Notes on the Bells of the Ancient Churches of the West Riding of Yorkshire BY J. Eyre Poppleton File 02 Articles published from 1903 to 1905, covering Diocese of Ripon, Archdeaconry of Craven, Deaneries of Craven (North), Craven (West), Bradford, Clapham, Masham, Boroughbrige, Knaresborough, Leeds, Otley, Ripon, Wetherby and Whitkirk. Diocese of Wakefield, Archdeaconry of Halifax, Deaneries of Bristal, Halifax, Huddersfield, Silkstone and Wakefield. Diocese of Southwell, Archdeaconry of Nottingham, Deanery of Bawtry. Diocese of Manchester, Archdeaconry of Manchester, Deanery of Ashton-under-Lyne. Archdeaconry of Blackburn, Deanery of Whalley. Notes on Founders. 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 NOTES ON THE BELLS OF THE ANCIENT CHURCHES OF THE WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE. By J. EYRE POPPLETON. ( Co11ti11ued /ro111 page 32.) II. D IO CES E O F RI PO N. ARCHDEACONRY OF CRAVEN. ( Tlte fignns in brackets throttgh.out tltese notes refer to the illustrations.) (a) Deanery of Craven (North). ARNCLIFFE (St. Oswald). Three bells. r. ~ XDE.7W.8.E_ : :ID®J@i:5IC : @J@i:..5..V5IC..®. [J.<i\J?J_@' : V7W : 5IC:©.7W:Fl.E_alV.8 [@.v J?J_ : ~- 5IC.S- : For style of lettering see (66). 36 in. dia. z. faftearn fecit 1Lonllini (lower) @loda in altfo~imi~ meo '!.m. iflitlJQ!:Ql:Qt:IlLH. (Weight, 12 cwt. 3 qrs.) 3. Qt:lamito m::e m::emplum @uoll 1Jenmre Ileum 1616 (lower) (68) without R. o. The first bell may well be one of those mentioned by Mr. Walbran (Mems. of Fountains) as having been given by Prior Whixley, of Fountains. BURNSALL (St. Wilfrid). Six bells. On each: DALTON OF YORK FECIT 1790 CONISTON-WITH-KILNSEY (St. Mary). Two bells. I. Nil. 20 in. dia. 2. 1887 ~2 in. di~. t ' > x w ....... <( ..J 0..... PLATE XVI I. 75. 74. 79 80. PLATE XVlll. 8 r. ,, "-f- 86. x x · lU I­ <( _J CL x x UJ f­ <( _] Q_ BELLS IN THE WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE. 103 These were given by Miss Blake, of Rylstone, as a Jubilee offering. There are two old bells in the church, which bave- I. ~ <61) @r..fr.I_.Lfi::@J5.)0LK : :IBE.15.!iBE. : .ITLFrJ.. :L'"lIE. 16 in. dia. 2. ~ ANNO REGN! RGIS CAROLI NRI SGD! 16 ANNO DOMIN! 1664 (lower) THO WARDE WILL TENNANT CHVRCHWARDENS GARGRAVE (St. Andrew). Eight bells. l. ON EARTH THE BELLS DO RING 2 . IN HEAVEN THE ANGELS SING 3· GLORY TO GOD 4. ON EARTH PEACE 5· GOOD WILL TO MEN 6. Hujus sci Petri 37in.dia. 7. LAYS DEO 1747 FRN. YATES VICAR ROB. DVRDEN RICH. SHACKLETON CHA. ATKINSON ROB. MARKENDALE WIL. AIRTON !NO. CLOVGH ANT. TOMLINSON CHVRCHWARDENS 39 in. dia. 8. VT TVBA SIC SONITV DOMIN! CONDVCO COHORTES I 703 W T I R R G H R W T W H R R CHVRCHW AR DENS (<) 43 in. dia. Tbe first and second bells were cast by Messrs. Warner in 1880, and tbe next four by tbem in 187 5. The inscription on the sixth is the same as that upon a pre-Reformation bell, which, having become cracked, was taken down in r 8 7 5. GIGGLESWICK (St. Alkelda). Six bells. These were cast by Messrs. Mears in 1850, at the expense of Mary Long Dawson and Elizabeth Hutton Dawson, of Halton Gill and Marshfield. I. FORTITUDE 4. CHARITY. 