The Church Bells of Lancashire BY F. H. Cheetham File – 02: Part II The Hundred of Salford 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 BELLS OF LANCASHIHE. THE CHURCH BELLS OF LANCASHIRE. BY F. H. CHEETHAM. PART II. FOREWORD. y thanks are again due to all who have assisted me M in the preparation of this further instalment of th e catalogue of bells in the older churches of Lancashire, and especially to those incumbents who have so readily given me access to th e bells under their charge. My thanks are also due to th e Rev. H. A. Hudson, M.A., F.S.A., for permission to use his account of the Man­ chester Cathedral bells and for other information freely given ; to th e Rev. H. J. Elsee, M.A., of Bolton, for the loan of several rubbings and for criticism and help in proof reading; to Mr. Wm. Royle for particulars of th e bell at Platt Chapel; to Mr. J. J . Phelps for particulars of th e bell at Monton Chapel; and to Mr. H. B. Walters, M.A., F.S.A., whose knowledge has ever been at my disposal and who has been good enough to read over the proofs. Messrs. Mears & Stainbank, of Whitechapel, and Messrs . John Taylor & Co., of Loughborou gh, have kindly supplied me with the weights of various bells cast or recast by th em, and have helped me in other ways. F. H. C. THE HUNDRED OF SALFORD. The hundred of Salford comprises th e ancient parishes of Ashton-under-Lyne, Bolton, Bury, Deane, Eccles, B 2 CHURCH BELLS OF LANCASHIRE. Flixton, Manchester, Middleton, Prestwich-with-Oldham, Radcliffe, and Rochdale. The whole lies within the diocese of Manchester, and is divided between the arch­ deaconries of Manchester and Rochdale. .The arch­ deaconry of Manchester includes the ancient parishes of Eccles, Flixton, and Manchester, together with Leigh in West Derby hundred, and the archdeaconry of Rochdale the parishes of Ashton-under-Lyne, Bolton, Bury, Deane, Middleton, Prestwich-with-Oldham, Radcliffe, and Roch­ dale. There were three hundred and fifty-five modern parishes within the Salford hundred in 1915. Of pre-Reformation chapels the principal were Ainsworth, Blackley, Blackrod, Bradshaw, Chorlton, Denton, Didsbury, Ellenbrook, Horwich, Littleborough, Milnrow, Newton, Oldham, Rivington, Shaw, Stretford, Todmorden, Turton, Walmsley, Westhoughton, and Whitworth. The chapels at Ashworth, Edenfield, Gorton, and Holcombe existed in the sixteenth century, but it is doubtful whether they were founded before the Reformation. Birch-in-Rusholme dates from about 1580. Ringley Chapel was erected in 1625 and Salford in 1635. There are two mediaeval bells in the hundred, one at Bradshaw and the other at Clayton Hall. The former is of fourteenth century date and bears the inscription, "Ave Maria Gracia Plena." It is said to have belonged originally to a religious house in Yorkshire, but there is no real evidence of this. The bell is 20~in. diam eter. The Clayton H all bell is smaller (16tin.) and bears the motto, "Je atende meleor." It appears to be rather later in date than the Bradshaw bell, and belongs prob ably to the latter part of the fourteenth or early part of the fifteenth century. There is a tradition that it formerly belonged to the church of Manchester College. CHURCH BELLS OF LANCASHIRE. 3 No church bells of sixteenth century date have yet come to light, but the bell formerly at Turton Tower, and now at Sir Lees Knowles's residence at Pendlebury, is dated 1587. Seventeenth century bells are found at Edenfield (1654), Holcombe (1698), Bolton (1699), Ringley, and at Great Lever Hall. The two last named are undated, but the Ringley bell appears to be coeval with the chapel (now pulled down) built in 1625. It may, however, be a few years later, as the building was not consecrated till 1634. The bell at Great Lever Hall, now on the floor of the chapel, bears the name of Ralph Ashton, and dates from about 1616-29. The Edenfield bell is by J. Scott of Wigan, and was cast in the first year of the Protectorate. There was formerly a bell by the same founder at Milnrow cast in the same year. William Scott, of Wigan, is known to have cast a bell for Denton Chapel in 1692, but this has dis­ appeared. The Edenfield bell is the only one by Scott of Wigan now known to exist in the Salford hundred, unless others should come to light in modern churches. The Holcombe bell, now at the schoolhouse, bears the initials R.A., possibly those of Ralph Ashton, of Wigan, who succeeded the Scotts at the foundry there. The Bolton bells are by Henry Bagley, of Ecton, Northampton, and are five in number. They are a year later in date than Bagley's six at Warrington Parish Church. There was formerly a bell dated 1656 at Whitworth, but it was recast in 1775 and again in 1910. At Todmorden Chapel a bell dated 1603 was recast in 1860. The number of existing eighteenth century bells is fairly large, though many have been recast or have other­ wise disappeared. The earliest dated bells of this period are those by Abraham Rudhall at Manchester Cathedral, 4 CHURCH BELLS OF LANCASHIRE. 