The Church Bells of Worcestershire by H. B. Walters File 03: Part III: Alphabetical List, Far Forest to Lye (Pages 118 to 166) 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 119 (Page 118 is blank - Ed) THE CHURCH BELLS OF WORCESTERSHIRE ; THEIR INSCRIPTIONS AND HISTORY, ARRANGED ALPHA­ BETICALLY BY PARISHES. BY H. B. WALTERS, M.A., F.S.A. PART III (FAR FoREST-LYE). FAR FOREST. Holy Trinity. One bell. Church built 1844 ; parish formed from Rock. FECKENHAM. St. John Baptist. Eight bells. l. J. TAYLOR &: 0!! BELLFOUNDERS LOUOHBOROUOH 1866. (27 in. 2. J. TAYLOR &: C!? etc. as last. (27t in. 3. IOSEPH HEMMING AND EDW!? GETLY DID CONTRIVE TO HAVE 8 WHERE WAS (two rows of scrolls) BUT51778 (29 in. 4. Above, Figs. 63, 66. CANTATE (Fig. 64) DOMINO (Fig. 64) CANTICVM (Fig. 64) NOVVM (Fig. 64) 1676 (Fig. 64) (30 in. 5. Above, Fig. 65. HENRY BAGLEE MADE MEE (Fig. 66) 1640 (Fig. 64). (31 in. 6. Above, border Fig. 64. GOD SAVE THE KING (Fig. 58) H (Fleur-de-lys) B (Fig. 64) 1640 (Figs. 64 and 58) (32t in. 7. C,AST AT GLOUCESTER BY T. MEARS. 1841. (35 in. '8. Above, Fig. 64 between two bands of Fig. 63. (Fig. 58) BY MY VOYCE THE PEOPLE MAY KNOW TO COME TO HEARE THE WORD OF GOD (Fig. 58) 1640 (Fig. 64). (41 in. :3rd : By Matthew Bagley II ; large thick letters ; orna­ mented cannons. 120 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th : By Henry Bagley I ; for the inscrip­ tion on the 8th cf. Grandborough, Warwickshire. The 7th bell is interesting, as showing that Mears was still keeping open at Gloucester the Rudhalls' foundry which he had acquired. The lettering is Rudhall's. The old 5th bell (now the 7th) was inscribed, as Prattinton tells us, THOMAS BATESON JOHN HALL & JOSEPH HAWOOD 1740 On the bell frame is incribed JoHN JACQUES JuNR. Church Bell Hanger, GLOUCESTER, July 7th, 1842 The 7th bell is an ugly straight-shouldered one ; the wheel has been repaired. 1 and 2 have angular cannons and an iron ring round the stock. All the stays of the other six are broken, and the whole belfry is very dirty (1901). 1552 : ' iij bells hanginge in the steple . the parisshe doth owe for castyng one of the bells the some of xxxiij s. iiij d.' 1740: ' 5 bells.' V.O.H. Worcs. iii. p. 118. Noake, Rambler in Worcs., ii. 11. 154, quotes the inscription on the 3rd. H.B.W., 1901. At the district church of SS. Matthias and George, Astwood Bank, built in 1884, is one bell. FINSTAL. St. Godewald. In the old church, one bell recast in 1914; in the new, one small bell, presumably also modern. Both are difficult of access. The church is not mentioned by Prattinton, or by Cotton in his History of Bromsgrove, and there are no other records. FLADBURY. St. John Baptist. 6+1 bells. 1. THOMAS MEARS &: SON OF LONDON FECIT 2. The same with date 1807 3. As No. 2. 4. .AI; No. 2. 5. As No. 2. 121 6. THIS PEAL WERE CAST 1807 THE REV?. MARTIN STAFFORD SMITH RECTOR WILLIAM QUARREL dAMES· WAOSTAFF CHURCH WARDENS. THOMAS WESTON CHARLES 0LDAKER WILLIAM BUSHELL INHABITANTS. s. (Fig. 124) Sancta (coin) Katerina (coin) Ora Pro Me Edwardo Gregson (see Fig. 121). The former ring was by Bagley (his list of 1732 gives ' Fladbury 6 ' The presant tenor weighs 13 cwt. Sanctus bell : The date of this bell is somewhat puzzling. Edward Gregson was Rector 1503-1557, and Habingdon states that he 'gave a saint's bell to the chancel.' It cannot therefore be earlier than 1503. But the cross, and so far as it. is possible to judge, the lettering, are those used by John Sturdy of London (1440-1458). It is worth noticing that the sanctus bell is not mentioned in 1552. Can it possibly have been cast between that year and 1557, i.e., in Queen Mary's reign~ The inscription. precludes the possibility of its being a second hand belL 1552 : ' FLADEBURTE iij bells in the stepull '. 1740: '6 Bells.' V.G.H. Worcs. ill. p. 361. H.B.W., 1889:. The Rev. Martin Stafford Smith was born at Hurlcote,. Gloucs. in 1747,; went to B.N.C. and afterwards· corpus Coil.. , , Oxford, and after being two years at Alvechurch became Rector of Fladbury, where he remained from 1792 until his death in 1824, in which year he gave a bell to Holy Trinity Church, Bath. FLYFORD FLAVEL. St. Peter or St. John Baptist. Two bells. l. + 1715 (Fig. 125). 