2. TEMPERANCE 5· HOPE 3· JUSTICE 6. FAITH Each has also the founders' name and the date. HALTON GILL (St. John Baptist). One bell. GLORIA IN ALTISSIMIS DEO 1690 lower 18 in. dia. VOL. XYII. N 194· THE YORKSHIRE ARCHJEOLOGICAL JOURNAL. HORTON-IN-RIBBLESDALE (St. Oswald). Three bells. l & 2. GEO. DALTON YORK FECIT 1776. 3. ffn llncunl:Jitate i:ioni $Onabo tibi llihtr 1614 w o (3>J HUBBERHOLME (St. Michael). One bell. ~ IHESVS EE OVR SPEED 1601 (lower) w o (3 2 ) Royal Arms (See Plate xiv.) KETTLEWELL (St. Mary). Three bells. These are by Messrs. Mears, and were given about I 860 by Miss Dawson, of Settle, in place of the one bell then in use. KIRBY MALHAM (St. James). Three bells. I. ~ GOD EE OVR SPEED BOTH NOW AND EVER 16J7 w o (68) without Ro 39 in. dia. 2 . SOL! DEO GLORIA DALTON FECIT YORK J785 41~ in. dia. 3· GOD SAVE OVR CHVRCH OVR QVEEN AND REALME JOSIAS LAMBERT ESQVIRE i6oz w o (3 2 ) Royal Arms (See Plate xiv.) 46 in . clia. This last is said to be the largest bell in the diocese of Ripon, except the tenor in the Minster Tower. The death-bell is tolled for a time, and then, as a distinguishing finish, four strokes are given for a man, three for a woman, and two for a child. LINTON (St. Michael). One bell. GLORIA IN ALTISSIMIS DEO 1692 LONG PRESTON (St. Mary). Three bells. I. E DONO I KNOWLES IN 1630 LESTER & PACK OF LONDON FECIT J762 (Weight, 6 cwt.) 2. LESTER & PACK OF LONDON FECIT 1762 (Weight, 9 cwt.) 3· MR . IEREH. HARRISON VICAR LESTER & PACK OF LONDON FECIT r762 (Weight, l 2 cwt.) These were all rehung by Messrs. Malla by in I 887. RYLSTONE (St. Peter).· Three bells. T. 3C@ <3 <® ::® 3Io JP.IT®JP.i BELLS IN THE WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE. 19.') 2. S©E'. @J,'l_;B,El3ICE.Jilli ®:Fl],'l_ [:-@:El® :-@..®;ED l'.s 3· GLORIA IN EXSELSIS DEO CW \Vil 1658 w (lower) IS Each bell has on the rim: RECAST BY C & G MEARS LONDON 1853 These three bells replace three which bore the same (principal) inscriptions, which hung in the tower until the church was rebuilt in 1852. The inscription on the first was misread by the Rev. William Cary, formerly Incumbent of Bolton Abbey, into "J.N. God us ayde," the motto of the Nortons of Rylstone. Dr. Cary communicated this to the poet Wordsworth, and it is referred to by him in "The White Doe of Rylstone," Canto vii :- "When the bells of Rylstone played Their Sabbath music 'God us ayde,' That was the sound they seemed to speak, Inscriptive legend which, I ween, May on those holy bells be seen." Wordsworth adds a note (Edition 1837, vol. iv, p. 113) :-"On one of the bells of Rylstone Church, which seems coeval with the building of the tower, is the cypher, 'J. N.,' for John Norton, and the motto, 