c 1300

Construction of tower

Pevsner

1552

'iiij belles one sance bell'

T&W 

1652

Dr Langston, Rector, provided bell ropes for the four bells

WRO

1695

Churchwardens had the four bells recast into five. Richard Watkins, Rector, in dispute with the Churchwardens over provision of bell ropes.

WRO

1750

'5 bells'

T&W

1801

"At Whichford there is a pretty ring of bells, which rang immediately we came out of church."

T&W (Diary of Thomas Archer of Merton College, Oxford.)

1839

Revd E B Piniger was appointed Rector

T&W

20 June 1879

Revd Henry Timothy Tilley recorded the bells during his survey of Warwickshire bells

T&W (1892 paper read to the Birmingham and Midland Institute)

The band and ringers used to go round the village with handbells on New Year's Eve, to all the farms and big houses. They were given mince pies and a drink of cider, and money which was divided between the band. Rob's father would not let him go because they got drunk. If the cider was not good it was tipped into the 'Serpent' when the hosts weren't looking, and poured away outside when they left. On one New Year's Eve Harry Harwood, doubtless well lubricated, climbed onto a chair to wind the clock. He fell off and cut his ear nearly off. The Doctor called from Brailes stitched it back on better than before.

RH (Information from Robert Harvey of Whichford, 1999)

1886

Daniel Field (Rob's maternal greatgrandfather) was a ringer and also played the clarinet in the Whichford church band. When the new organ was installed, costing £170, the church band left in protest and joined the chapel for a while.

1891

Robert Wincott, who had lived at Leasow Farm Whichford, gave the church a new clock to celebrate his 96^th birthday. He died later the same year and is buried in the churchyard. The clock and chimes cost £210 and were by Gillett & Co. of Croydon. For Westminster chimes it was necessary to add a new treble bell. This cost £21. Arthur Slatter, village carpenter and wheelwright made the frame for it, £7.

RH

1892

The idea of rehanging was first discussed. Harry Harwood later recounted to Rob Harvey that the new treble was never satisfactory. He also said that at that time only the tenor had a stay. When the bells were rung up the ringers had to hold them on the balance to stand, and sometimes they tied the ropes around the very substantial fixed wooden ladder.

RH

1896

Revd Copplestone, Vicar of Whichford, persuaded Richard Badger, Wine Merchant (benefactor of the Ellen Badger Hospital in Shipston) to donate money for the rehang. He gave £300. Although Richard Badger then lived in Shipston, Rob believes that he was probably born in Whichford.

1896

St Michael's Church Whichford. Belfry Rules : agreed on by the Rector, Churchwardens and Ringers November 17, 1896

• Harry Harwood, a Whichford farmworker, who had moved away to Bourton-on-the-Hill but came back in 1897 and took over as Sexton. (By the 1920s Rob remembers that this job was paid £10pa, for which the Sexton also managed the churchyard and lit the lamps and his wife cleaned the church.)
• William Harvey, born either 18^th or 19^th Feb 1881 during the great snowstorm, Rob's Uncle. Will worked for his father but later moved to Birmingham to J C Brindley, wholesale fish merchant.
• Fred Alder, farm worker born about 1880
• M Boiles had been interim Sexton but resigned 3 Nov 1897 when Harry Harwood came back.
• Will Coggins; Rob remembers him in the 1930s as not then a regular ringer but came if needed; smallholder, became a Church Warden.
• Edmund Moss, farm worker, born in Whichford.
• George Wooldridge, farm worker
• Thomas Castle, farm worker
• George Moss, who died in 1914-18 War.
• William Henry (called Jack) Harwood, who followed his father as Sexton until resigning in 1945.

(Around this time a farm worker's wage was 10/- a week, ie £26 a year, with cottage.)

1904

The story goes that when young Edgar Field (Rob's mother's brother, born 4/7/1903) heard the Whichford bells ringing for his uncle Jack Harvey's wedding about Easter 1904 (the last time they were rung before the rehang), he spoke his first word - not 'Mamma' but 'Bells'.