2. (Figs. 104, 126) SCE (Fig. 106 twice) IOHES (Fig. 112) BAPTISTA (Fig. 107) 0 RA PRONOBIS (see Fig. 122). 1st : By Richard Sanders of Bromsgrove, with his larger trade mark (Fig. 125). 2nd: Cast at Worcester about 1480; see under Grimley; stamps as at Droitwich St. Peter (old tenor), but the lettering is different. 1552 : ' In the steple iij bellys j leche bell a saerynge belL' + Santta ~ 'Ratrrina t® Ora Pro ffir eowarbo Grruson Fig. 121. FLA.DBURY Sanctus. ~~sa a ~ lO:U6S ~ BllPoXSoll [I] 0 Ril PROUOBlS Fig. 122. FLYFORD FLAVEL 2nd. ~SIRIHON 11TTI1TON IS ~ 8 Flg. 123. FRA.NKLEY. 123 1740: '5 Bells' (sic.) V.O.H. Worcs. iv. p. 85. Noake, Rambler in Worcs., i. p. 343, mentions a tradition that in 1723 one of the bells, being broken, was given to a. travelling journeyman who professed himself a bell founder, to be recast; he carried it off, but was never heard of again, This of course can only be true if there were more than two bells at that time. H.B.W., 1890. FRANKLEY. St. Leonard. One bell. l. +SIR IHON I.ITTILTON 1584 (see Fig. 123). By an unknown founder; the cross resembles that used by Appowell of Buckingham (Oh. Bells of Warwick, pl. 17,1, p. 46) but the lettering is not his ; note the ~ form of 4, as at Lit. Washbourne. The L in LITTILTON is invuted. Sir John Lyttleton was born in 1516, knighted in 1565, died at Frankley 15 Feb. 1591, and was buried at Halesowen. He married Bridget daughter of Sir John Pakington, and had six sons and four daughters. See Nash, i. p. 493. 1740: '1 Bell'. Parkes (Brit. Mus. Add. MSS. 2ll80} says 'two small bells, one of which is broken' (1810). Prattinton records the same in 1814. One bell was disposed of about 1865 ( V.O.H. Worcs. iii. p. 122). H.B.W., 1900. GRAFTON FLYFORD. St. John Baptist. Five bells. l. GOD SAVE THE KING 1676 IESVS BE OVR GOOD SPEED (Fig. 67). 2. ALL PRAYSE AND GLORY BE TO GOD FOR EVER 1676 (Fig. 67). 3. BEE IT KNOWNE TO ALL THAT DOTH WEE SEE IOHN MARTIN OF WORCESTER HEE MADE WEE 1676 {Fig. 67). 4. WEE WISH IN HEVEN THEER SO'VLS MAY SING THAT GA VST VS SIX HERE FOR TO RING AMELL DOXLY 1676. RICHARD HAYNES C W (Fig. 67). Sancta Fig. 124. FLADBURY Sanctus (detail). Fig. 126. GRIMLEY 6th. Fig. 127. GRIMLEY 6th. Fig. 128. J. GREENE'S TRADE-MARK. Fig. 125. R. SANDERS' TRADE-MARK. 125 5. ALL MEN THAT HERE MY ROARING SOVND REPENT BE FORE YOV LY IN GROVND M ROBERT BAKER 1676. (Fig. 67) IR. Formerly six bells, as indicated on the 4th. The former treble, recast by John Rudhall about 1814, has since been stolen. It may be conjectured that it originally bore John Martin's favourite inscription' Soli Deo gloria pax hominibus.' For the 3rd. cf. Himbleton ; for the 5th, Bosbury, Hereford­ shire. 1552 : 'Yn the Steple iiij bels, a sawnce bell, j lyche bell, a sacryng bell.' Inscriptions given by Prattinton (1814}, but not quite accurately; also by Noake (Rambler in Worcs.), ii. p. 201, who states that there are six bells, but gives the inscriptions on five only, which he numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, 6. The 3rd (or rather 1st) was therefore stolen previously to 1854. V.O.H. Worcs., iv. p. 89. H.T.T., 1877. GRAFTON MANOR. There is a bell hanging in an inaccessible position in a turret on the roof of the old chapel ; also a small blank bell used for domestic purposes. The former may be of some antiquity, even if it is not the ' altar bell ' which Nash (i. p. 158) states to have been made in 1571. GRIMLEY. St. Bartholomew. Six bells. 1. THE GIFT OF R. GRIFFITH ESQ~ THORNQROVE. 1820 -+· 1. R. FEC" (26!in. 2. IOHN RUDHALL GLOUCESTER FECIT 1820 * * * * (30 in. 3. RECAST AT THE EXPENSE OF RICHD GRIFFITH EsQ~ 1820 I. R. FEC! .. (31t in. 4. GOD BE OVR SPEEDE WILLIAM WOGAN I G 1599 (see Fig. 129) (33 in. 5. + IESVS BA OVR SPED 1626 (see Fig. 130) (37 in. GOD BE OVR SPEEDE WILLIAJV\ WOG7\N 1-1 t.-:1 IG I 5' 99 ~ Fig. 129. GRIMLEY 4th. + I E s V s B A 0 V R s p E D 1626 - Fig. 130. GRIMLEY 5th. + ra:- a.tyue~z~e ~ ~ ~ ~ o oo BEIJioa 5E o 5ia sJinana 5ia 6R600RI ffi XfllVS 5tJ oiBI ffi XU ffJ 6liORIJI ~"(\"(\Q ~~' \.\)\\\mo ([ ([ ([ ([ \t ~~'Y '15~m'?o'e. ~m 'Eil~ttt\ <'9\l\tou. -pnote '%y~o\·\\\e Fig. 131. GRIMLEY 6th. 127 6. (Figs. 104, 127) 0 (Fig. 126) BEATE (Fig. 126) 0 (Fig. 126) SANCTE (Fig. 126) GREGORI (Fig. 126) LAVS (Fig. 126) TIBI (Fig. 126) IN (Fig.