS IN EVERY PARISH IN DEVON, 7 EDWARD VI., 1553,

Taken from the Inventory of Church Good1 in the Public Reoortl 0./fice, London.

DBVON.-Certificate of the plate, &c. of all the Pariah of Olterlon. One bell the value of --which Churchee, &c. there, 7 E. VI., the value of all such the parissheners their gave Mr. Duke before jewels and bells that were taken away and sold by the the last certificath made towardee the makyng parishioners there, and recovered by the said Com­ of the Haven of Ottermouth, which matter ia missioners. also referred to the Kyngee Maty: Conncell. Hundred of Wrmeford. Parish of St. Thomas Apostle, Parish of .Etut Budleigh. One bell their speci.B.<>d in De parochianis ibidem for a bell by them, the last ccrtificath Willi geven to Mr. Duke by the said pariesheners towardee the makyng sold for (}1. Huudred of He.lfn"d[J_e. Parish of Sylverton, De paro­ of Ottermouth Haven. chianie 1bidem for one Iitle bell by them scld c•· Herafter foloith the number of bellee and chalices Hundrrd of Axmyster. Pariah of Combralcgh, De that remayne in the custody of the pariesheners of every parochianis ibidem, for one bell, j eence of parieshe in the said co untie, &c. eylver, j shipp of eylver, j pax of eylver, j chalice of sylvor, all which parcdlee were sold HUNDRED OF WONEFORD. by the scid parieshenors before tho makyng of Parish of St. Thot•w• .A.poatle. one boll in the towre their tho furst Inventory, and all was bestowed uppon with the Clwpel of Sout4 Tey11ton. their necessary chargee except ca. paied nowe ffyve belles in the churchc, and one to the use of the Kyngee l\!atie. c•. bCll in the chapel of Southteyn. Throwllgh. iiij belles yn the tower their. The value of certen plate and jewels lost and sold by WhittatotUI. iuj bollee yn the tower their. the ~henord as well before the makyng of the lust Dumford. iiiJ beUes yn the tower their. certificath as syns that tymo, for the which, the parties Bridford. iiij belles yn tho tower their. have nowe agreed with the said C

HUNDRED OF EXMYSTER. HUNDRBD OP Eenn::nLElGH-contiuued. Paruh of E&teyngtoout!l. iij belles in the towre their. Co/laton Rakigh. iij belles in the tower their. Doddy•comb/eigA. iij belles in the towro their. Cli&t St. Mary. iij bell<-'11 yn the tower their. Teyntmt EJIUcopi. uij belles in the towre their. Clillt St. Georg6. rij bellee yn the towro their, Shill!1f'9ford. iiij belles in the towre ther. and one chalice comitted to the Kenton. iiij belles and one otheir little bell yn custody of John Wright, George the towre their. Gibbe, John Persthelder and other .Ay•helton. iiij belles yn the tower ther. the parishioners their, by indenture. .Ayulucomh. iij belles in the towro their. Bycketon. iij belles yn the tower their. Chudlegh. iiij belles yn the tower their. Bzmy.tw. v belles yn the towre ther. HUNDRED OF OTERY ST. MARY. 1huhom. iij belles yn the tower their. Parillh of 0t6ry St. llary. one greate bell. [&e p. 89.] Powderham. iij belles yn tho towro their. Dawlyulu. v belles yn the tower their. HUNDRED OF WEST BUDLEIGH. Itk. iiij belles yn the tower their. llfamhedd. iiij belles ~ the towre their. Parillh of 8/wgbroke. iiij bellee yn the towre their. Wut Teyngmouth. iliJ belles yn the tower their. Waguhefglde. v bellee yn towre their. Dtmchedyocke. iiJ belles in the tower their. Stokekgh l'omery. iij belles yn the tower their. Ken. iiij belles m the towro their. Cheryton fytz Payne. iiij belles yn the towre their. HUNDRED OF COLYTON. Pough ill. iij belles yn the tower their. Stokekgh Englyoolu. iiij belles yn the towre their ParMI of Farway6. iij belles yn the tower their. Upton HyUyng. iij belles yn the tower their. Wgtkworthg. iiij belles in the tower their. Southkigll. iii) belles yn the tower their. HUNDRED OF HEMYOCKE. Bra~. ilij belles yn the tower their. O.ffewell. iiij belles in the tower their. Parillh of Hcmyocke. v belles yn the towre their. Shuu. iij belles yn the towre their. Chu1 clutawnton. iiij belles yn the towre their. NorthkigA. iiij belles in the towro their. Cl

HmmRED OP' HAYRUDGB-COtltinwd. HUNDRED OP' FRl!XYNOTON-RED OF CREDYTON. BulkeworiiiJ, parcel of the pari8h afor-itl. iij Pari811 of 11forchard Epi&copi. iiij belles yn tho towro their belles in the towre their. Kennerle. iij belles yn the towre their. Pari811 of Iduleigh. iij belles in the towre their. Crcd.rtton. iiij belles yn the towre their. A lw:vnt011. riij belles in the towre there. Sanfford. iiij belles yn the tower their. Frythelatocke. iiij belles in the towre their. Newton St. Ceric. iiij belles in the tower their, Shepway•he. iij belles in the towre their. and ij belles yn the chapcll of Nor­ .Martm. iiij belles in the towre their• ton. .AblJottuham. iiij belles in the towre their. Co/broke. iiij belles yn the towre their. BU(!ktkmd Jfilleigh. iij belles in the towre their. Netotl>tl St. Petroc. iij belles in the towre their. HUNDRED OF NORTHTAWTON. Meathe. iij belle~ in the towre their. Pari8h of Nymett Tracey. iiij belles in the towre their. Langtree. iiij belles in the towre their. Boryngtrm. iiij belles in the t{)wer their. Litleham. iiij belles in the towre their. Colrudg~ . iij belles in the towro their. Patricki8tawe. iij belles in the towre their. Bundleigh. iiij belles in the tower their. JJerkford. iiij belles in the towre their; j litJ.e Segle Monacorum. iiij belles in the towre their. bell att Alhallow's Chapell ; ij belles IJowne St. Mary. iij belles in the tower their. att Seynt Margarett Chapell; j litle Lapfortk. iiij belles yn the towre ther. bell called the Kytt. Northtauton. v belles in the towre ther. Shebbear. iij belles in the towre their. Nymett .Rowland. iij belle11 yn the towre their. Lancraa. iij belles in th11 towre their. IJowland. iij belles in the towre their. Beaaford. iij belles in the towre their. IJolton. iij belles in the tower their. Litle 1b'} ton. iiij bellee in the towre their. ClatlaiHJurgh. iij belles in the towre their. WI'N'e G!l.fford. iij belles in the towre their. Challeigh. iiij belles in the towre their. .Monkc{,y. iiij belles yn the towre their. .Ayaahereyny. iiij belles in the towre their. Peteramarkmd. iiij belles yn the tower. Wem1>rthy. iij belles in the towrc their. Huyaal~e. iij belles in the towre their. High Bekynt~>n. ii~j belles yn the towrc their. Parkeham. iiij belles in the towre their. .Adryngton. iiij bellee yn the tower their. Bru.rthlewe. iiJ. belles in the tower their. Luffyngoot6. rij belles in the towre their. HUNDRED OF WYNKELEIGH. Hol.tl.iwl~>rth1: iij belles in the towre their, and Pari8h of Wynkeleigh. iiij belles in the tower their. hj other title belles which weire in three Cbapells withyn the said HUNDllliD OF TEYNGBRIDGE. Hundred. Honychurche. iij belles in the tower their. Pari8h of Tegnggra~. ij bellee in tho tower their. JJradf~>rd. iij belles in the towre their. Hewycke, with the chapel there. viij belles their. .Ay•lleben!