The Church Bells Worcestershire
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The Church Bells of Worcestershire by H. B. Walters File 07: Part VII: Founders of Worcestershire Bells (cont.) Addenda et Corrigenda, Index (Pages 313 to 350) 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 THE CHURCH DELLS OF WORCESTERSHIRE 313 THE CHURCH BELLS OF WORCESTERSHIRE. BY H. B. w ALTERS. PART VII A GENERAL SuRVEY OF WoRCESTERSHIRE BELLS (Part ll). THE BUCKINGHAM FOUNDRY. We have already (vii. p. 29=301) met with the name of Bartholomew Atton at Tidmington, where he was acting for Newcombe of Leicester. In the same tower there is, oddly enough, another bell by his son Robert Atton, the treble there being inscribed ROBERT ATTON 1619 (Fig. 207) The handiwork of this Robert Atton can also be recognised in the 4th bell at Tredington, inscribed +THOMAS + HORWARD + WILLIAM +HAYWARD + CHVRCH + WARDNES + OF + TREDINGTVN + 1624 (Fig. 209). The rosette stop is also found at Great Horwood, Bucks, and on a bell now recast at St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford. Robert Atton was working at Buckingham between 1605 and 1633, and Mr: Cocks has told us all that there is to be known about him. 1 We should hardly have expected to find his work in Worcestershire, but the two parishes in which it occurs are geographically far to the eastward of the county proper. It may be worth mentioning here that there is a puzzling bell (the tenor) at Stanway in Gloucestershire, which seems to be a connecting link between the Attons, and John Martin of Worcester. It bears the large shield (Fig. 67) but instead of Martin's initials are the R.A. of Robert Atton, to whom the shield undoubtedly belonged originally. The bell however being dated 1638, cannot be the work of either founder. ·There is however, another stamp with the monogram· H.F. on a shield, and this H.F. must be the founder though otherwise unknown. As this resembles the ·mark of Han:cox of Walsall J Oh. B ells ot Bucks, p. 194 ff; Vict. Comtfy Hist. of Bucks, ii., p. 122. 314 H. B. WALTERS (see below) and the cross and lettering are also his, H.F. may have been an assistant to him in his later days. Inci dentally it may be noted that the sanctus bell at Stanway bears R.A. 1694, which I suspect to be a mistake for 1624, the initials being Atton's. THE PURDUES. The Purdues were a famous bell-founding family in the West of England in the seventeenth century. I have given some account of them in my Church Bells of Wiltshire, p. 283 ff. The first we hear of is William Purdue, who started the foundry at Closworth in Somerset about 1575. He had three sons, George, Roger, and Richard, who all worked in different places, but the only one of these with whom we are directly concerned is George, who was casting bells at Taunton between 1599 and 1633. Although his bells are mostly confined to the south-west of England, we have three examples in Worcestershire, the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th at Tredington, cast in 1622, which are quite typical of his simple style (see Fig. 2ll). It is curious that these bells should be George's work, as at the. same time his brother Richard was temporarily at Banbury, and cast several bells in that neighbourhood. There are two other bells in this county which are un doubtedly the work of one of the Purdue family, viz., the 2nd and 6th at Overbury, but they bear no name or even initials. Being dated 1641, they seem to be the latest work of Roger or Richard, neither of whom have we otherwise any record after 1640. W. WITMORE. The bells at Bredon are by William Witmore, dated 1624, who is not otherwise known; he uses a flat broad style of lettering like the Purdues, with a pretty oak leaf border. There are bells at Frocester in Gloucestershire by a William Wetmore dated 1639, but the lettering is different from that at Bredon. This founder, who may have been the Bredon man or his son, apparently lived at Frocester. In 1656 two bells were cast there for Standish., Gloucs., by James Wet more, presumably his son. There was another William Whit more about the the same time at Watford, Herts., whose bells are known in the Home Counties. 