The Church Bells of Essex by Rev
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The Church Bells of Essex by Rev. Cecil Deedes and H. B. Walters File 01: Preface, Contents, List of Plates, Bibiography, Addenda and Corrigenda – Pages (i) to (xxii) 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 change ringing Purchased from ebay store retromedia The Church Bells of Essex THEIR FOUN'BERS, INSCRITTIONS, TRADITIONS, AND USES By THE REV. CECIL DEEDES, M.A., (Prebendary of Chichester, and some time Rector of Wickham St. Pdu/'s, Essex) AND H. B. WALTERS, M.A., F.S.A., [Based on the Collections of Messrs, Tyssen, North, Stahlschmiut, and Wells] ll/Tf/ 36 PL.-JTES, JND FACSIMILE BLOCKS /A' TEXT PRINTED FOR THE AUTHORS 1909 Purchased from ebay store retromedia THIS EDITION OF 25O COPIES PRINTED FOR THE SUBSCRIBERS BY W. JOLLY AND SONS, ABERDEEN. Purchased from ebay store retromedia XXV^VH 02 • (Da.3olll)f»sor,s. Purchased from ebay store retromedia PREFACl^: Ik the length of a preface should bear an inverse ratio to the time taken in the compilation of the book, a brief foreword would suffice here, for "The Church Bells of Essex" has been so long upon the stocks that the present Editors are now far removed from those who began collecting the materials. We will conclude that our readers prefer to know something about the genesis of the work, and will briefly touch on the chief points. When the Tractarian movement begot in those who came under its influence a new reverence for, and interest in the fabrics of our cathedrals and churches, and a careful study of sacred architecture and art, among the objects which awakened interest were such monumental brasses as had survived the spoliation and carelessness of the preceding centuries. These being on the floors of churches naturally attracted attention much sooner than the bells which hung aloft out of sight. In turning over the pages of the Archaeological Journals, we can trace but few instances of bell inscriptions being reported earlier than the Rev. Wm. C. Lukis' 'Account of Church Bells' which appeared in 1857, the first compre- hensive attempt at dealing with the rudiments of the present abstruse science of ca7Hpanobgy. This word does not appear to have been used in its present sense, according to Dr. Murray's Dictionary, before the time of Lukis, for Craik in 1847 defines campanology as ' the art of ringing bells.' Sir H. H. Murray defines it ' the J. subject of bells ; detailed examination of the principles of bell founding, bell rineino-, etc' Lukis' book soon set others to work, and the systematic examination of belfries in other districts or counties besides Wiltshire became common. Among early enthusiasts we may notice the Rev. H. T. Ellacombe, a Devonshire worthy who extended his researches into the neighbouring counties of Gloucester and Somerset ; Mr. Daniel Tyssen, who became responsible for Sussex ; Mr. L' Estrange, who investigated the whole of Norfolk; and Dr. Raven, who published Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. Mr. Thomas North of Leicester, beginning with that county, followed on with Purchased from ebay store retromedia VI PREFACE Northants, Rutland, Lincoln, and Ikdford, leaving- at his death material for Herts and other counties including Essex. It should be said that Mr. Daniel Tyssen, senior, had been for some years employing agents to visit towers where mediaeval bells were reported to hang, obtaining in this way a large collection of valuable rubbings. These he most kindly placed at the disposal of the various county investigators with a view to the material being used in their respective books. Hence the collection, which at Mr. North's lamented death in 1884, passed into the hands of his recent colleague and assistant, Mr. J. C. L. Stahlschmidt. 'The Church Bells of Hertfordshire' was edited by the latter in 18S6, largely from the material left by the former. The pupil, alas, was destined not long to survive the master. Only five years later, into which years had been crowded an immense amount of campanological work, Mr. Stahlschmidt was taken to ' his rest on June 26, 1889. An In Memoriam ' notice of him will be found in the Transactions of the Essex Arckaeo/oi^ical Society, N.S. iv. 40-44. He had brought out Surrey bells and London bell founders in 1884, then in rapid succession, the Herts book mentioned above in 1886, and Kent in 1887. He had already made large collections for Esse.x which would have come next, and the senior of the present editors, at that time a North Esse.x rector, had collaborated with him in personal visits to many towers between Halstead and the Suffolk border, but during the last two years