'God us ayde.'" Dr. Fowler first exposed the error in Notes and Queries (zllth November, 1868), and a reproduction of a rubbing, taken by Dr. Fowler from the actual inscription, afterwards appeared in the Reliquary (vol. x, Plate 7). (See Plate xvi.) It will be noticed that the shield or trade mark (3•) occurs also at Crofton, near Wakefield, with a similar inscription, and at Kellington (with a cross in chief) with quite a different one, but no two of these three instances have the same lettering. (b) Deanery of Craven (South). BINGLEY (All Saints). Eight bells. I. MEARS & STAINBANK FOUNDERS LONDON (lower) THIS AND THE TENOR BELL ADDED AND THE PEAL REHUNG AT THE COST OF WALTER DUNLOP ESQRE 1874 28~ in. dia. (Weight, 4 cwt. 3 qrs. 19 lbs.) 196 THE YORKSHIRE ARCHMOLOGICAL JOURNAL. 2. THOMAS MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1828 29 in. dia. (Weight, 5 cwt. 2 qrs. 8 lhs.) 3· I F YOU HAYE A JUDICIOUS EAR YOU LL OWN MY VOICE IS SWEET AND CLEAR 30§ in. <lia. (Weight, 6 cwt. o qrs. 22 lb.) 4· AT PROPER TIMES OUR VO ICES WE WILL RAISE IN SOUNDING TO OUR BENEFACTORS PRAISE 32 in . dia. (Weight, 6 cwt. 3 qrs. 8 lbs.) 5· SUCH WONDROUS POWER TO MUSICS GIVEN IT ELEVATES THE SOUL TO HEAVEN 34 in. dia. (Weight, 8 cwt. l qr. 5 lb s.) 6. YOU RINGERS ALL THAT PRIZE YOUR HEALTH AND HAPPINESS BE SOBER MERRY WISE & YOU LL THE SAME POSSESS 37! in. dia. (Weight, 9 cwt. o qrs. 22 lbs.) Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 6 have also on a lower line- PACK & CHAPMAN OF LONDON FECIT 1773 7. THOMAS MEARS OF LONDON. FECIT 1828 REV0 R ICH 0 HARTLEY D.D. VICAR (lower) CHURCH WARDENS 42 in. dia. (Weight, 12 cwt. l qr. 19 lbs.) Tenor. MEARS & STAINBANK FOUNDERS LONDON 1873 (lower) RING OUT THE DARKNESS OF THE LAND RING IN THE CHRIST THAT IS TO BE 45 in. dia. (Weight, 15 cwt. 3 qrs. 24 lbs.) The tenor of Pack & Chapman's ring weighed 11 ~ cwt., and had- THIS PEAL WAS RAISED IN I 77 3 JOHNSON ATKINSON BUSFIELD ESQR WAS THE PRINCIPAL BENEFACTOR In 1828 this bell was cracked. Up to 1824 a bell was rung on weekdays at eight p.m., and after long discontinuance the custom has been revived in recent years. The ·Pancake Bell is still rung here. BELLS IN THE WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE. 197 KEIGHLEY (St. Andrew). Six bells. These are by Messrs. Lester, Pack & Chapman, circa 176 r-81. The tenor weighs I4 cwt. Up to about 1850 a bell was rung every weeknight at eight o'clock. KILDWICK (St. Andrew). Six bells. I. REV. M'· DEHANE VICAR 2. ROBERT SPENCER JOHN BOOTH WILLIAM LEE FRANCIS STIRK CHURCHWARDENS 3· JOHN WATSON 4. WILLIAM COCKSHOTT 5· SAMUEL SLACK 6. PETER SMITH (Weight, 10 cwt.) On each, in addition:- PACK & CHAPMAN OF LONDON FECERUNT I]8o Churchwardens' Accounts :- £ s. d. 1746. September r. To Thos. \Vitherop, the Sexton, for his half-year's wages for looking to the clock and bells, and ringing night and morn 0 IO 0 (Gray's Airedale, p.