Burpham, St Mary the Virgin
Bell |
Weight |
Diameter |
Nominal |
Note |
Founder |
Cast |
Canon |
Hanging |
1 |
6-0-6 cwt |
31.75" |
965 Hz |
B |
John Taylor & Co |
1922 |
Hung Dead |
|
2 |
8-3-13 cwt |
36.06" |
859 Hz |
A |
John Taylor & Co |
1922 |
Hung Dead |
|
3 |
10-1-4 cwt |
38.18" |
811.5 Hz |
G# |
John Taylor & Co |
1922 |
Hung Dead |
|
4 |
15-0-20 cwt |
43.13" |
721 Hz |
F# |
John Taylor & Co |
1922 |
Hung Dead |
|
5 |
21-1-3 cwt |
48.00" |
644 Hz |
E |
John Taylor & Co |
1922 |
Hung Dead |
About the Bells
5 Bells, 21-1-3 in E
Burpham has 5 bells hung in a west facing the tower.
It was built around the 15th century using fine flints and stone chequer, and the ancient putlog holes can be seen up the walls.
A single rope hangs down from the ground floor along with the cords to silence the clock.
This rope is connected to the tenor but not in the way that you'd think.
In the northeast corner of the tower is a very heavy stairwell in proportion.
You first come to the middle chamber. This contains a cased up clock that plays a ting tang chime in bells 1 & 3 and strikes the hour on the tenor.
The bells are operated using a baton clavier, initially designed for 8 bells. The rope from downstairs is connected to the tenor via this and is knotted around the far left baton.
Burpham has 5 bells hung in a west facing the tower.
It was built around the 15th century using fine flints and stone chequer, and the ancient putlog holes can be seen up the walls.
A single rope hangs down from the ground floor along with the cords to silence the clock.
This rope is connected to the tenor but not in the way that you'd think.
In the northeast corner of the tower is a very heavy stairwell in proportion.
You first come to the middle chamber. This contains a cased up clock that plays a ting tang chime in bells 1 & 3 and strikes the hour on the tenor.
The bells are operated using a baton clavier, initially designed for 8 bells. The rope from downstairs is connected to the tenor via this and is knotted around the far left baton.
Continuing up the spiral staircase, you arrive at the belfry. The first bell you see is the treble.
They are fixed to metal joist in two rows: 1&2 at the "front" and 3,4,5 at the "back".
Since the bells are hung on the western side of the tower, the eastern side contains the linkages and rods to control the clappers and clock hammers.
Like the majority of Taylor bells, they are nicely ornamented with a floral ring around the inscription band, and two forms of the Taylor trademark stamp on the waist.
Interestingly, the 4th is the only bell to have writing on the inscription band.
They were cast without canons and all have a very pleasing tone!
Taking a look back in history, the earliest reference to bells comes from a will made by William Hogeson, the vicar on June 16th, 1488.
It reads:
"Also he bequeth to the bellis of Burpham xijd"
The next one doesn't appear till 1521 when it appears they needed restoration:
1521, July 19. “To the reparacion of the Belles, a bussell of barley” Thomas At Lee.
5 years later,
1526, June 3. “To the Bells, and suche Lightes as shalbe occupied at my buryeng iijs iiijd'' Ambrose Sylverlock
and then 12 years later,
1538, July 31. “To the Belles, Torches and other Lightes of the church of Burfam, a bushell of barle” Water Okyngdene.
Before I include the next and final bequest made, please note that the above suggest there were more than one bell in tower.
The next one reads:
1556, Apr. 23. “I bequeth . . . for the bell xd” Edwarde Farnell.
This could suggest two things:
Either they were looking to augment their peal, or they only had one bell and the other had been removed. Looking at the words used, I'd say they were looking to augment.
By 1724, there were three bells in the tower as stated in the Chichester Diocesan surveys. I have not located any other references to the bells in additional surveys or church presentments.
However, by 1864, Daniel Tyssen shows that they only had a single bell cast by Thomas II Mears in 1834. There is a no record on how large it is or how much it weighed. It was inscribed:
T . MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1834
presumably around the inscription band. It obviously had a canon of the conventional type, and was likely strapped to a wooden headstock.
The greatest change happened in 1922 when a large sum of money was given by Sophia Rose Blanche Dawtrey Drewhitt in a bequest. According to a google search, she passed away in 1914.
A village meeting was held and only one person objected towards the idea of hanging bells, threatening to sue the church.
In the end, the decision was made to install 5 bells.
Taylors of Loughborough provided the bells and each one has a dedication to Sophia's family.
The treble bears the names of her sisters.
Cecil F Tyrwhitt (who became Cecil Ffarington after marrying William in June 1855 at West Ashford) was christened on June 9th 1828. She passed away in March 1892 in Croydon.
Next we have Margaret Lousia Eva Tyrwhitt, born 1837 in France. She passed away on September 4th 1921 in Burpham at the age of 84.
Laura was also born in France but 2 years later passed away on January 6th 1915 in Burpham, aged 76.
Like the 2nd, the treble is fixed to the headstock by looped pieces of metal, possibly to help with hanging bells of different sizes from steel beams. It could also contribute to its tone as important frequencies are produced from the crown.
The second is dedicated to Sophia's brothers, Reginald and Montague Dymoke Tyrwhitt.
They were both born in Worcestershire, though Reginald was christened a year before his brother.
Montague died in Croydon 1895, outliving Reginald by 44 years.
His brother passed away in 1851 unmarried.
The 3rd is dedicated to Anne and James Tyrwhitt, Sophia's parents.
Revd James was born in Gibraltar 1806 and lived until he was 66. He passed away in Burpham. Anne was born 3 years earlier and married James on January 25th, 1827 in Surrey. Her father was James Barrett, born in Hertfordshire.
The remaining 2 bells are dedicated to Sophia and her husband.
The 4th bears Robert Drewitt's name who was born April 14th, 1809 in Lavington. Prior to Sophia, he married Frances Elizabeth Lane in 1847 which lasted 15 years. He then married Sophia in 1862. He passed away aged 82 in Woolavington to which his wife outlived him.
This bell also has a small casting flaw above the soundbow.
They are fixed to metal joist in two rows: 1&2 at the "front" and 3,4,5 at the "back".
Since the bells are hung on the western side of the tower, the eastern side contains the linkages and rods to control the clappers and clock hammers.
Like the majority of Taylor bells, they are nicely ornamented with a floral ring around the inscription band, and two forms of the Taylor trademark stamp on the waist.
Interestingly, the 4th is the only bell to have writing on the inscription band.
They were cast without canons and all have a very pleasing tone!
Taking a look back in history, the earliest reference to bells comes from a will made by William Hogeson, the vicar on June 16th, 1488.
It reads:
"Also he bequeth to the bellis of Burpham xijd"
The next one doesn't appear till 1521 when it appears they needed restoration:
1521, July 19. “To the reparacion of the Belles, a bussell of barley” Thomas At Lee.
5 years later,
1526, June 3. “To the Bells, and suche Lightes as shalbe occupied at my buryeng iijs iiijd'' Ambrose Sylverlock
and then 12 years later,
1538, July 31. “To the Belles, Torches and other Lightes of the church of Burfam, a bushell of barle” Water Okyngdene.
Before I include the next and final bequest made, please note that the above suggest there were more than one bell in tower.
The next one reads:
1556, Apr. 23. “I bequeth . . . for the bell xd” Edwarde Farnell.
This could suggest two things:
Either they were looking to augment their peal, or they only had one bell and the other had been removed. Looking at the words used, I'd say they were looking to augment.
By 1724, there were three bells in the tower as stated in the Chichester Diocesan surveys. I have not located any other references to the bells in additional surveys or church presentments.
However, by 1864, Daniel Tyssen shows that they only had a single bell cast by Thomas II Mears in 1834. There is a no record on how large it is or how much it weighed. It was inscribed:
T . MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1834
presumably around the inscription band. It obviously had a canon of the conventional type, and was likely strapped to a wooden headstock.
The greatest change happened in 1922 when a large sum of money was given by Sophia Rose Blanche Dawtrey Drewhitt in a bequest. According to a google search, she passed away in 1914.
A village meeting was held and only one person objected towards the idea of hanging bells, threatening to sue the church.
In the end, the decision was made to install 5 bells.
Taylors of Loughborough provided the bells and each one has a dedication to Sophia's family.
The treble bears the names of her sisters.
Cecil F Tyrwhitt (who became Cecil Ffarington after marrying William in June 1855 at West Ashford) was christened on June 9th 1828. She passed away in March 1892 in Croydon.
Next we have Margaret Lousia Eva Tyrwhitt, born 1837 in France. She passed away on September 4th 1921 in Burpham at the age of 84.
Laura was also born in France but 2 years later passed away on January 6th 1915 in Burpham, aged 76.
Like the 2nd, the treble is fixed to the headstock by looped pieces of metal, possibly to help with hanging bells of different sizes from steel beams. It could also contribute to its tone as important frequencies are produced from the crown.
The second is dedicated to Sophia's brothers, Reginald and Montague Dymoke Tyrwhitt.
They were both born in Worcestershire, though Reginald was christened a year before his brother.
Montague died in Croydon 1895, outliving Reginald by 44 years.