· iij belles in the towre their. Kyngutegngton. iiij belles in the tower their. Avuhewater. iij belles in the towre their• .Mourtl>tl Hemp6tedtl. iiij bellee in the tower Tettcotte. ii) belles in the towre their. their. Pew~>rthy. Iii) belles in the towre their. Beckyngtl>tl. iij belles in the towre their. JJridgeruel. ilj belles in the towre their. Hmt~~>eke. iii~ belles in the towre their. Wutputfortk. iij belles in the towre their. 114yngtrm. iiiJ belles in the towre their. Clawt~>t~. iij belles in the towre there. NorthiHJuy. hij belles in the towre their. Hatherleg. iij belles in the towre their. Ly1tleigh. iiij belles in the tower their. N~>rthpetherv;yn, iij belles in the towre their. Mannaton. iiij belles in the towre their, Blakatoryt~>t~ . iij belles in the towre their. Itkf~>rd. iij belles in the tower their. Beworthg. ii). belles in the tower their. BotJytracv. iiij belles with one title bell in the towre their. Heauntl>tl. hj belles in the towre their. HolwiU. iij belles in the towre their. Ay11hebertl>tl. v belles in the tower their. Worryngt~>t~. ~belles in the towre their. Jaco/JlJUIWJe. ihj belles in the towre their. HUNDRED OF FREMYNGTON. Brodewootlkelleigh. iij belles in the towre their. ParUh of Newtl>tl n--,.. iij belles in the towre their. Cokebery. iij belles in the towre theire. Fremyngt011. riij belles in the towre their. Beldon. ii~ belloe in the towre their. Rtnlllourgll. iij belles in the towre their. .Ezdxmu. ilij belles in the towre their. THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 87

HUNDRED OP BLACIUITOBYTON-ronlinued. HUNDRED OP BHmWILL-COnlinued. Pamla of Sutctnnh. iii belles in the towre their. Paruh of Martyttlioo. ij belles in the towre their. Bekynton. iij belles in the towre their. Charko. iij belles in the towre their. It~wardleigla . iiij belles in tho towre their. Cloola<'Otllb. iiij belles in the towre their. Bradw(}rthg. iij belles in the tower their. .dlryngton. iiij bells in the towre their. St. Gilu-in-le-Hethe. iij belles in the tower Highbrage. iiij belles in the towre their. their. Lozloore. iij bellea in the tower their. Monluokehampt&n. iiij belles in the tower their. Par(M';f)tnbe. iij belles in the towre their. Milton DamsreU. iij belles in the towre their. SAirwiU. iiJ belles in the towre their. Sampford Courtmey. iiij belles in the towre their Brendon. fuj belles in the towre their. Holactnnhe. iij belles in the towre their. t»unt;.!Jery. iij belles in the towre their. Panertm~~eke. iiij in the towre their. Tlwrnherg. iiij belles in the towre their. HUNDRED OF WETHERUDGE. ParVh of StodeleigA. iij belles in the towre their. HUNDRED OF LYSTON. Podgngton. ilj belles in the tower their. Pamla of Brrutm. iiij belles in the tower their. Oke.ff&rde. " no bells. ' MamtOtCe. iiij belles in the towre their. Templeton. iiJ belles in the towre their. Sourton. iij belles in the towre their. .DeliJrudge. iiJ belles in the towre their. Bratt&n. iiij belles in the tower their. W&lfardilwortAg. iij belles in the towre their. Lamertm. v belles in the towre their. Wytherudge. v belles in the towre their. Kelley. iiij belles in the towre their. Eltworlgngton. iii belles in thetowre their. Bridutowe. iij belles in the towre their. Rakenford. iiij belles in the towre their. l»ryton. iij belles in the towre their. Nymett JUg;.. iiij belles in the to111Te their. Okelaa•ptm. v belles in the towre their. Nymett Epi8copi. iiij belles in the towre their. .Dentwt&n. iiij belles in the towre their. Wuford ~ · iij bellea in the towre their• Vgrg~. iij belles in the towre their. MarleigA. lij