RH

1904

Taylors of Loughborough carried out the rehang. Rob's maternal Grandfather, Fred Field, was village haulier and used his team of horses to bring the frame (which including the 15cwt dray weighed in at nearly 4 tons) from Hook Norton Station.

The Dedication of the new 6 bells was on 13^th December 1904.

RH

September 1908

H B Walters visited Whichford and recorded the new bells (for publication of Church Bells of Warwickshire 1910)

T&W

1 4-1-1 O sing unto the Lord a new song S

273 in Below, vine border all round, Taylor's trade-mark and S 1904 S

2 5-0-1 John Taylor & Co S Founders Loughborough S 1904 S

3 5-3-20 Praise God in His sanctuary \ \

311 in Below, vine border all round, Taylor's trade-mark and S 1904 S

31H in

41H in Below, vine border all round, Taylor's trade-mark and S 1904 S

On soundbow:- THOMAS HARRASS ROB WALKER IO TAPLIN C W

19^th February

First recorded peal on the bells 19/02/1910 Doubles (4 methods) C.W. on sheet. Note: not sure of day either 9th or 19th

CF

 1910

8^th August

Second recorded peal on the bells 08/09/1910 Grandsire Doubles Or was this the same peal as above?

 CF

1923-4

 Bonds restored the bells of neighbouring Long Compton and several men learned to ring there then, including Stan Franklin and Edgar Field (Rob's Uncle).

9^th June

3 09/06/1924 Grandsire Doubles

CF

1929

 The bells were normally only chimed for services. Full circle ringing was practised only from 5^th November until Twelfth Night. Service bells were normally chiming but the bells were rung full circle for weddings and for festivals - Christmas, Easter, St Thomas' Day (charity handing-out) and other special occasions such as death of the Monarch, Coronations etc. Harry Harwood would chime three bells, 3 and 5 with his hands and 4 with his foot. Ed Timms, who was blind, chimed the 6^th. The local boys were allowed to chime 1 and 2. Rob says it was a 'free-for-all'. He and Billy Hawtin usually got 1 and 2. Rob reckons it is his 'chimers ear' developed then which produced his ability now to do well in striking competitions. Rob, age 11 in 1929, was a choirboy. He could not ring the 5 minute bell because of getting robed up but after the morning service several of them would rush out and round to the ringing chamber to do the Pudding Bell (to warn the servants that church was out and dinner was needed soon). The Pudding Bell was the treble: this they used to ring up, set it and ring it down, watched by Harry Harwood. For Evensong (which the servants mainly attended) the bells sounded for half an hour. First the Sermon Bell (5^th) for ten minutes, then all the bells were chimed for 15 minutes, and finally the Last Bell (2^nd) for five minutes.

c 1930

 These are the ringers Rob remembers from then:

Alan Moss

3^rd August

Fourth recorded peal on the bells 03/08/1931 Grandsire Doubles

CF

1931

 Sid Harwood died in a shooting accident in December 1931 On Bonfire Night 1932 (when the 'ringing practice season' began) Rob heard that there were only five bells going. He and his friend Billy Hawtin ran up to the tower door and Rob got his hand on the doorhandle ring first but lacked the courage to go in. Billy pushed him in. Harry Harwood said "Ring that bell up" and Rob rang it up, rang called changes and at the end of the evening , rang down in peal. Next day Jim Hardiman said to Rob's Uncle Jack "Never saw anything like it; the lad rang down in perfect peal". But they never said this to Rob.

1932

Horace Terry from Ilmington came with a band to ring for the Church Fete. This was when Rob first saw method ringing. He was most impressed. Horace Terry offered to teach the Whichford band to ring method. On a vote, Charlie and Alan Moss were in favour of accepting this offer but Harry Harwood, Jim Hardiman and Frank Harwood were against. Rob was only a boy so his vote did not count and the offer was rejected.

Revd Ward, vicar of Whichford, was a Christchurch, Oxford man and apparently a method ringer. He said to the young Rob, I'd like you to go somewhere where you can learn method ringing. Hook Norton practised on Saturday nights and Alf Borsberry, the blacksmith, was head ringer there. Rob used to go up there but only rang treble or tenor. A peal board in Hook Norton Tower records the first peal by the local band with Alf Borsberry as conductor (check details)

1935

 Bells were rung for King George V's Silver Jubilee.

