The Church Bells of the City of London

ST MARGARET LOTHBURY
Photo DrL 2nd June 2004
3 bells
Tenor: 8-2-23 in B flat (929Hz)
Frame for 1 & 3 - 19th Cent.
Frame for 2nd - 1682
Rung from a chiming board on the 1st floor.

Never subsequently retuned
Formerly a ring of 4 bells prior to the Great Fire

DETAILS OF THE BELLS

Bell

Weight

Diameter

Note

Cast

 Founder

1

 4-1-17 29" D

1841

 Thomas Mears II

2

 5-1-17 30½" C 1682 James Bartlett

3

 8-2-23 35½" B flat 1749 Thomas Lester
In 1841, the treble was weighed as 4-3-9.
When this was cast, the 2 trebles (of 4) weighing 1-3-17 and 2-0-26, were taken in part exchange.
The tenor has 9-1-22 incised on it, presumably being the weight measured in 1749.

INSCRIPTIONS
 
1. THOMAS MEARS FOUNDER LONDON 1841

2. IAMES   BARTLET   MADE   MEE   1682

Fig44.jpg (1423 bytes)
3. THOS LESTER MADE ME WT 9.J.22 ANTHY HALET & INO MANDEVILLE CH WARDENS J749

(WT 9.J.22 above is incised.)
 

HISTORY

12th Cent.

Original church founded.

1552

Record of 3 bells and a sanctus ("iij belles and the sayntes belle hanginge in the steple")

1571

Record of sexton's wages for ringing the bells evening and morning and candles to ring with.

1583

Record of charges for ringing for weddings, christenings, churchings and burials - mentions fore bell, second bell, third bell and great bell., and dutites of the clerk, including finding baldricks and bearing other charges of the three lesser bells "except the breking of the bells, wheles of frames or clappers" to be borne by the parish.

1590

Tenor (of 4) recast.

1666

Church destroyed in the Great Fire. "… all the bell metle that is left to be kept by Mr. Stonehill until further order."

1686-90

Church rebuilt by Wren with a tower at the west end to a total height of 140 ft.

1682

The present second was cast - possibly 2 bells were cast to occupy the new belfry at this time.

1708

Record of 2 bells.

1749

The present tenor was cast (possibly recast from the 1682 bell).

1824

Record of 2 bells.

1841

9th Apr.

A bell was supplied (to be the treble) by Thomas Mears II with frame and fittings, for which the two trebles were taken in part exchange (13th July).

1894

When the church of St Olave, Old Jewry was pulled down, and the 3 bells and clock from that church were stored in a covered passage at the west end of the church. These bells have since been moved to St Olave, Woodberry Down, Stoke Newington.

19th Cent.

Treble and tenor rehung in a new (rather badly constructed) frame, for full circle ringing. The middle bell remains in its original frame.

1953

Bells quarter turned and rehung dead in their existing pits. The fittings consist of hardwood deadstocks, securing ironwork and Ellacombe chiming apparatus. Each bell has its canons intact and has its cast-in crown staple retained. This work was carried out by Mears & Stainbank.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Photo DrL 25th Jan 2007

The tenor and treble in their 19th Century frame.

Photo DrL 25th Jan 2007

The old 2nd frame at the back.

Photo DrL 25th Jan 2007

The 1682 Bartlett bell.

Photo DrL 25th Jan 2007

The treble bell.

Photo DrL 25th Jan 2007

The ceiling under the bells. The three chiming rooms can be seen as well as three holes where the bells were originally rung full circle from. The purpose of this picture is to show that the bells were originally rung from the corner of the tower in a small triangle rather than distributed around the tower.