belles in the towre their. IAwtr~hard. iiij belles in the towre their. A.guAertuU. iij belles in the towre their. Lydfwd. iii belles in the towre their. Oruumorchard. iiij belles in the towre their. Lydon. v belles in the towre their. Creyctnnh. iii belles in the towre their. Syddynlaam. iiij belles in the towre their. Cloedelt&n. tij belles in the towre their. Wek6 Stmfford. iij belles in the towre their. :&mamleigh. iij belles in the towre their. B~er. iij belles in the towre their. Weatworlgngt&n. iiij belles in the towre their. StOtCfwd. iiij belles in the tower their. ChulmcleigA. v belles in the towre their. MarytafJ!J. iiij belles in the tower their. Alu.huu. iij belles in the towre their. Tla""'MJtm. iij belles in the tower their. HUNDRED OF SOUTHMOLTON. HUNDRED OF HARTELOND. Prih of SoutAmoltm. v belles in the towre their. Nym.llt Sancti Georgii. iij belles in the towre Pa,.Ula of Y eN"!frctnnh. iiij belles in the towre their. there. We~. iij belles in the towre their. ChetelAa~~tplon . iiij belleRin the tower their. HarteloM. v belles in the towre their. Northmolton. v belles in tho towre their. Ckxielley. iij belles in the tower ther. 8Wythbridge. iiij belles in the towre their. Wolfwdilwortlag. iiij belles in the towre ther. Saterleigh. iij belles in the towre their. Mol/QNJ. iii~ belles in the towre thAir. HUNDRED OF BRAUNTON. KMtUt(}ft, 1ij belles in the towre their. P•r;.la of Bgttadean. ij belles in the towre their. Twgrhgn. iiij belles in the tower their. Trgmlaoo. ij belles in the tower their. Tawron Ep;.ropi. iiij belles in the towre their. Barnutaple. iiij belles in the tower their. Landkey. iiij belles in the towre their. Wuthuekekmd. iiij belles in the towre their. Eat 4mtge. iii). belles in the towre their. Goodlq. iiij belles in the towre their. We&t 4mf!J6. ilij belles in the towre their. Eltbuck6land. iiij belles in the towre their. WarkeleigA. iij belles in the towre their. Ma1'WIJildl. iiij belles in the towre their. Eat~. iii) belles in the towre their. HUNDRED OF CLYSTON. KentiM>ery. ilj belles in the towre their. p,.,.;.}a of Whymple. iiij belles in the towre their. Mwtlaoo. iij bellea in the tower their. Clglt Hgddlt. iiij belles in the towre their. Wert~. iij belles in the towre their. ButterleigA. iij belles in the towre their. Ilfardctnnh. v belles in the towre their. Brodecli&t. iij belles in the towre their. Eltag•hef&rd. iij belles in the towre their. Ct;.t Sandi Lawrencii. iiij belles in the tower . iiij belles in the towre their. their. Brattm. iiJ belles in the towre their. FtjlleigA. iiJ belles in the towre their. HUNDRED OF HEYTORR. Bwgnerher. iiij belles in the towre their. Highauntm. iiij belles and j litle bell yn the Pari•h of Stok6 Ga!Jriell. iiij belles in the towre their. towre their. Marlelkm. iii). belles in the towre their. OJmbmerten. iiij belles in the towre their. 1brnicAun. il~ belles in the tower their. Brtumlm. iiij belles in the towre their. Kyngi!IWet'e. ilij belles yn the tower their. Pyltm. v belles in the towre their. CAapel o Chur81(}tl. iiij bellC8 in the towre their. Pari1A of Bri:eham. v belles in the towre their. HUNDRED OF BHIRWILL. Cok!l"!!l(}tl. iij belles in the towre their. Hacctnnh. ij belles in the towre their.• Parid "of ~tokergfler•. iiij belles in the tower their. Paynton. v belles in the towre their. Lynt&n. iij belles in the towre their. Kyt1gilkerwill. iiij belles in the tower their. 88 THE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON.