1706. Six of the present ring were cast in that year, though only five bear the date. These are, as far as I know, the earliest of Rudhall's bells in Lancashire, but the famous Gloucester firm supplied a large number of bells to the county for more than a century after this date. In Salford hundred the next oldest Rudhall bells are the third, fifth, sixth, and seventh at Eccles, dated 1709. Following these in order of date are Middl eton (six 1714), Platt Ch apel (1718), Prestwich (two 1721), Old­ harn" (two 1722), Bury (six 1722), Monton Chapel (1725), Didsbury (six 1727) , Prestwich (1742), Salford (five 1748), Heywood, St. James (1749), Manchester Cathedral (1749), Rochdale (five 1752), Manchester, S1. Ann (1769), Ashton­ under-Lyne (six 1779) , Ro chdale (two 1787), Ashton­ under-Lyne (1790), Chorlton (1792), and Manchester, St. Petert (1795). There are also two undated Rudhall bells at Prestwich Church, but probably cast in 1761 and 1788. At Denton a Rudhall bell dated 1715 has been recast, and at Kenyon Peel Hall was one dated 1731, but it has disappeared. The bell at S1. James's Church, Manchester (1786) , may be by Rudhall, as it bears a motto much used by the Gloucester firm, but is without a maker's name or mark. At Dean e are four bells by Richard Sanders , of Brom s­ grove (1714), the only ones by this founder in the hundred. George Dalton, of York, is represented by bells at Mossley (1756) and Littleborough (1764), and Luke Ashton, of Wigan, by the single bell at Ellenbrook (1725). It is possible th at the bell at Pe el (1758) may be by Ashton, but it bears no name or inscription. Among the eighteenth century bells the \Vhitechapel foundry is • At St. Peter 's and St. james's churches. t Now at St. Andrew's Church, Eccles. CHURCH BELLS OF LANCASHIRE. 5 represented by the ring of eight* at St. John's, Deansgate, Manchester (Lester and Pack, 1786), the undated tenor at Blackrod by Chapman and Mears, th e five other bells at Black rod by William Mears, 1786, and the sixth at Deane by Thomas Mears, 1792. The disused bells at Birch -in - Rusholme (1727) and Ashworth (1774) are without founder's name or initials. The earliest dated nineteenth century bells are from the Gloucester foundry, 1806, in which year John Rudhall cast a ring of eight for St. George's Church, Bolton, three for Bolton Parish Church, and a ring of eight for Flixton. Three of the Flixton bells, however, have been since recast. Other earl y nineteenth century bells by Rudhall occur at Rochdale (tenor, 1812), Manchester Cathedral (tenor, 1815; two trebles, 1825), and Eccles (two trebles and tenor, 1825; fourth, 1828). Most of th e later nineteenth century bell s are from the foundries at Whitechapel (Mears), Loughborough (T aylor) , and Cripplegate (Warner). As regards the ancient parish churches th e Whitechapel foundry is responsible for five bells at Ashton-under-Lyne, one at Deane, and two at Middleton. The ring of twelve at Oldha m Church was cas t at Whitechapel in 1830, and there are rings of eight at Birch -in-Rusholme (1863) and Mossley (1888). Other churches founded before 1800, in which bells from th e Whitechapel foundry occur, are Ardwick (St. Thomas), Blackley, Cheetham Hill (St. Mark), Heaton Chapel, Holcombe, Hollinwood, Little Lever, Newton Heath, Stretford, Todmorden, and Turton. Messrs. Taylor, of Loughborough, have cast two bells for Bury Parish Church, two for Deane, three for Flixton, three for Prestwich, and a ring of eight for Radcliffe. Their bells also occur at Horwich, Manchester (St. • Ten or recast in 1902 . 6 CHURCH BELLS OF LANCASHllI'F.. Michael), Manchester (St. Paul), Pendleton, Salford (Sacred Trinity), Shaw, Walmsley, Rochdale (St. Mary), Westhoughton, and Whitworth. Warner's bells are found at Milnrow, Rivington, Stretford, and Swinton. All of these firms are, of course, responsible for a large number of bells in churches built since th e year 1800. The present paper, as explained in the introductory chapter, is concerned only with bells in churches founded lip to the end of the eighteenth century. Only one bell by William Dobson, of Downham, Norfolk, is found in the hundred, at St.