Ealing, St Mary
Bell |
Weight |
Diameter |
Nominal |
Note |
Founder |
Cast |
Canon |
Hanging |
1 |
4-1-7 cwt |
26.25" |
1417 Hz |
F |
Robert Catlin |
1740 |
Removed |
Full Circle |
2 |
4-0-15 cwt |
26.50" |
1330 Hz |
E |
Robert Catlin |
1740 |
Removed |
Full Circle |
3 |
4-0-13 cwt |
28.25" |
1187 Hz |
D |
c1450 |
Removed |
Full Circle |
|
4 |
4-3-20 cwt |
30.25" |
1065 Hz |
C |
1660 |
Full Circle |
||
5 |
6-3-10 cwt |
32.88" |
951 Hz |
B♭ |
1949 |
Full Circle |
||
6 |
8-1-12 cwt |
36.00" |
878 Hz |
A |
Robert Mot |
1592 |
Full Circle |
|
7 |
10-1-24 cwt |
39.13" |
797 Hz |
G |
Samuel Knight |
1724 |
Removed |
Full Circle |
8 |
13-0-8 cwt |
42.25" |
706 Hz |
F |
Robert Catlin |
1740 |
Removed |
Full Circle |
About the Bells
8 Bells, 13-0-8 In F
Bolney has a ground floor octave ring rung by red, white and blue sallied ropes. The tower, similar to Cowfold, is divided up into three levels:
>Belfry
>Clock room
>Ringing room
The ringing room is rather cozy, having 2 infrared heaters along with also a rope warmer. The 8 bells of Bolney are rung clockwise with the Tenor and Treble being the most Western bells.
Access to the belfry and clock room by a spiral stone staircase. The clock room and belfry do not have any doors on them. Inside the clock room, the clock made by John Smiths & Co can be viewed in a large wooden case on the Western side of the tower. The interesting thing about the ropes in here is that bells 1,2,4,5,6,7,8 ropes are completely vertical with just a rope hole and no pulley however, the rope for the 3rd is at a slight angle with pulleys directing the rope. The 3rd is the only bell that judders when it is rung and it is believed that this is the cause of it. The clock room is also a room for storage.
Further up the tower you reach the belfry. At the door of the belfry right in front of you is bell number 3 and 5 directly in front of you.
All the bells are hung on a black cast iron frame made by John Taylors & Co in 1962. The Frame is a typical 8.3 layout made with Z.1 trusses.
Bolney are also the very first ever ring of 8 bells in the country! Not to get confused with the first complete set of 8 cast by the same founder, but for just having the oldest ring of 8 in general. Sussex also has the first complete and oldest peal of 3 bells too! See Clapham, St Mary the Virgin.
All the bells were most likely turned by Mears & Stainbank when the new 5th was hung as their bell has not been turned.
The canons on bells 4 and 6 have not been removed and instead have canon retained headstocks.
The canons were taken off the treble by Gillett & Johnston; the 3rd had its canons removed in 1905 when Mears & Stainbank quarter turned all the bells.110
The inscription on the 6th was a wax casting, they also feature black-letters. Robert Mot used wax casting at Bolney in 1592 and piece casting at Sedlescombe in 1595 showing a change of style in casting the inscriptions.
In process of making Bolney a ring of 8 throughout the years, by 1592 the were a ring of 4.
There isn't all that much head room once you are on the frame. I'm 5' 8" and there was about 6" of space left between my head and the ceiling. The bells are raised off the floor slightly by about 2' similar to Washington, to allow room for the clock hammers.110
The Tower:
The tower is in the style of a castle with a circular pyramid on each corner of the tower. There does not appear to have been a tower before 1536 as James Bolney put £40 in his will for the tower as long as it had certain qualities.
"If all the children of Testator should die under age and unmarried one half of his bequests to them were to go to his wife Joan, "and I will that the other halfe . . . therof shalbe distributed by the discretions of myn executours or their executors in forme following that is to saye xl" therof towardes the buylding and making of the Steple of the parrishe churche of Bolney"
According to G P Elphick, the church wardens have very interesting information from 1536 - 8:
.They mention digging for stone and providing hurdles to bind the road over which to carry it and state that the masons recieved 18/- for every foot in height of the walls as well as their board and lodging. It cost 11d for hewing timber for the headstocks of the bells and Roger Frogbank seems to have been in charge of the woodwork such as floors, roof and probably the bellframe. The account book contains a rough sketch showing 4 bells in the tower and the ringers. The old frame make by Robert Catlin was replaced by an iron side frame by Taylor's in 1962.
The following is taken from the Sussex Archaeological Collections:
Bolney has a ground floor octave ring rung by red, white and blue sallied ropes. The tower, similar to Cowfold, is divided up into three levels:
>Belfry
>Clock room
>Ringing room
The ringing room is rather cozy, having 2 infrared heaters along with also a rope warmer. The 8 bells of Bolney are rung clockwise with the Tenor and Treble being the most Western bells.
Access to the belfry and clock room by a spiral stone staircase. The clock room and belfry do not have any doors on them. Inside the clock room, the clock made by John Smiths & Co can be viewed in a large wooden case on the Western side of the tower. The interesting thing about the ropes in here is that bells 1,2,4,5,6,7,8 ropes are completely vertical with just a rope hole and no pulley however, the rope for the 3rd is at a slight angle with pulleys directing the rope. The 3rd is the only bell that judders when it is rung and it is believed that this is the cause of it. The clock room is also a room for storage.