Hm."DRBD OF HBYTOB.R-continrttd. HUNDRED OF ERMYNGTON. Pa•·i.!t of Coffynwill. ilij beliEf! in the towre t~~ir. . Pari8h of Holbeton. iij bellEf! in the tower their. W olborough, with tM Chapel there. VUJ belles m T:gboraugh. iiij belles in the towre their. the church and chapell their. Cbn~OOtk. ilij belles in the tower~· Carawill .Abbati8. iij belles yn the towre their. Ermy•lflt01t. iiij belles in the towro theu-. JlrodeMmp•ton. iiij belles in the tower their. Herfforde. iij belles in the towre their. Jplepeu. ilij belles in the tower their. Modbery. iii) belles in the towre their. Bokelond in tM More. iij belles in tho towre Kyngi8t01t. riij belles in the towre their. their. Bigbery. iij belles in the tower their.. 8tat:ert01t. iiij belles in the tlf!ton. in iiij belles the tower their. WhittchurcM. iii~ belles in the towre thllll': Wodeleigh. iij belles in the tower their. Walkelwmpt01t. itij belles in the towre theu-.. Southebrmte. iiij belles yn the towre their. NortM Buekrlmrd. iiij belles in the tower thwr. Rattree. iiij belles in the tower their. Byckeky. iiij belles in the tower. . West .Alt•ltii!Jion. iiij belles in the tower their. Sampforde 8pyney. ii~ belles in the tower theU". Kyngi8bridge. iiij belles yn the towro their. Peter•lavy. iij belles m the tower their. J[orleigh. iij belles in the towre their. Rodorke. iij belles in the tower their. . Laddyswell. iiij belles in the tower their. TarnertoiiJfolyett. iiij belles in the tower ~mr. Holt. iiij belles in the tower their. Btarr Fe>"ry8. iiij belles in the tower then:. •lfalbo raugh. iij belles in the towre their. Ecke lJIU'ktlond. iij belles in the tower thell". IJca11 Pr«w. iiij belles in tho tower their. Plynwuth, " no bells." . lJuckefa•tleigh. iiij belles in the churche, j belle in the comcnhouse, and ij litle belles HUNDRED OF TAVYSTOCKE. in the chapell their. Chustow~. iiij belles in the towre their. Pariah of Milton Abbott. v belles in the towre ~eir. liypsford. iiij belles in the tower their. Tat·yalocke. iiij belles yn the towre their. J)al"fltngtou. iiij belles in the towre their. Brmlorr. ij belles yn the tower their. .So t~thlll"fl'!/s•M. iij belles in the towre their. Slliilma " xvjc. xlv belles." Tl111rly•lon. iiij belles in the towre their. The Commissioners were " Sir Peter Carewe, knyght, .iJfylton. iiij belles in the tower their. Sr. Gawen Carewe, knyght, Anthony Harvy, esquyer, and Thomas Hacch, esquyer." HUNDRED OF COLRUDGE. Parish of Herberton. iiij belles in the tower their. DEVON-CITY OF EXETER. Stoktjleyming. iiij belles yn the tower their. Church Goods, 6 Ed. VI. ConleWOT'tl•.'l· iij belles yn the tower their, with CIIIJ>"~It of St. Jolm's howe. In primis twoo belles. ij litle belles. Town&tall. iiij belles yn the towre their. ~2 weighing ~. } sum. ixc , WJC Sa!ftll Pathrycke8 of Southtowne, Dcrtnwuthe. iij weight by eatymacon. belles in the tower their. Nota.-That over and besides the juelles and orna· Poo/4. iiij belles in the tower their. mentes above expressed, we have lefte in the aeide ~she Slapton. iiij belles in the tower their. Cburche of S. John for the necessarye mynystrae~o~ 1bttMe~J. v belles in the towre their. therof thies p&rl'eiles folowinge, that is to eaie, a bell m Bokerond 1bw•and. iij belles in the towre their. the staple of vijc weight by estymaeion. ChenellystOft. iii) belles in the tower their. lJiarkeawton. iuj belles in the towre their. ParisM Church of St. Olat:e. Inprimis twoo belles, wey~ 8tokmham. iiij belles in the tower their. three hundred weight by estymacton. SIUirjorde. iij belles in the tower their. Nota, &c. as above, one belle in the stepull beinge of . iiij belles in the tower their. ijc weight by estimacton. IJyttysham. iiij belles in the tower their. Trinity Church. Inprimis three bellea 1 I { Y.':. PortrbiiQUth. iiij belles in the tower their. 2 l weyeng ~~J· IJodbroke. iij belles yn the tower their. · 3} IIJC , Saynt Sat·yor& att IJertnwuth. iiij greta belles. summa. :rijc by estymRcio~ ­ Ay!ahepryngtrm iij belles in the towre their Nota as above, one belle in the steple being of vtJ• Charletou. iij belles in the towre their. weight by estymacion. TBE CHURCH BELLS OF DEVON. 89

