ST GILES, Cripplegate |
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DETAILS OF THE BELLS |
Bell Weight Diameter
Note Cast Founder Treble
5-2-7
27" G sharp 1954
Mears & Stainbank
Sharp 2
5-1-22
27¼" F double sharp
2006 Whitechapel 2
5-2-12
28" F
sharp1954 Mears & Stainbank 3
5-3-0
29" E
sharp1954 Mears & Stainbank 4
6-3-4
31" D
sharp1954 Mears & Stainbank 5 7-3-27 33" C sharp 1954 Mears & Stainbank 6 7-3-24 34" B sharp 1954 Mears & Stainbank 7 9-0-2 36" A sharp 1954 Mears & Stainbank 8 11-0-5 39" G sharp 1954 Mears & Stainbank 9 14-2-6 43" F sharp 1954 Mears & Stainbank 10 17-2-18 46" E sharp 1954 Mears & Stainbank 11 24-0-17 51¼" D sharp 1954 Mears & Stainbank Tenor 34-0-6 57¼" C sharp 1953 Mears & Stainbank
INSCRIPTIONS |
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DETAILS OF THE PRE-WAR BELLS |
| Bell | Weight | Diameter |
Note | Cast | Founder |
Treble |
6-0-0 |
28" | A flat | 1792 |
John Briant |
2 |
6-1-14 |
30" | G flat | 1908 | John Warner |
2 before 1908 |
6 cwt approx. |
G flat | 1792 | John Briant | |
3 |
6-0-3 |
30" | F | 1792 | John Briant |
3 before 1792 |
7-1-0 |
30½" | F | 1772 | Pack & Chapman |
4 |
6-3-1 |
31½" | E flat | 1772 | Pack & Chapman |
| 5 | 7-3-13 | 33¼" | D flat | 1772 | Pack & Chapman |
| 6 | 8-2-5 | 35" | C | 1772 | Pack & Chapman |
| 7 | 9-2-21 | 37" | B flat | 1772 | Pack & Chapman |
| 8 | 11-1-21 | 40" | A flat | 1772 | Pack & Chapman |
| 9 | 15-1-10 | 43" | G flat | 1772 | Pack & Chapman |
| 10 | 17-2-3 | 46" | F | 1772 | Pack & Chapman |
| 11 | 24-0-4 | 52" | E flat | 1772 | Pack & Chapman |
| Tenor | 37-1-7 | 58¼" | D flat | 1787 | Warner & Patrick |
| Tenor before 1787 | 36-1-24 | 57¾" | D flat | 1772 | Pack & Chapman |
| 1. | JOHN BRIANT HERTFORD FECIT 1792 |
| THOS
WILLETS & THOS SMITH C:WARDENS. DEPTY WM STAINS ROBT CLARK NICKS BROWNING JOHN NIGHT COM:COUNCIL |
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| 2. | JOHN BRIANT HERTFORD FECIT 1792 |
| THOS
WILLETS & THOS SMITH C:WARDENS. DEPTY WM STAINS ROBT CLARK NICKS BROWNING JOHN NIGHT COM:COUNCIL |
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| 3. | JOHN BRIANT HERTFORD FECIT 1792 |
| THOS
WILLETS & THOS SMITH C:WARDENS. DEPTY WM STAINS ROBT CLARK NICKS BROWNING JOHN NIGHT COM:COUNCIL |
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| 4. | PACK & CHAPMAN OF LONDON FECIT. 1772. (border) |
| 5. | PACK & CHAPMAN OF LONDON FECIT. 1772. (border) |
| 6. | PACK & CHAPMAN OF LONDON FECIT. 1772. |
| YE
PEOPLE ALL WHO HEAR ME RING BE FAITHFUL TO YOUR GOD & KING |
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| 7. | PACK & CHAPMAN OF LONDON FECIT. 1772. |
| WHILST
THUS WE JOIN IN CHEARFUL SOUND. MAY LOVE & LOYALTY ABOUND (border) |
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| 8. | PACK & CHAPMAN OF LONDON FECIT. 1772. (border) + |
| PEACE & GOOD NEIGHBOURHOOD. | |
| 9. | PACK & CHAPMAN OF LONDON FECIT. 1772. (border) Ë |
| TO
HONOUR BOTH OF GOD & KING OUR VOICES SHALL IN CONSORT RING |
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| 10. | PACK & CHAPMAN OF LONDON FECIT. 1772. (border) + |
| IN
WEDLOCK BANDS ALL YE WHO JOIN WITH HANDS YOUR HEARTS UNITE, SO SHALL OUR TUNEFULL TONGUES COMBINE TO LAUD THE NUPTIAL RITE. |
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| 11. | PACK & CHAPMAN OF LONDON FECIT. 1772. (border) + |
| YE
RINGERS ALL THAT PRIZE YOUR HEALTH AND HAPPINESS BE SOBER MERRY WISE AND YOU'LL THE SAME POSSESS. |
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| 12. | |
| JOHN WARNER
CONTRACTOR. 1787. ROBERT PATRICK FOUNDER. WILLIAM
GODFREY BROWNE & RICHARD GOUGE
CHURCHWARDENS. SIR JAMES ESDAILE
KNT ALDERMAN. |
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| The layout of the inscriptions on 1,2,3 and 12 are conjectured. The tenor does appear to have two crown inscription bands. |
HISTORY |
1545 |
12th Sept |
Tower and existing bells destroyed by fire. One record says "at about five of the clock, was Saynt Gyles Church burned, belles and all, without Crepellgate". Another "Sent Gylles's church at Creppylgate burned alle hole save the walles, stepall belles and alle." |
1551 |
7 cwt of bell metal was sold for £11.13.4 to "one Owen Bellfounder". This was probably the remains of the metal after the 1545 fire. |
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1552 |
Record of "Fyve Belles greate and small" (i.e. 5 bells). |
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1572-3 |
Record of 3 bell ropes purchased and tenor clapper repaired. |
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1573-4 |
A new tenor clapper was bought (for 4s). Mention is made of "the great bell clapper twise broken". |
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1575-6 |
Record of money for "lytle bell whele" of 6s.4d. |
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1576-7 |
Record of repairs to the 3rd (of 5) clapper. |
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1577-8 |
Records mention a Saunce bell. |
