Whichford Bells
We know of several historical occasions when the Whichford church bells have been documented. Here is a list of dates. Follow the highlighted links to discover more details:
1552 The Commissioners for King Edward VI carried out an inventory of church goods. They recorded four bells plus a Sanctus bell at Whichford Church.
1652 Jurisdiction against the Rector of Whichford in 1695 concerning bell ropes refers to there being four bells in 1652
1695 The same account of jurisdiction against the Rector of Whichford refers to the four bells having been recast into five in the year 1695 by William Bagley of Chacombe.
1750 In this year the antiquarian Browne Willis made a list of church dedications and number of their bells. St Michael's Whichford was listed as having five bells.
1801 Thomas Archer of Merton College, Oxford wrote in his Diary "At Whichford there is a pretty ring of bells, which rang immediately we came out of church."
1848 The tenor's inscription shows that it was recast in this year by William Taylor of Oxford
1879 (20 June) Revd Henry Timothy Tilley recorded the bells during his survey of Warwickshire bells for a Paper which he read to the Birmingham and Midland Institute in 1892.
1891 To accommodate the Westminster chimes for the new church clock, an additional (treble) bell was needed, and this was cast by Gillett & Co of Croydon. Whichford therefore had a ring of six.
1904 The new treble was deemed unsatisfactory and so John Taylor & Co Loughborough recast 1,2,3,4 into a new 1,2,3 and a new tenor, giving a heavier ring of six in G. The previous tenor was now no: 5 of the six. A tablet in the church records the full details.
1998 Supported by a Millennium Lottery Grant, Taylors of Loughborough cast two additional trebles, augmenting the bells to the full octave.
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Whichford's new trebles being cast at Taylors of Loughborough |
The Revd Richard Smith, Rector of Whichford, stirs the molton metal. |
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Robert Bracegirdle, Curator of the Bell Foundry Museum tells the Whichford ringers about the castings |
and demonstrates how bells are tuned. |
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This chart follows the 'history' of each of the rings:
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1552 |
1695 |
1848 |
1891 |
1904 |
1998 |
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1 New treble c ast by Taylors of Loughborough G |
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1 New treble c ast by Gillett & Co of Croydon F# |
(metal presumably used for recasting the others) |
2 New second c ast by Taylors of Loughborough F# |
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1 Cast by William Bagley of Chacombe E |
1 4 4 4 4 E |
2 4 4 4 4 E |
1 Recast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough E |
3 4 4 4 4 E |
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1 details unknown |
2 Cast by William Bagley of Chacombe D |
2 4 4 4 4D |
3 4 4 4 4 D |
2 Recast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough D |
4 4 4 4 4 D |
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2 details unknown |
3 Cast by William Bagley of Chacombe C# |
3 4 4 4 4 C# |
4 4 4 4 4 C# |
3 Recast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough C |
5 4 4 4 4 C |
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3 details unknown |
4 Cast by William Bagley of Chacombe B |
4 4 4 4 4 B |
5 4 4 4 4 B |
4 4 4 4 4 B |
6 4 4 4 4 B |
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4 details unknown |
5 Cast by William Bagley of Chacombe A |
5 Recast by William Taylor of Oxford 1848 A |
6 4 4 4 4 4 A |
5 4 4 4 4 4 A |
7 4 4 4 4 4 A |
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6 Cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough G |
8 4 4 4 4 4 G |
This chart gives the details of the present bells (1999)
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BELL |
NOTE |
WEIGHT |
DIAM |
DATE |
FOUNDER |
INSCRIPTION |
DECORATION |
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1 |
G |
3:2:0 |
24.22" (621mm) |
1998 |
Taylors of Loughborough |
ROBERT HARVEY GAVE ME 19.6.1998 (inscibed on waist)Millennium funding logo on face and small Taylor badge on opposite side. |
The rest of the mulley groove is filled with decorative vine leaf border |
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2 |
F# |
3:2:22 |
25.9" (639mm) |
1998 |
Taylors of Loughborough |
THE PARISH GAVE ME 1998 (inscibed on waist)Millennium funding logo on face and small Taylor badge on opposite side. |
The rest of the mulley groove is filled with decorative vine leaf border |
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3 |
E |
4:1:1 |
27.25" |
1904 |
John Taylor & Co Loughborough |
O sing unto the LORD a new song *1904* Taylor's trademark |
Vine border all round below inscription |
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4 |
D |
5:0:1 |
29" |
1904 |
John Taylor & Co Loughborough |
John Taylor & Co * Founders* Loughborough * 1904 * Taylor's trademark, and 'Ye people all who hear us ring be faithful to your GOD and King' |
Vine border all round below inscription |
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5 |
C |
5:3:20 |
31.5" |
1904 |
John Taylor & Co Loughborough |
Praise GOD in His sanctuary **1904* |
Vine border all round below inscription |
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6 |
B |
4:3:26 |
31.75" |
1695 |
William Bagley of Chacombe |
WILLIAM BAGLEY MADE MEE 1695 |
BORDER DECORATION BETWEEN EACH WORD |
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7 |
A |
6:2:26 |
35" |
1848 |
William Taylor of Oxford |
REVD R:B; PINIGER RECTOR. W: TAYLOR FECIT 1848 J:WILKES & R:GIBBS CHURCHWARDENS |
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8 |
G |
12:3:23 |
41.75" |
1904 |
John Taylor & Co Loughborough |
Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity |
Vine border all round below inscription |