1 1 Waiters and Deedes, Ch. Bells of Essex, p. 112. THE CHURCH BELLS OF WORCESTERSHIRE 315 THE CLffiURYS OF WELLINGTON. For nearly 100 years (from 1590 to 1682) there was an important bell-foundry at Wellington in Shropshire, which cast the majority of the seventeenth century bells remaining in that county; also many in North Herefordshire, and others in Staffordshire and North Wales. I have dealt with them fully in my Church Bells of Shropshire, p. 417 ff. They only once managed to penetrate into Worcestershire, and that was only as far as the extreme north-western edge. The tenor bell at Bockleton is the work of Henry Clibury, the last of the family to cast bells, and is dated 1675 (Fig. 42). As a rule the Cliburys' bells are very richly ornamented, but Henry's are usually remarkable for their plainness and uninteresting in scriptions. His career extended over the period 1673-1682. THE HANCOXES OF WALSALL. Between 1622 and 1640 there was a bell-foundry at Walsall, in the hands of two successive Thomas Hancoxes. 1 We know that there were two of the name in this short period, as the entry occurs in the Registers of St. Matthew's church there of the burial of Thomas Hancox Alderman, 25 Oct., 1631. This Thomas was Mayor of the town in 1620, and his foundry was at the ' Pott-house ' in Park Street. The parish registers (reprinted by Dr. Wilmore) contain other references to the family, including the younger Thomas's marriage to Anne Wollaston in 1630. His death is not mentioned, but that of his widow occurred in 1641. The first Thomas began his career with various stamps acquired from other founders. We find him on his earliest bell, the ting-tang at St. Mary, Stafford (1622) using the cross-keys stamp and lettering of Godwin Baker of Worcester. He also adopts Henry Farmer's fieur-de-lys stop and lettering, and the border used by John Greene at Yarpole, Here£. in 1605. 2 On the other hand we have seen that he handed down some of his stamps to John Martin. In Worcestershire we have two bells from his hand : South Littleton old 2nd 3 and Birts morton 4th, and three which may be either his work or his 1 For fuller details of the Hancoxes and their bells, see Ch. Bells of Warw., p. 50 ff. 2 Ch. Bells of Warw., pl. 20, fig. 8. 3 Cast on the spot, as remains of bell-metal were found under the floor of the nave. 816 H. B. WALTERS son's : Droitwich St. Andrew 4th and 6th (1631), and Hamp ton Lovett 3rd (undated). From the younger Thomas we have Abbot's Morton 2nd (1633) and the 5th and 7th at Hartlebury (1640), his latest bells. We may also add the old 4th at Norton-by-Evesham (1632). The Hancoxes were founders of decided originality and taste. and not only reproduced medieval inscriptions, but adorned their bells with elaborate borders, medallions, and impressions of medieval seals (see Figs. 27, 135, 139, 142). For some re markable instances of the latter see the marks on the two Droitwich bells (Figs. 94-96), which are f\llly described under that heading. Their bells are also found in De.r:byshire, Gloucestershire, Hereford, Leicester, Stafford and Warwick. THE NOTTINGHAM FOUNDRY. As in medieval times, one of the most important Midland foundries in the 17th century was that of the Oldfields at Nottingham. Its two principal owners were Henry Oldfield (lfi82-1622) and his son George (1620-1680). We have however, only one of their bells in Worcestershire, the 2nd at Beoley, dated 1622, and inscribed -tED SHELDON ESQVIER R SHELDON N CARLTON W FRANCES 1622 H + 0 (Figs. 18, 20, 21), It is one of the latest works of Henry Oldfield. The letters and crosses are stamped on separate blocks or paterae, with cable borders above and below. RICHARD OLDFIELD. The name of Oldfield occurs with curious frequency in the bell founding records of the 16th and 17th century, and in all parts of England. Whether they were all members of the same family we do not know, and it is very unlikely, as they are found as far away as York and Hertford. There is however, another, in the person of Richard Oldfield, who suddenly turns up in the West Midlands at the beginning of the 17th century, and may possibly be an offshoot of the Nottingham family. On the other hand it is remarkable that his trade mark, a shield with an arrow in pale and the initials R.O., is almost identical with that used contemporaneously by Robert Oldfield at Hertford! We have a hint at Oldfield's place of residence in the year 1624 at any rate, in the Church wardens' accounts of Ludlow, for which place he was then THE CHURCH BELLS OF WORCESTERSHIRE 317 casting bells. 1 Although the casting was done on the spot (and its story is told in the accounts with much interesting detail) we gather that Oldfield came over to do the work from Leominster.