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1578 |
A new clock and dial were provided. |
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1578-9 |
Record of repairs to the great bell baldrycke and yrons. |
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1579 |
4th and 5th (of 5) recast by Robert Mott. They were given new clappers and new wheels and stocks. |
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1631 |
The church was rebuilt. Alicia, Duchess of Dudley, gave the great bell "and was at the charge of casting and hanging the other five bells". |
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1649 |
Record of 6 bells and a sanctus in the tower. |
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1655 |
Ellis Knight of Reading recast the tenor (which was cracked) for £22.7s.6d. |
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1656 |
Treble and tenor rehung by James Allen for £11.11s. |
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1666 |
Treble and tenor (of 6) recast by Hodson. The church survived the Great Fire of London. |
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1668 |
2 trebles added to make 8 bells, by Hodson. |
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1682 |
The vestry agreed to raise the steeple fifteen feet higher and new cased, a new clock and chimes to be made, and a new frame for the bells, etc. |
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1683 |
The vestry "ordered that the third, sixth and biggest bells be cast and made tuneable to ring in peale to answer the other". (Probably by William Wightman.) |
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1685 |
Tenor (of 8) recast by William Wightman (who was a resident in the parish). |
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1686 |
5th (of 8) recast by William Wightman. |
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1710 |
Record of 10 bells in the tower. |
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1714 |
Paterson noted "eleven fine bells" in the tower. |
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1722 |
Clock built and installed (by Langley Bradley) striking the hours on a clock bell in the turret on top of the tower. |
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1726/7 |
Record of 10 bells in the tower. |
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1742 |
Bells rehung by Robert Catlin. |
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1758 |
The fulcra and wheels were repaired by Joseph Eayre of St Neots for £45.11.0. |
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1772 |
The tenor was cracked and the whole ring of ten was in a sorry state. Therefore they were all recast by Pack & Chapman for £315.11s. A new clock bell was cast, presented by Sir W. Staines. |
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1783 |
Treble recast and the 3rd, 8th and tenor (of 10) tuned by opening and skirting. |
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1787 |
The tenor, which had become cracked, was recast by John Warner of Fleet Street "contractor" in association with Robert Patrick "founder" for £50. |
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1792 |
Treble recast and 2 further trebles added to make 12 bells by John Briant of Hertford. A chime machine was erected by George Harman of High Wycombe (a cooper by trade but a very successful amateur clock and chime maker). The chimes were considered by many to be the best in London and used to play 7 tunes. |
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1816 |
Repairs effected. |
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1849 |
Bells retuned (?) by Mears and several alterations to the chimes were made. |
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1904 |
23rd Oct |
Church reopened |
1908 |
2nd recast and bells rehung in a new steel frame by Warners. |
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1940 |
29th Dec |
Church destroyed during an air raid in World War II although the tower and bells were largely unhurt. (NB there are references in the church and ringing room to an August raid and one the following year, neither of which were as signficant as this one.) |
1954 |
New ring of 12 bells cast by Mears & Stainbank. |
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1998 |
Bells rehung by Hayward Mills Associates, funded by the church and the ASCY. |
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2006 |
Sharp 2nd cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry following an appeal through the ASCY. |
PHOTOGRAPHS |
The remains of some of the bells after the church was bombed in the 1940 air raid.
A view of the area after the bombings. (Photo
Simmons Aerofilms, with permission.)
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 The new sharp 2nd received on Friday 15th Sept 2006. Gwen Rogers (tower secretary) and Rev Katherine Rumens. |
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The sharp 2nd |
