Ifield, St Margaret
Bell |
Weight |
Diameter |
Nominal |
Note |
Founder |
Cast |
Canon |
Hanging |
1 The Ifield Bell |
31.00" |
1032.5 Hz |
C |
1600 |
Swing Chime |
|||
2 |
33.38" |
975.5 Hz |
B |
1618 |
Swing Chime |
About the Bells
2 Bells, in B ( Tuning 1,2 of 4)
Ifield has a chime of two bells, hung in a west facing tower.
The tower was built in 1884 by Somers Clarke & Micklethwaite of Brighton, being the successor to two previous known towers. 100
The earliest reference we have is 1600, when Richard Eldridge of Wokingham cast a bell, possibly replacing an older one.
It measures 31" in diameter and cast with a conventional canon. Richard kept old traditions alive by adding an initial cross to the inscription. The letters are made from cut out wax parchment, and his favoured inscription is inscribed around the inscription band. It reads as follows:
Our hope is in the Lord 1600
All inscribed in blackletter smalls, except from the O on our.
His moulding wires are fairly heavy, and the canon is wax moulded.
The next bell to arrive was by his son Bryan I Eldridge. It measures 33.38" in diameter, and is a semi-tone lower than his fathers.
To our knowledge, this is his earliest work, which he cast along side his father at the Horsham foundry. Due to its shape, the tonal qualities of this bell are fairly poor, having quite a flat tierce and quint, with a very flat prime!
Below is what the bell would sound like if the prime was in tune:
Ifield has a chime of two bells, hung in a west facing tower.
The tower was built in 1884 by Somers Clarke & Micklethwaite of Brighton, being the successor to two previous known towers. 100
The earliest reference we have is 1600, when Richard Eldridge of Wokingham cast a bell, possibly replacing an older one.
It measures 31" in diameter and cast with a conventional canon. Richard kept old traditions alive by adding an initial cross to the inscription. The letters are made from cut out wax parchment, and his favoured inscription is inscribed around the inscription band. It reads as follows:
Our hope is in the Lord 1600
All inscribed in blackletter smalls, except from the O on our.
His moulding wires are fairly heavy, and the canon is wax moulded.
The next bell to arrive was by his son Bryan I Eldridge. It measures 33.38" in diameter, and is a semi-tone lower than his fathers.
To our knowledge, this is his earliest work, which he cast along side his father at the Horsham foundry. Due to its shape, the tonal qualities of this bell are fairly poor, having quite a flat tierce and quint, with a very flat prime!
Below is what the bell would sound like if the prime was in tune:
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In addition, the hum is also fairly sharp, but this is pretty much always expected in old bells.
Below is a recording of the bell with the five main partial tones in tune.
Below is a recording of the bell with the five main partial tones in tune.
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As you can see, changing the frequencies makes a lot of difference!
The bell is the only one cast by Bryan I Eldridge to have blackletters like his father. It was also cast with heavy wires, along with a wax moulded canon.
Moving forward, in 1724, we see an interesting entry in the Chichester Diocesan Surveys! 101
It gives:
"3 bells, one down in the body of the church, the steeple not being able to bear it."
Cleary the tower was too weak to support the stress carried out by 3 bells. The bell may have been sold for there were only 2 bells by 1864.
In 1724, the bells would have been hung in a small turret at the west end of the church. It would have required around a 40 rung ladder to reach it.
The bell is the only one cast by Bryan I Eldridge to have blackletters like his father. It was also cast with heavy wires, along with a wax moulded canon.
Moving forward, in 1724, we see an interesting entry in the Chichester Diocesan Surveys! 101
It gives:
"3 bells, one down in the body of the church, the steeple not being able to bear it."
Cleary the tower was too weak to support the stress carried out by 3 bells. The bell may have been sold for there were only 2 bells by 1864.
In 1724, the bells would have been hung in a small turret at the west end of the church. It would have required around a 40 rung ladder to reach it.
Photos from the Crawley museum
Around 1847, the west end turret was removed and the roof was reshingled and repaired.
The turret was succeeded by a short, slender tower by the present day porch.
It was designed by D. Mackintosh, and had a small pyramidic spire with rectangular louvres. The top was crowned with a weather vane.
This tower may have been unsatisfactory, for it was removed in 1859. 100
The turret was succeeded by a short, slender tower by the present day porch.