1936

 On hearing that King George V had died, Rob Harvey's father sent a telegram to Taylors of Loughborough for a set of muffles (they had always used old bits of blankets before). The muffles arrived at Hook Norton Railway Station at 2pm the next day and were collected from there by horse and trap, and used for ringing until the funeral.

1937

 Bells were rung for the Coronation of King George VI.

1945

 Gerald Harvey (Rob's second cousin) took over as Sexton. He was taught to ring by young Ivor Harris (Christine's father), who cycled down every Thursday evening from Chipping Norton. They could manage a plain course of Grandsire Doubles. Three went off to do their National Service and there were too few left to ring.

1951

 Bells were rung on the death of King George VI.

1952

 Bells were rung for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

5^th August

Fifth recorded peal on the bells 05/08/1972 Minor (7 methods)

CF

18^th August

Sixth recorded peal on the bells 18/08/1973 Minor (2 methods)

CF

7^th February

Seventh recorded peal on the bells 07/02/1976 Minor (7 methods)

 CF

1992

 Robert Harvey (Rob) took over as Tower Captain at Whichford. Rob and Joan Johns were regular visitors to the Monday night practices at Shipston-on-Stour. They also joined the Four Shires Guild and soon began to progress with Grandsire and Stedman Doubles. Rob rang his first Quarter on an inside bell, on the same bell (2) and 60^th anniversary of his first proper ringing with the band (1932) Grandsire Doubles.

1994

 On 13^th December, to mark the 90^th anniversary of the rehanging of th bells (1904) Rob invited Jed Flatters from Taylors of Loughborough to ring in a Quarter Peal. Jed saw the lay-out of the bells and said straight away that it looked as if an 8 had been intended. On his return to Loughborough he looked in Taylors 1904 Job Book and saw that it was perfectly clear from the frame drawings that the work had originally been designed for 8 bells, written out complete with all frequencies, weights and diameters.

 Ernest Jones was Churchwarden. He and Rob decided informally to give one treble bell each to make up the octave. Most sadly however, Ernest dropped down dead while chairing a PCC Meeting shortly afterwards, before their plans could develop any further and that seemed to be the end of the dream of augmentation.

 Rob arranged for the frame (a solid iron H frame) to be rubbed down and repainted. The work was done by Sid Newport, a local builder, whose father and grandfather had been sexton at Whichford. Painted in red oxide paint, it looks very smart.

1996

 Harry Windsor, of the Coventry Diocesan Guild brought to Rob's attention the Millennium Bells scheme. A condition of the 50% grant was that the other 50% should already have been raised or promised locally, and nearly all the grants had already been taken up nationally. Rob immediately promised to guarantee half the local money and Tony Edwards the other Churchwarden did likewise. Thus the application could go ahead immediately, into one of the last few available slots in the Millennium Bells list and swift action saved £2500 in VAT.

1997

 Rob went round visiting in the village one Saturday morning and came back with signed promises for £2500. One lady who lived at the end of the churchyard had once complained "How much longer are these bells going on for, we cannot hear ourselves speak". To which Rob's answer had been, "If you bought a house next to a railway line you would expect to hear trains". Six months later the lady's daughter was to be married and she asked for the bells to be rung. Rob had replied, "yes, if you are sure it will not disturb anyone". He met this lady on his Saturday fund-raising visiting and she asked how the appeal was going. Then she said "I'll give you £1000". Rob was on her doorstep with a form ready for her to sign the very next day!

1998

  The two new bells were cast at Taylors of Loughborough on June 18th, watched by many Whichford ringers and friends. The 19^th June was Rob's 80^th birthday and this date was put on the bells)

2. THE PARISH GAVE ME 19-6-1998 (Millennium Stamp) weight, size

The new trebles were dedicated by Revd Russan Thomas on the 13^th December

 Joan Johns has been very busy teaching several more new ringers on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and they are making excellent progress. The village of Whichford (pop. 300) has a team of its own capable of striking all eight well and four of them are ringing touches of Grandsire triples.

Sue