Repton and its neighbourhood

Chapter VI Repton’s Merry Bells

“Barrow’s big boulders, Repton’s merry bells,
Foremark’s cracked pancheons, and Newton’s egg shells.”

Thus does a local poet compare Repton bells with those of neighbouring parishes. It is not intended to defend the comparison, for as Dogberry says, “Comparisons are odorous”! but to write an account of the bells, derived from all sources, ancient and modern.

Llewellynn Jewitt, in Vol. XIII. of the Reliquary, describing the bells of Repton, writes, “at the church in the time of Edward VI. there were iij great bells & ij small.” Unfortunately “the Churchwardens’ and Constables’ accounts of the Parish of Repton” only extend from the year 1582 to 1635. I have copied out most of the references to our bells entered in them, which will, I hope, be interesting to my readers.

Extracts from “the Churchwardens’ and Constables’ accounts of the Parish of Repton.”

A.D. 1583.	The levy for the bell	vjˡⁱ	ixˢ	0
	It’ spent at takying downe the bell			xvjᵈ
	It’ payd to the Bellfounder		xxxiijˢ	iijᵈ
	It’ bestowed on the s’vants at casting of ye bell			xvjᵈ
	It’ expensys drawing up the bell			vijᵈ
	It’ to the ryngers the xviiᵗʰ day of november			xijᵈ
A.D. 1584.	Recevyd of the levy for the bell	vjˡⁱ	xˢ	vijᵈ
	It’ of Bretby towards the bell		vjˢ	viijᵈ
	It’ spent at taking downe ye bell			viijᵈ
	It’ bestowed on the bell founder			ijᵈ
	It’ Payd to Bellfounder for weight, i.e., iiij score & ij pounds	iijˡⁱ	xiˢ	viijᵈ
A.D. 1585.	It’ for a bell rope for the great bell		ijˢ
	It’ to John Pratt for makinge iiij newe bellropes		vˢ
	It’ the day before Saynt Hew’s day for mendyng the bels, & for nayles			viijᵈ
A.D. 1586.	It’ of our ladie’s even, given to the ringers for the preservation of our Queene			xijᵈ
	Our ladie’s even, eve of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (March 25th).
	Preservation of our Queene Elizabeth from the Babington Conspiracy.
A.D. 1587.	It’ given unto the ringers uppon coronation daye			iijᵈ
A.D. 1589.	It’ for a bell rope		ijˢ	viijᵈ
A.D. 1590.	It’ payde to francis Eaton for mendynge the irons aboutt the bells		ijˢ	iijᵈ
A.D. 1592.	It’ payde to Ralphe Weanwryghte for trussynge the bells agyne the Coronacyon daye		iijˢ
A.D. 1600.	It’ spent in takinge downe ye beell			xijᵈ
	It’ payd to John Welsh fordowne takinge hitt donne			vjᵈ
	It’ spent in lodinge hitt			iiijᵈ
	It’ spent in charges going with the beell to Nottingham, being towe days and one night		vjˢ	viijᵈ
	It’ payd to ye bellfounder for castinge ye beell	iiijˡⁱ	xviijˢ
	It’ spent with him			ijᵈ
	It’ payd for yookeinge ye Beell and for greysse		ijˢ	viijᵈ
	It’ spent uppon them that holpe with the beell			xᵈ
A.D. 1603.	It’ given to the ringers uppon New yeares daye morninge			vjᵈ
	It’ given to ye ringers upon St. James daye (July 25th)			xijᵈ
	It’ given to ye ringers the v daye of August			xijᵈ
A.D. 1605.	It’ payd at hanginge up ye greatte bell			vjᵈ
	It’ bestowed of ye Ringers at ye first Ringinge of ye bells			vijᵈ
	It’ payd for greese for ye bells			viijᵈ
A.D. 1607.	It’ given to ye Ringers uppon Christmas daye morning			iiijᵈ
A.D. 1614.	It’ towe bellclappers
A.D. 1615.	The names of them that gave money to bye the newe beell 80 (Repton, 62. Milton, 18.)
	Sum gathered	xijˡⁱ	viijˢ	viijᵈ
A.D. 1623.	First paide for castinge the bell	vˡⁱ
	It’ given to the Ringers at the time of Prince Charlles his comminge forth of spaine. (Oct. 1623).			xijᵈ

Extract from the diary of Mr. George Gilbert.

“A.D. 1772, Oct. 7th. The third bell was cracked, upon ringing at Mr. John Thorpe’s wedding. The bell upon being taken down, weighed 7 cwt. 2 qr. 18lb., clapper, 24lb. It was sold at 10d. per lb., £35. 18s. Re-hung the third bell, Nov. 21st, 1774. Weight 8 cwt. 3 qr. 24lb., at 13d. per lb., £54. 7s. 8d., clapper, 1 r. 22 lb., at 22d., £1. 2s. 10d. £55. 9s 6½d.”

This is all the information I can gather about “Repton’s merry bells” from ancient sources.

For some time our ring of six bells had only been “chimed,” owing to the state of the beams which supported them, it was considered dangerous to “ring” them.