His brother passed away in 1851 unmarried.
The 3rd is dedicated to Anne and James Tyrwhitt, Sophia's parents.
Revd James was born in Gibraltar 1806 and lived until he was 66. He passed away in Burpham. Anne was born 3 years earlier and married James on January 25th, 1827 in Surrey. Her father was James Barrett, born in Hertfordshire.
The remaining 2 bells are dedicated to Sophia and her husband.
The 4th bears Robert Drewitt's name who was born April 14th, 1809 in Lavington. Prior to Sophia, he married Frances Elizabeth Lane in 1847 which lasted 15 years. He then married Sophia in 1862. He passed away aged 82 in Woolavington to which his wife outlived him.
This bell also has a small casting flaw above the soundbow.
This leaves the tenor which is dedicated to the Sophia herself. She passed away in 1914 around 84 years of age, leaving a great deal of money to Burpham Church.
William Wooding Starmer's name is also inscribed around the soundbow.
He was noted as a bell expert, organist and choirmaster. and had a great connection to Taylors. He did not see Gilletts as their equal after writting, "Why would I ever work for a clock makers to hang bells!"
On December 20th, 1901 a lecture he gave on the mechanical and technical aspects of bells, along with experiments he had performed, was reported in the local paper.
In 1924 he became Professor of Campanology at the University of Birmingham, “the only professorship of campanology at any University in the world” reported the Courier newspaper. He was not only an authority on change-ringing and carillon playing, but also a mechanical expert, and his knowledge of founding and tuning of bells was well-known at foundries in Britain and Europe – he would often superintend the casting and tuning of bells at the foundries.
In 1926, after 38 years at St Mark’s, William Wooding STARMER resigned. We don’t know why, other than that he was offered a job in East Grinstead by the new vicar there. 102
His name can also be seen inscribed on the bells at East Grinstead, St Mary - both the chiming bell and sanctus.
William Wooding Starmer's name is also inscribed around the soundbow.
He was noted as a bell expert, organist and choirmaster. and had a great connection to Taylors. He did not see Gilletts as their equal after writting, "Why would I ever work for a clock makers to hang bells!"
On December 20th, 1901 a lecture he gave on the mechanical and technical aspects of bells, along with experiments he had performed, was reported in the local paper.
In 1924 he became Professor of Campanology at the University of Birmingham, “the only professorship of campanology at any University in the world” reported the Courier newspaper. He was not only an authority on change-ringing and carillon playing, but also a mechanical expert, and his knowledge of founding and tuning of bells was well-known at foundries in Britain and Europe – he would often superintend the casting and tuning of bells at the foundries.
In 1926, after 38 years at St Mark’s, William Wooding STARMER resigned. We don’t know why, other than that he was offered a job in East Grinstead by the new vicar there. 102
His name can also be seen inscribed on the bells at East Grinstead, St Mary - both the chiming bell and sanctus.
William Wooding Starmer
The bells are tuned to a diatonic scale in E and have quickly become a very special chime of bells for me.
Bell 4 has TO THE GLORY OF GOD inscribed around the inscription band, interrupting the ornamental ring.
They are all very well cast and are in great condition. The clappers have rusted a bit and the clock hammer for the 3rd sits slightly too close to the bell.
I do not envy my successor who inspects these as they're packed in quite tight.
Taking a look inside the soundbow, we can see that Taylor tuned away a fair bit of metal from the crown, forming a small pocket on each bell.
All in all, these bells were great to inspect and even more so to listen to!
An impression was taken of the floral ornament on the tenor which I subsequently cast.
Visited: 31/03/2023 With great thanks to Mr T. Cooper!
Bell 4 has TO THE GLORY OF GOD inscribed around the inscription band, interrupting the ornamental ring.
They are all very well cast and are in great condition. The clappers have rusted a bit and the clock hammer for the 3rd sits slightly too close to the bell.
I do not envy my successor who inspects these as they're packed in quite tight.
Taking a look inside the soundbow, we can see that Taylor tuned away a fair bit of metal from the crown, forming a small pocket on each bell.
All in all, these bells were great to inspect and even more so to listen to!
An impression was taken of the floral ornament on the tenor which I subsequently cast.
Visited: 31/03/2023 With great thanks to Mr T. Cooper!
Recordings of the bells:
How the bells are tuned in relation to their nominal, using Simpson's theory.
Key [measured in cents]:
-99 ~ -90 -89 ~ -80 -79 ~ -70 -69 ~ -60 -59 ~ -50 -49 ~ -40 -39 ~ -30 -29 ~ -20 -19 ~ -10 -9 ~ -0
0 ~ 9 10 ~ 19 20 ~ 29 30 ~ 39 40 ~ 49 50 ~ 59 60 ~ 69 70 ~ 79 80 ~ 89 90 ~ 99+
-99 ~ -90 -89 ~ -80 -79 ~ -70 -69 ~ -60 -59 ~ -50 -49 ~ -40 -39 ~ -30 -29 ~ -20 -19 ~ -10 -9 ~ -0
0 ~ 9 10 ~ 19 20 ~ 29 30 ~ 39 40 ~ 49 50 ~ 59 60 ~ 69 70 ~ 79 80 ~ 89 90 ~ 99+
Bell 1
Hum - 241.5Hz - B-38
Prime - 480Hz - B-48
Tierce - 575Hz - D-36 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 725Hz - F# -34
Nominal - 965Hz - B-39
Prime - 480Hz - B-48
Tierce - 575Hz - D-36 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 725Hz - F# -34
Nominal - 965Hz - B-39
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Bell 2
Hum - 215.5Hz - A-35
Prime - 427.5Hz - A-49
Tierce - 512.5Hz - C-35 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 647.5Hz - E-30
Nominal - 859Hz - A-41
Prime - 427.5Hz - A-49
Tierce - 512.5Hz - C-35 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 647.5Hz - E-30
Nominal - 859Hz - A-41
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Bell 3
Hum - 202.5Hz - Ab-42
Prime - 406.5Hz - Ab-36
Tierce - 487Hz - B-23 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 595Hz - D+22
Nominal - 811.5Hz - Ab-39
Prime - 406.5Hz - Ab-36
Tierce - 487Hz - B-23 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 595Hz - D+22
Nominal - 811.5Hz - Ab-39
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Bell 4
Hum - 181.5Hz - F# -32
Prime - 361.5Hz - F# -39
Tierce - 431Hz - A-35 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 542Hz - C# -38
Nominal - 721Hz - F# -44
Prime - 361.5Hz - F# -39
Tierce - 431Hz - A-35 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 542Hz - C# -38
Nominal - 721Hz - F# -44
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Bell 5
Hum - 161.5Hz - E+12
Prime - 323Hz - E+18
Tierce - 380Hz - G+33 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 484Hz - B+14
Nominal - 644Hz - E+18
Prime - 323Hz - E+18
Tierce - 380Hz - G+33 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 484Hz - B+14
Nominal - 644Hz - E+18
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Inscriptions:
*Underlined text is inscriptions within the inscription band*
*Text in blue is on the opposite side of the bell*
*Text in blue is on the opposite side of the bell*
1 |
◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙ 19 ◉ 22 HER SISTERS CECIL FRANCIS FFARINGTON MARGARET LOUSIA EVA TYRWHITT LAURA CELESTINE TYRWHITT |
2 |
◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙ 19 ◉ 22 HER BROTHERS REGINALD DYMOKE TYRWHITT MONTAGUE DYMOKE TYRWHITT |
3 |
◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙ 19 Ⓣ 22 HER FATHER AND MOTHER JAMES BRADSHAW TYRWHITT ANNE FRANCIS TYRWHITT |
4 |
◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙ TO THE GLORY OF GOD ◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙ 19 Ⓣ 22 AND IN LOVING MEMORY OF HER HUSBAND ROBERT DAWTREY DREWITT |
5 |
◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙ 19 Ⓣ 22 THESE BELLS WERE ERECTED A.D. 1922 BY THE BEQUEST OF SOPHIA ROSE BLANCHE DAWTREY DREWHITT GVLIEMO W. STARMER ⚛ CAMPANIS PERITO |
Latin Translations:
5: GVLIELMO W. STARMER CAMPANIS PERITO - William W. Starmer, Bells expert
5: GVLIELMO W. STARMER CAMPANIS PERITO - William W. Starmer, Bells expert
◉ = Fig. LVIII,c
Ⓣ = Fig. LIX,b
⚛ = Fig. LX,e
◙ = Fig. LXIII,b
Ⓣ = Fig. LIX,b
⚛ = Fig. LX,e
◙ = Fig. LXIII,b
Photographs:
*Click on the images to enlarge them*
Sources:
100 - https://www.sussexrecordsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/Digital_editions/SRS-Vol-41.pdf
101 - http://www.townsley.info/Strangeway/GedSite/g2/p1981.htm
102 - https://belgiansrtw.wordpress.com/2020/09/28/the-great-campanologist-of-tunbridge-wells/
100 - https://www.sussexrecordsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/Digital_editions/SRS-Vol-41.pdf
101 - http://www.townsley.info/Strangeway/GedSite/g2/p1981.htm
102 - https://belgiansrtw.wordpress.com/2020/09/28/the-great-campanologist-of-tunbridge-wells/