It was designed by D. Mackintosh, and had a small pyramidic spire with rectangular louvres. The top was crowned with a weather vane.
This tower may have been unsatisfactory, for it was removed in 1859. 100
Not much is recorded until 1883, when a new tower was built.
The bells are chimed from the ground floor using green and yellow sallied ropes. There is an additional red, white, and blue one that's connected to the clock hammer.
It is used to chime before the service, and serves as their sanctus bell.
Access to the belfry is by a spiral staircase in the NE corner. There is no intermediate chamber.
The bells are hung in a wooden B frame at the base of the spire, requiring an 18-rung ladder to reach.
They are strapped to large wooden headstocks by a conventional canon.
They swing the same way on plain bearings, by a lever.
Gillett & Johnston were the contractors to rehang the bells when the tower was built, and they carried out various jobs in the 20th century aswell.
The tower also has a clock made by Gillett & Johnston, and they're still used to maintain it. It is wound manually by the churchwarden, and has 2 trains. The clock strikes the treble on the hour, probably because its tonal quality is much better.
The weights fall in the SW corner of the tower.
There is enough room in the belfry for a small ring of 8. Although, in early 2023, the vicar thought about the possibilities of installing an extra 4 bells to form a ring of 6.
2 bells in good condition on inspection.
Visited:
.29/11/2021 also with Robert M Abbott
.31/10/2021
The bells are chimed from the ground floor using green and yellow sallied ropes. There is an additional red, white, and blue one that's connected to the clock hammer.
It is used to chime before the service, and serves as their sanctus bell.
Access to the belfry is by a spiral staircase in the NE corner. There is no intermediate chamber.
The bells are hung in a wooden B frame at the base of the spire, requiring an 18-rung ladder to reach.
They are strapped to large wooden headstocks by a conventional canon.
They swing the same way on plain bearings, by a lever.
Gillett & Johnston were the contractors to rehang the bells when the tower was built, and they carried out various jobs in the 20th century aswell.
The tower also has a clock made by Gillett & Johnston, and they're still used to maintain it. It is wound manually by the churchwarden, and has 2 trains. The clock strikes the treble on the hour, probably because its tonal quality is much better.
The weights fall in the SW corner of the tower.
There is enough room in the belfry for a small ring of 8. Although, in early 2023, the vicar thought about the possibilities of installing an extra 4 bells to form a ring of 6.
2 bells in good condition on inspection.
Visited:
.29/11/2021 also with Robert M Abbott
.31/10/2021
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 - 265Hz - C+22
Prime - 499.5Hz - B+20
Tierce - 625Hz - Eb+8 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 768.5Hz - G-34
Nominal - 1032.5Hz - C-22
Prime - 499.5Hz - B+20
Tierce - 625Hz - Eb+8 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 768.5Hz - G-34
Nominal - 1032.5Hz - C-22
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Bell 2
Hum - 252.5Hz - B+39
Prime - 405Hz - Ab-42
Tierce - 569.5Hz - Db+47 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 685Hz - F-33
Nominal - 975.5Hz - B-21
Prime - 405Hz - Ab-42
Tierce - 569.5Hz - Db+47 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 685Hz - F-33
Nominal - 975.5Hz - B-21
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Inscriptions:
*Underlined text is inscriptions within the inscription band*
1 |
+ 𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖍𝖔𝖕𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕷𝖔𝖗𝖉 1600 𝕽.𝕰 |
2 |
𝕭𝖗𝖞𝖆𝖓 ♥ 𝕰𝖑𝖉𝖗𝖊𝖉𝖌𝖊 ♥ 𝕸𝖆𝖉𝖊 ♥ 𝕸𝖊𝖊 ♥ 1618 ♥ |
♥ = Fig. RIE,1 (Bell 2)
Photographs:
Sources:
100 - https://sussexparishchurches.org/church/crawley-st-margaret-ifield/
101 - Chichester Diocesan Surveys 1686 & 1724 by Wyn K. Ford
Old Photos - From the Crawley Museum
100 - https://sussexparishchurches.org/church/crawley-st-margaret-ifield/
101 - Chichester Diocesan Surveys 1686 & 1724 by Wyn K. Ford
Old Photos - From the Crawley Museum