During the month of January, 1896, Messrs. John Taylor and Co., of Loughborough, (descendants of a long line of bell-founders), lowered the bells down, and conveyed them to Loughborough, where they were thoroughly cleansed and examined. Four of them were sound, but two, the 5th and 6th, were found to be cracked, the 6th (the Tenor bell) worse than the 5th. The crack started in both bells from the “crown staple,” from which the “clapper” hangs; it (the staple) is made of iron and cast into the crown of the bell. This has been the cause of many cracked bells. The two metals, bell-metal and iron, not yielding equally, one has to give way, and this is generally the bell metal. The “Canons,” as the projecting pieces of metal forming the handle, and cast with the bell, are called, and by which they are fastened to the “headstocks,” or axle tree, were found to be much worn with age. All the “Canons” have been removed, holes have been drilled through the crown, the staples removed, and new ones have been made which pass through the centre hole, and upwards through a square hole in the headstocks, made of iron, to replace the old wooden ones. New bell-frames of iron, made in the shape of the letter H, fixed into oak beams above and below, support the bells, which are now raised about three feet above the bell chamber floor, and thus they can be examined more easily.

During the restoration of the Church in 1886, the opening of the west arch necessitated the removal of the ringers’ chamber floor, which had been made, at some period or other, between the ground floor and the groined roof, so the ringers had to mount above the groined ceiling when they had to ring or chime the bells. There, owing to want of distance between them and the bells, the labour and inconvenience of ringing was doubled, the want of sufficient leverage was much felt: now the ringers stand on the ground floor, and with new ropes and new “sally-guides” their labour is lessened, and the ringing improved.

When the bells were brought back from Loughboro’ I made careful “rubbings” of the inscriptions, legends, bell-marks, &c., before they were raised and fixed in the belfry. The information thus obtained, together with that in Vol. XIII. of the Reliquary, has enabled me to publish the following details about the bells.

The “rubbings” and “squeezes” for the article in the Reliquary were obtained by W. M. Conway (now Sir Martin Conway) when he was a boy at Repton School.

On the haunch, between three lines, one above, two below, a border: fleurs-de-lis (fig. 7): Bell-mark of Abraham Rudhall, (a famous bell-founder of Gloucester): border (fig. 7).

A catalogue of Rings of Bells cast by A. R. and others, from 1684-1830, is in the Bodleian Library, Oxford: this bell is mentioned as the gift of Francis Thacker.

At the east end of the north aisle of our Church there is a mural monument to his memory.

The 2nd Bell.

On the crown a border of fleurs-de-lis (fig. 9). Round the haunch, between two lines above and below, then below the same border (fig. 9) inverted.

This bell is referred to in the Churchwardens’ accounts under dates 1615 and 1623.

The 3rd Bell.

Round the haunch, between two lines,

Below, a border, semicircles intertwined.

This is the bell referred to in the extract quoted above from George Gilbert’s diary.

The 4th Bell.

Round the haunch, between six lines (3 above and 3 below), a shield: three bells (two and one), with a crown between them (fig. 1), (Bell mark of Richard Brasyer, a celebrated Norwich Bell founder, who died in 1513) a lion’s head on a square (fig. 2): a crown on a square (fig. 3); and a cross (fig. 5).

The 5th Bell.

Round the haunch, between two lines, one above, one below, same marks (except the crown) as No. 4 Bell: a king’s head crowned (fig. 4): and a cross (fig. 6). Below this, round the haunch, a beautiful border composed of a bunch of grapes and a vine leaf (fig. 8), alternately arranged.

Below, the Bell mark of John Taylor and Co. within a double circle, a triangle interlaced with a trefoil, and a bell in the centre. Above the circle the sacred emblem of S. John Baptist, the lamb, cross, and flag. The name of the firm within the circle.

RECAST 1896.

The 6th Bell (the tenor Bell).

Round the haunch, between four lines, two above, and two below,

(no bell marks).

Below, a border like that on the fifth Bell.

RECAST 1896.

G. WOODYATT,	VICAR.
J. ASTLE,	}	CHURCHWARDENS.
T. E. AUDEN,	}

Bell mark of J. Taylor and Co. on the opposite side.

(Owing to the difference of the type of the inscription, and names, it is supposed that this bell was recast in 1677, so it may have been one of the “three great bells” in Edward VI.’s time.)

The following particulars of the bells have been supplied by Messrs. John Taylor & Co.

		Diameter.		Height.		Note.	Weight.
		ft.	in.	ft.	in.		cwt.	qr.	lbs.
No.	I.	2	9½	2	3	C♯	7	3	19
″	II.	2	10¾	2	4½	B	7	2	27
″	III.	3	0½	2	4½	A	8	1	18
″	IV.	3	2	2	6½	G♯	9	2	21
″	V.	3	6	2	10	F♯	12	2	26
″	VI.	3	11	3	1	E	17	3	0

Total 3 tons 4 cwts. 0 qrs. 27 lbs.

Key-note E major.

To complete the octave, two more bells are required, D♯ and E, then indeed Repton will have a “ring” second to none.