The Bells of the City of London
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Love's
Guide to The Bells of the City of London |
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Details of the Bells |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | ||
| ® | 1 | 5-2-8 | 28¼" | F♯ | 1939 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon | Never | |
| ® | 2 | 5-3-26 | 29½" | E | 1939 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon | Never | |
| ® | 3 | 6-2-8 | 31¹⁄₁₆" | D | 1939 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon | Never | |
| ® | 4 | 6-3-18 | 32" | C♯ | 1939 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon | Never | |
| ® | 5 | 7-3-24 | 34" | B | 1739 | Samuel Knight, Southwark | 1939 Gillett & Johnston | |
| ® | 6 | 9-1-8½ | 36⅝" | A | 1939 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon | Never | |
| ® | 7 | 11-1-13 | 39½" | G | 1739 | Robert Catlin, Holborn | 1939 Gillett & Johnston | |
| ® | 8 | 12-0-27 | 41¾" | F♯ | 1773 | Thomas Janaway, Chelsea | 1939 Gillett & Johnston | |
| ® | 9 | 14-1-19 | 45⅜" | E | 1834 | Thomas Mears II | 1939 Gillett & Johnston | |
| ® | 10 | 26-0-26 | 51¹⁵⁄₁₆" | D | 1939 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon | Never |
Bellframes |
| Frame | Bells | Year | Maker | Material | Truss(es) | Local Layout | |||
| 1 | All bells | 1739 | Robert Catlin, Holborn | Timber |
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The 1739 Ring of Eight |
| Bell | Weight | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Treble (of 8) | D | 1739 | Samuel Knight | Never | Recast 1939 by Gillett & Johnston | |||
| 2 (of 8) | C♯ | 1739 | Samuel Knight | Never | Recast 1939 by Gillett & Johnston | |||
| 3 (of 8) | B | 1739 | Samuel Knight | 1939 Gillett & Johnston | Still there | |||
| 4 (of 8) | A | 1739 | Samuel Knight | Never | Recast 1939 by Gillett & Johnston | |||
| 5 (of 8) | G | 1739 | Robert Catlin | 1939 Gillett & Johnston | Still there (part of the SK set despite the inscription) | |||
| 6 (of 8) | F♯ | 1739 | Samuel Knight | Never | Recast 1773 by Thomas Janaway | |||
| 7 (of 8) | E | 1739 | Samuel Knight | Never | Recast 1834 by Thomas Mears II | |||
| Tenor (of 8) | D | 1739 | Samuel Knight | Never | Recast 1761 by Lester & Pack |
Augmentation and recasting in 1761 |
| Bell | Weight | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Treble (of 10) | F♯ | 1761 | Lester & Pack | Never | Recast 1939 by Gillett & Johnston | |||
| 2 (of 10) | E | 1761 | Lester & Pack | Never | Recast 1939 by Gillett & Johnston | |||
| Tenor (of 10) | D | 1761 | Lester & Pack | Never | Recast 1939 by Gillett & Johnston |
History |
| 1516 | In the reign of Edward I, the church was rebuilt. The tower was at the west end and is said to have contained 3 bells. The foundation stone of a new tower was laid, which was also to be a porch. The three bells were augmented to five. One was given by Master Pomfrey, and for the second, gifts of money and metal were collected in the parish. The old metal collected was "by the Commandment of the worshipful of the parish, delivered to Williams Smith, founder, in part payment of the new bell, two brasses and a clapper)." | ||
| 1527 | Record of 5 bells in the Churchwardens' Account giving their weights: 500 lbs, 621 lbs, 906 lbs, 1010 lbs, and 1613 lbs (total 4702 lbs). There was also a saunce bell. | ||
| 1565 | The 2nd (of 5) was recast at the expense of Mr Fisher, the Churchwarden. | ||
| 1592 | A new ring was made by Valentine Trevor, but the bells were "very falsely and deceitfully made" [CW's accounts]. | ||
| 1593 | The bells were replaced by Robert Mot. The Accounts state that the tenor was 2100˝ cwt. | ||
| 1597 | The 4th (of 5) was recast by Robert Mot. Some time in the next decade or so the ring was augmented to six. | ||
| 1670 | Two new bells were cast by Mr Darbie, costing Ł47.10.0. Trollope thinks this would have been John Darbie from Ipswich. He also believes that this represents an augmentation to 8, although in 1714, only 6 bells are noted. | ||
| 1714 | Record of "six large bells" [Paterson]. | ||
| 1739 | A ring of 8 was cast by Samuel Knight just before his death. The job was completed by his foreman and successor, Robert Catlin (the 5th bearing his name). | ||
| 1761 | The tenor was recast and two trebles were added by Lester & Pack. | ||
| 1773 | The 8th (of 10) was recast by Thomas Janaway. | ||
| 1834 | The 9th (of 10) was recast by Thomas Mears. | ||
| 1939 | Six of the bells were recast and rehung in the old frame by Gillett & Johnston. |
