The Church Bells of Buckinghamshire
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The Church Bells of Buckinghamshire BY A. H. Cocks File 04 : End of Part I, Information on founders Pages 201 to 268 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 BUCKINGHAM FOUNDRY—BURIED ALIVE ! 201 a transcript of two leaves (dated 1609-10, and 1641-42), from the church- wardens' accounts of Woodford Halse, Northampts, which were found loose in an old printed book bought at a sale at Byfield : coming subsequently into the possession of Sir H. Dryden, they were presented by him in 1882, to Woodford parish chest. The earlier of the two pages contains the following references to the Buckingham Foundry : Imprimis payed for the earring of the Bell unto Buckingham ... ... ... ... ix* It. payed for alle when the Bell ware a melting ... viij<* It. payed for alle when the Belle ware a running ... vj^ It. payed for the Berriying of the Bellfounder ... xj* It. payed for ale when the Bell ware a taking up out of the mold ... ... ... ... vj rf 1 It. payed Bell money unto the Bellfounders men ... iij iiijrf It. payed for a Band making that wee did take of the Bellfounder ... ... ... ... vj rf It. payed for the casting of the Bell ... ... liij* iiij^ It. payyed for mettill for the Bell ... ... xlvij1 iij<< It. payed for our chads in our diat in ling Bockingame xiij* Presuming that the "burying of the bellfounder'' is correctly copied from the original, it probably does not refer in earnest to the demise of either founder, just while the Woodford men were in Buckingham. Halliwell gives " burying-a-wife," as a feast given by an apprentice at the expiration of his articles; so it seems possible that "burying a bellfounder" may signify a "bever"* given on the successful ''running" of a bell. No burial of an Atton is chronicled in the Registers at that time ; still, as will be noticed by any one reading the following inscriptions carefully, there are changes in the lettering, etc., from this date ; and the fact that Bartholomew's name appears on a few bells subsequently, may merely be an early instance of the common modern trade practice, of retaining a man's name in the title of the firm, for years after his death, t We must hope that some churchwardens' accounts may yet be produced, which will enlighten us on this point. * Norman-French word. Used throughout north and mid A drink : evidently a Bucks (and adjoining counties) in the sense of " lunch," or what is variously known in the south of the county as "eleven o'clock," "four o'clock," etc., according to the particular occasion. the case of Robert, a few years later, as shown f This was almost certainly done in further on. 2 D — — Purchased from ebay store retromedia 202 THE CHURCH BELLS OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. " " A Band is, of course, a Bond, and in the last item I suppose that "charis" = shares, or possibly, charges; while "ling" no doubt wants a mark of abbreviation over it, and = leaving. 1610: The fourth at Shenley Mansel, inscribed in a different set of letters (Plate XXXI.), modified from the original set, and with new devices : 6 4*38 6 6 BARTHOLOMEW $ AT The date is also made up of new figures, larger, and more roughly formed; the ornaments are shown in Plate XXX, Nos. 7, 8, 9, 11, and an arabesque, fig. 67. A bell at Wappenham, Northampts, is inscribed : GOD SAVE KING JAMES R. A. 1610. The lettering is not mentioned.* Fig. 67. In 161 1 was cast the sanctus at Winslow, inscribed in the smallest set of lettering (Plate XXX.) :— K^T AWW-OV. M E R^O B E MADE 6^-0 followed by the names of five BEMBBACOT^S EO^ CHASfPIMG THIS BED with No. S, on Plate XXX. ; and coins on sound-bow. Also a bell at Chellington, Beds (about twenty-three miles distant), inscribed in the same lettering, with the same stop between each word : ^OBE^T ^ATHiCm 4. MADE £ MEE £ ,611 4, W ATTOK #, * Bells of Northampts. — — Purchased from ebay store retromedia BUCKINGHAM FOUNDRY—WILLIAM ATTON. 203 The bell is completely split, which is specially unfortunate, as it is the only known example bearing William Atton's name. His baptism is thus recorded in the Buckingham Register : 1596 September Wm filius Bartholomei Atton decimo die. A bell at Paulerspury, Northampts, said by Mr. North to be dated 161 3, and inscribed : BARTHOLOMEW ATTVN MADE ME, probably marks the termination of his bellfounding career. This bell was recast' at the Buckingham Foundry, from one of five ancient bells traditionally said to have been brought from Luffield Abbey (near Lillingstone Dayrell), in Bucks, on the dissolution of that House.