of his life his health had been failing. .Severe attacks of gout suggested hydropathic treatment, but consequent on this lung trouble developed, the last winter spent in the Canary Islands did him no good, and the end came in the following early summer. His grave, under a marble cross, may be seen in the churchyard of St. Nicholas, Tooting Graveney. By his expressed wish his collections for the Essex Bells were handed secretary of to his intimate friend, the late Mr. E. J. Wells, at that time the St. Paul's Ecclesiological Society. Mr. Wells was a keen and earnest archaeologist with a penchant for church bells, but unfortunately he was closely tied by business, and had little opportunity for such original research as was still required to perfect the lists. However he got the material ready to his hand into good order, and a prospectus was put out in his own name, and that of the present senior editor, whom Mr. Stahlschmidt had named as his joint literary executor. The proposal did not receive sufficient support at that time to justify our undertaking the risks of printing, and all that was done down to the inception of our present book was to insert in the Essex Review, notes of the church bells in the archdeaconry of Colchester, being- little more than a list of the inscriptions in each church, tower. After the ' Purchased from ebay store retromedia PREFACE VII death of Mr. Wells the present editors resolved to undertake this Inwy- delayed issue. Mrs. Wells most kindly placed the whole of the material unreservedly in their hands, pains were taken to supply deBciencies and to bring the record of each belfry up to date, and, after some negotiations with other firms, Messrs. Jolly and Sons of Aberdeen undertook the formidable task of printing. It has been a matter of regret to us that there has been so long a delay in the completion of the book, but when our subscribers examine it and see how much fresh type of an elaborate sort has been cast, they may agree that it was better to make the book as perfect as we could than to scamp the work or to fall out with the workmen. We may at least claim that no pains have been spared to make the ' Church Bells of Essex a thoroughly good specimen of its class. We should be the last to assert that it is faultless or absolutely complete. No year passes without the subtraction of some bells from the total of the previous year by reason of fracture or otherwise, and the addition of others. The very delay which we regret, and of which some have with good reason complained, has been in the interests of greater accuracy. Where errors are found we can but crave the indulgence generally accorded to those who have tried to do their best, and leave our readers, we hope, to enjoy the fruits of our labours, greatly lightened as they have been by the co-operation of many helpers. Among these Mr. C. H. Hawkins has in particular earned our gratitude for the readiness and energy with which he has come to the aid of the editors in exploring distant parts of the county which they were prevented from visiting personally. He is a very painstaking and accurate worker, and it was largely by his help that the work of revising and bringing up to date was accomplished within the space of two years after the death of Mr. Wells. The Rev. H. T. W. Eyre and Mr. Miller Christy have also rendered yeoman service, both to the former and the present editors of the work. The clergy and laymen of the various parishes who kindly sent information about customs and extracts from parochial documents have been too numerous to thank individually, but we trust that justice has been rendered them in the course of the work. Nor must we omit to mention the various firms of bell founders, who with ready courtesy have responded to our numerous requests for information, in particular Mr. Hughes of the Whitechapel foundry. Lastly, we must accord a word of thanks to our printers for the patience and care with which they have attacked a really troublesome task, which, after the initial difficulties were with unavoidable delay surmounted, they have spared no pains to bring to perfection. Purchased from ebay store retromedia via PREFACE It only remains to note that the Introduction is entirely the work of Mr. Walters, a statement necessitated by the use of the singular personal pronoun throughout. Cecil Deedes. Nov. 1909. H. B. Walters. Purchased from ebay store retromedia CONTENTS PREFACE V CONTENTS ix LIST OF PLATES xi BIBLIOGRAPHY xiii ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA xxi PART I INTRODUCTION : HISTORY OF THE BELLS AND THEIR FOUNDERS ... I RINGING CUSTOMS AND PECULIAR USES I45 PRINCIPAL RINGS IN ESSEX ...