CAurch of S. Pancracc. Inprimis one belle of one c weight CAurc4 of A.lluJlwlu-11p011-tlu- Walk. Innrimia two by estymacion. belles 1 } { . 2 weyenge iijciii_F di. di Nota, &c. That ys to lillie, a belle in the steple of c weight by eetymacion. Summa viijc weight by eatymacon. ltota, &c.-A bell in the lltepull of vc weight by eetymacion. CAurcA of S. Paull. Inprimis twoo belles, bothe being of ijc weight by eetymacon. CllurcA of Saint Hartin. Inprimis two belles 11 J •.• di Nota, &c. one belle in the steple of c weight by 2 f weyeng eetyma.con. 1ll! . Summa vc weight and a-half by estymacion. Nota, &c.--One bell in the steple of iiijc weight by Cllurc4 of S. Petrocke. Inprimis three belles, eetymacion. n { iiije di. 2 ){ weynge iijc di. Churc4 of S. Ham A.rclw. Inprimia three belles. 3 ije di. Summa XC· weight and di. by estymacion. ~ } weyeng { :jc Nota, &c.-One bell in the stepull weienge vc di. by 3 xxll uB e~tymacion. Summa ixc and by eetymacion. Nota, &c.-One bell in the lltepull weyeng vijc by eeiymacion. •

It is to be regretted that no Inventory of our Cathedral bells can be found : but in the fore­ going interesting record of the number of bells in our parish Churches in 1553, it may be noted, that at that date tbere was only " one grete belle" at Otterr S. Mary; though at the time when that noble Church may bo su?posed to have been in its glory, there were four bells in each tower. In the statutes which Bishop Grandison settled for the govern­ ment of his Collegiate establishment at Ottery S. Mary (dated September 29, 1339) t there is one (No. 15} which not only gives the number and position of the bells, but also directs when, and how, and on what occasions they were to be sounded. It records four in each tower, and that they were to be hung as at Exeter. It appears by the .lfhlJnc .Rolli, (p. 72-3) that in the same century the like number of bells was in each tower of our Cathedral: " 16. Item statuimus quod omni die per annum extra feriam aextam parascevea et aabbato sancto cantetur solempnia miaaa de beata Maria in capella ejusdem atequam pulsetur ad primam diei ; ad quam misaam in omnibus majoribus duplicibus festia per totum annum maxima campana ecclesie pulaetur; in medii& vero duplicibus aecunda major campana: in omnibus aliia duplicibus tercia major campana: et quando • Invita­ torium' tercio habetur, quarta major: et predicte quatuor majores campane debeant pendere aicut Ex.onie in parte eccleaie dextra, et alie cotidie quatuor in ainistra, quarum major semper ad miaaam beate Mario pul­ setur nisi in predictia temporibus, et semper cum ilia campana que debet pulsari ad misaam beate Marie, pulsari debet Ignitegium. Pulsabitur ad misaam aic: Primo ilia campana, cum qua pu1aari debet, terminatur octo vel decem ictibus continuia, .et facto bono intervallo quaai dimidii miliarii pulsetur cum eadem campana per dimidium roiliarii et ceaaetur et iterum statim repulsetur eadem per totum tempus, ut primo, et <·esaetur ; et statim tercio pulsetur brevius; et tune celeriter clerici omnea et pueri cum duobus ad minua, ,·icariia, ndant sine mora ad capellam beate Marie, et dictia horia beate Marie, cum Bllfficiens numerus venerit, incipiatur statim miss& et terminetur campana."

2 See Dr. Oliver's JlOffMticon DiocMI .Broil., p. 268-9.

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