* There was formerly a bell at Lichborough, Northampts, inscribed : BARTHOLOMEW ATTON MADE ME. No date is recorded, but most likely it was overlooked ; if the surname was spelt with an O, it is probable that the initials, R. A., were there in addition, and that it was cast later than this year. 1614: Two bells, formerly at Upton, Northampts, were simply inscribed : R. A. 1614. bell at Dodford, Northampts, inscribed : A -f- EX DONO JOHANNIS WYRLEY ARMIGERI (with coins on sound-bow), is identified by Mr. North (who does not describe the lettering) as by Atton, by the initial cross Moline (just under i| inches square), which he records twice later as on bells by Robert Atton in Northampts. Oddly enough, the cross does not occur in Atton's own county ; nor does it exist in the only reported instance that I have verified (see the year 1633 ; foot-note, p. 209). 1616 : A bell at Kilsby, Northampts, with Robert's name in full, and (?) the initial cross Moline. 1617 : Two at Aynhoe, in the same county, inscribed as the last, except that the initial cross is omitted. (The date of one, is, according to Mr. North, illegible.) The second at Fringford, Oxon, has merely R A and the date, in the modified set of large lettering (Plate XXXI.). 1618: A bell at Wappenham, Northampts, is said to have Robert's initials, and the date, preceded by the cross Moline again. One of the former ring at Harpole, in the same county, had merely Robert's initials and the date. At Kingsthorpe, in the same county, are two bells, respec- tively inscribed : ROBERT ATTON MADE ME THE BEL FOR TO BE 1618 j TmRD j * Bells of Northampts, p. 362. — — — Purchased from ebay store retromedia 204 THE CHURCH BELLS OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. The former tenor at Farthingstone (same county), which was melted in 1822, bore the first four words and the same date. is inscribed in a mixture of 162 1 : The treble at Grendon Underwood, the very small and medium-sized sets of letters : The small A is shown on Plate XXX., but the O is even smaller than the example there drawn : two letters of the medium-sized set (the T being one) are drawn at the bottom of Plate XXXI. The small cross patde (No. 1) is in and No. 5, on Plate XXX., are repeated several times. The date the small figures. The second at Kidlington, Oxon, dated this year, has, fide Mr. A. D. Tyssen, who is very unlikely to have made any omission : BARTHOLOMEW ATTON MADE ME THE TREBELL TO BE. We can only suppose (if Robert's initials are not there) that Bartholomew was living in retirement, from which he occasionally emerged and moulded a bell. 1622 : The saunce bells at Tingewick and Nether Winchendon, have Robert's initials and the date in the medium-sized set, and, in addition, a rose several times repeated (No. 10 on Plate XXX.). have, 1623 : The fourth at Tingewick, and the fifth at Great Horwood, in the medium-sized letters : PKAYSE YE THE LORBE ALWAYSE with the same rose between each word ; the latter bell having in addition, three pairs of initials ; neither of them are the rector's, as one would have expected, so it is just possible they may be those of assistants ; they are : I. B., G. V., R. B. The third at Granborough has the same inscription, less the last word, with the rose again, and the date is made up from the small set of figures. A bell each at Edgcott and Paulerspury (both in Northampts), have the same inscription as the Tingewick and Horwood bells, but the lettering and devices are not mentioned by Mr. North. 1624 : The third at Passenham, Northampts, has, in the modified lettering : BARTHOLOMEW m ATTOH & A PADEI^E R 6 6 A 162 4 B — Purchased from ebay store retromedia BUCKINGHAM FOUNDRY—ROBERT ATTON. 205 with Nos. 7 and 11, on Plate XXX. Two bells at Blisworth, in the same county, have the same inscription, but Mr. North does not record lettering or ornaments ; and three bells at Syresham, in that county, have : ROBERT ATTON MADE ME. 1625 : The tenor (of two) at Turweston has, in the small lettering, R A 1625, and the treble (which is cracked), is similarly inscribed the following year. Four bells at Stoke Goldington, and two at Hanslope (one of these dated the following year) are inscribed in the " modified " set of large letters : GOD SAVE KVHG C |4 A R li S the four former have No. 11; and the two outside of these, and the later one at Hanslope, have also No. 7, on Plate XXX. A bell at Maidford, Northampts, has merely R A and the date.