Further up the tower you reach the belfry. At the door of the belfry right in front of you is bell number 3 and 5 directly in front of you.
All the bells are hung on a black cast iron frame made by John Taylors & Co in 1962. The Frame is a typical 8.3 layout made with Z.1 trusses.
Bolney are also the very first ever ring of 8 bells in the country! Not to get confused with the first complete set of 8 cast by the same founder, but for just having the oldest ring of 8 in general. Sussex also has the first complete and oldest peal of 3 bells too! See Clapham, St Mary the Virgin.
All the bells were most likely turned by Mears & Stainbank when the new 5th was hung as their bell has not been turned.
The canons on bells 4 and 6 have not been removed and instead have canon retained headstocks.
The canons were taken off the treble by Gillett & Johnston; the 3rd had its canons removed in 1905 when Mears & Stainbank quarter turned all the bells.110
The inscription on the 6th was a wax casting, they also feature black-letters. Robert Mot used wax casting at Bolney in 1592 and piece casting at Sedlescombe in 1595 showing a change of style in casting the inscriptions.
In process of making Bolney a ring of 8 throughout the years, by 1592 the were a ring of 4.
There isn't all that much head room once you are on the frame. I'm 5' 8" and there was about 6" of space left between my head and the ceiling. The bells are raised off the floor slightly by about 2' similar to Washington, to allow room for the clock hammers.110
The Tower:
The tower is in the style of a castle with a circular pyramid on each corner of the tower. There does not appear to have been a tower before 1536 as James Bolney put £40 in his will for the tower as long as it had certain qualities.
"If all the children of Testator should die under age and unmarried one half of his bequests to them were to go to his wife Joan, "and I will that the other halfe . . . therof shalbe distributed by the discretions of myn executours or their executors in forme following that is to saye xl" therof towardes the buylding and making of the Steple of the parrishe churche of Bolney"
According to G P Elphick, the church wardens have very interesting information from 1536 - 8:
.They mention digging for stone and providing hurdles to bind the road over which to carry it and state that the masons recieved 18/- for every foot in height of the walls as well as their board and lodging. It cost 11d for hewing timber for the headstocks of the bells and Roger Frogbank seems to have been in charge of the woodwork such as floors, roof and probably the bellframe. The account book contains a rough sketch showing 4 bells in the tower and the ringers. The old frame make by Robert Catlin was replaced by an iron side frame by Taylor's in 1962.
The following is taken from the Sussex Archaeological Collections:
- "Payd to John Gaston for v days work for dyggyn of ston for the stepyll, vd. the day iis id"
- "payd to John Harper the carpenter for iii days labor for making of a trobyll and watylls, xviiid."
- "payd to Edward Smeth for v days labor for makyn of the way to care [carry] ston and making of watyl, iiis. id"
- "payd on Marcmaudelyn day to pokyll and Gills yn the xxviii yere of Kyng Henry VIII for bargenyng to make the stepyll of Bolney be the fot. for xviiis. the fot in ernest payd xxs"
- "Payd to Garland for rops for the bels xxd"
- "payd for the mendyng of the great bell to Harper, meet and drenk iiid"
- "payd to Chesman for pollyng down and hangyng up the bells iiis iiiid"
- "payd foe hewyng of a pes [piece] of tymber for stocks for the bels iid"
Inscriptions:
*Underlined text is inscriptions within the inscription band*
1 |
RṬ♨CATLIN FECIT J747☸☸☸IOSEPH☸SKIDMORE♨IOHN❖ANDREWS♨CHURCH❖WARDENS❖ |
2 |
RṬ ❖CATLIN♨FECIT☸J747♨IOSEPH♨SKIDMORE♨IOHN☸ANDREWS❖CHURCH♨WARDENS. |
3 |
THOMAS MEARS LONDON FECIT 1804 JOHN BONSY & RICHARD ALLEN CHURCHWARDENS♖ |
4 |
REVD CHARLES STURGES VICAR . MESSRS EDWARD EUSTAGE & CHAS. EZARD CH. WARDEN 1785 |
5 |
R❖C FECIT◎J739◎♨♨♨SAMUEL ANDERSON THOMAS BARRATT CHURCH WARDENS⚜ |
6 |
R❖C FECIT J739 ⚜◎☸◎SAMUEL ANDERSON THOMAS BARRATT CHURCH WARDENSS❖ |
7 |
R❖C FECIT❖J739♨☸☸◎⚜◎⚜◎SAMUEL ANDERSON THOMAS BARRATT CHURCH WARDENS⚜ THOS MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1793 |
8 |
≍≍≍≍THOS MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1793 ≍≍≍≍ JOSH DRUCE & JAS MILLETT CH. WARDENS |
Latin Translation:
2,3,6: Fecit - made
2,3,6: Fecit - made
⋙ = Fig. XXX,c (Bell 4)
⊕ = Fig. XLIV,d (Bell 6)
◈ = Fig. XLIV,g (Bell 6)
◉ = Fig. XLIV,c (Bell 6)
*Click on images to enlarge them*
⊕ = Fig. XLIV,d (Bell 6)
◈ = Fig. XLIV,g (Bell 6)
◉ = Fig. XLIV,c (Bell 6)
*Click on images to enlarge them*
Photographs:
Friday: 19:45 - 21:00
Sunday: 08:45 - 09:25
Church Lane, Bolney, RH17 5QP
References:
110: George P Elphick
Data on the bells: Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers
110: George P Elphick
Data on the bells: Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers
