Coldwaltham, St Giles
About the Bells
3 Bells, in B (Tuning 1#,2,4 of 4)
Coldwaltham houses three bells hung for full circle in a west facing tower. The tower dates back to the 13th century, however the shingling must have been a later addition.
Elphick lists that the frame the bells are hung in has lip marks on the treble's pit. This can be seen in the photos below. This would suggest that before the uninscribed bell, a bell with a longer waist was present! The frame is from around the year 1261 making it one of the oldest bell frames around Sussex.
The two trebles which are blank were cast by John Langhorne around 1390 and are a tone apart. Being blank, Elphick identified them by their moulding wires and canon design.
The tenor being the odd one out of the 3 was cast later by William III & John II Purdue in 1665. This bell does not form the usual diatonic 3 you would get in most 3s. It isn't far from being just a semitone lower in B.
E-D-B forms the tuning of 1,2,4 of a ring of 5.
The inscription for the tenor is on the inscription band and features a few elegant ornaments.
Although these bells are hung for full circle, they are not equipped with stays or sliders.
The bells are hung in a 3.1 frame layout with H trusses. Unlike most rings where the frame is on the floor, the bells are suspended 8 high. It's a wonder why they were hung this high up. The leather straps used to tie the clappers to the crown staple had to be replaced due to wear in medieval times, so this could point towards their hight.
The ropes fall in a straight line and all the bells face the same way.
A blue curtain divides the ringing room from the main body of the church. Access to the belfry is by a 37-rung vertical ladder which leads to a hinged loft hatch. An old gravestone has been preserved in the belfry.
The sign downstairs references that the bells were overhauled in 1950 by Mears & Stainbank.
A Sketch of the frame by George P Elphick is shown below. He also says "it's one of the most interesting in the country."
Judging by the 4 support beams, it wouldn't seem wise to ring these full circle for a long amount of time.
"3 bells" in 1724.
Not only is the church interesting from the inside but also from the outside! There is an ancient listed yew tree which is one of the 12 oldest trees in the country. It is predicted to be around 3000 years old according to the church guide.
3 bells in reasonable condition in 2022
2 Bequests were made towards the bells:
1543, May 28. "I will to the Bels iiijd" Roger Grayng
1548, Dec. 31. "I will to ye Belles iiijd" Robert A'Stapull
Visited:
.28/05/2022
Coldwaltham houses three bells hung for full circle in a west facing tower. The tower dates back to the 13th century, however the shingling must have been a later addition.
Elphick lists that the frame the bells are hung in has lip marks on the treble's pit. This can be seen in the photos below. This would suggest that before the uninscribed bell, a bell with a longer waist was present! The frame is from around the year 1261 making it one of the oldest bell frames around Sussex.
The two trebles which are blank were cast by John Langhorne around 1390 and are a tone apart. Being blank, Elphick identified them by their moulding wires and canon design.
The tenor being the odd one out of the 3 was cast later by William III & John II Purdue in 1665. This bell does not form the usual diatonic 3 you would get in most 3s. It isn't far from being just a semitone lower in B.
E-D-B forms the tuning of 1,2,4 of a ring of 5.
The inscription for the tenor is on the inscription band and features a few elegant ornaments.
Although these bells are hung for full circle, they are not equipped with stays or sliders.
The bells are hung in a 3.1 frame layout with H trusses. Unlike most rings where the frame is on the floor, the bells are suspended 8 high. It's a wonder why they were hung this high up. The leather straps used to tie the clappers to the crown staple had to be replaced due to wear in medieval times, so this could point towards their hight.
The ropes fall in a straight line and all the bells face the same way.
A blue curtain divides the ringing room from the main body of the church. Access to the belfry is by a 37-rung vertical ladder which leads to a hinged loft hatch. An old gravestone has been preserved in the belfry.
The sign downstairs references that the bells were overhauled in 1950 by Mears & Stainbank.
A Sketch of the frame by George P Elphick is shown below. He also says "it's one of the most interesting in the country."
Judging by the 4 support beams, it wouldn't seem wise to ring these full circle for a long amount of time.
"3 bells" in 1724.
Not only is the church interesting from the inside but also from the outside! There is an ancient listed yew tree which is one of the 12 oldest trees in the country. It is predicted to be around 3000 years old according to the church guide.
3 bells in reasonable condition in 2022
2 Bequests were made towards the bells:
1543, May 28. "I will to the Bels iiijd" Roger Grayng
1548, Dec. 31. "I will to ye Belles iiijd" Robert A'Stapull
Visited:
.28/05/2022
Sketch by George P Elphick.
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+
How the bells are tuned to a diatonic 3.
Bell 1
Hum - 346Hz - F-15
Prime - 651.5Hz - E-19
Tierce - 818Hz - Ab-25 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1020Hz - C-43
Nominal - 1371Hz - F-31
Prime - 651.5Hz - E-19
Tierce - 818Hz - Ab-25 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1020Hz - C-43
Nominal - 1371Hz - F-31
| coldwaltham_1.mp3 |
Bell 2
Hum - 310.5Hz - Eb-2
Prime - 611Hz - Eb-31
Tierce - 744.5Hz - F#+11 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 916.5Hz - Bb-29
Nominal - 1232.5Hz - Eb-16
Prime - 611Hz - Eb-31
Tierce - 744.5Hz - F#+11 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 916.5Hz - Bb-29
Nominal - 1232.5Hz - Eb-16
| cut_coldwaltham2.mp3 |
Bell 3
Hum - 254Hz - B+39
Prime - 475Hz - Bb+33
Tierce - 589Hz - D+5 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 756Hz - F#+37
Nominal - 997.5Hz - B+17
Prime - 475Hz - Bb+33
Tierce - 589Hz - D+5 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 756Hz - F#+37
Nominal - 997.5Hz - B+17
| coldwaltham_3.mp3 |
Inscriptions:
1 |
(Uninscribed) |
2 |
(Uninscribed) |
3 |
♟ THOMAS HVNTER IOHN HALE 1665 CHVRCHWARDENS WP🔔 RP 🔔🔔 |
♟ = Fig. XXXI,e (Bell 3)
🔔 = Fig. XXXI,f (Bell 3)
🔔 = Fig. XXXI,f (Bell 3)
Photographs:
