Offham, St PeterOffham, St Peter houses a single bell in an East facing tower. The church and tower were built in 1860 by the English architect Ewan Christian. The total cost for the church including all the fittings inside was £2,363.
Hamsey church fell into a poor state in the 1850s, and the decision was made to erect a new church down the road in Offham. This also meant that the parishioners who lived in Cooksbridge and Offham didn't have to travel as far to get to Hamsey. |
|
Bell |
Weight |
Diameter |
Nominal |
Note |
Founder |
Cast |
Canon |
Hanging |
1 |
32.63" |
1105.5 Hz |
C# |
William Hull |
1682 |
Swing |
About the Bell
1 Bell, in C#
When Offham was built, the tenor (heaviest bell) at Hamsey was lowered, restored, and transferred to Offham. Judging by the fittings, it was rehung by Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel.
The bell chimed by a lever from the ground floor by a short sallied rope. Access to the tower is by a spiral staircase which leads to a large intermediate chamber. From here, a metal ladder takes you up to the very spacious belfry. The floor of the belfry starts at the base of the louvres.
In the belfry, there are 2 halves of the old wheel along with it's original clapper. The bell is neatly tucked in the South East side of the tower in a timber frame for 1.
The frame is made out of S trusses.
The bell was cast in year 1682 by the South Malling based founder William Hull. The bell was most likely made in the church yard of Hamsey, St Peter.
Examining the inscription of the bell, we can see that the Rector at the time at Hamsey was John Shore and the back of the church guide confirms this. William Hull was an interesting bell founder for his lengthy inscriptions. The inscriptions would take up two inscription bands with 2 moulding wires above, 1 in between and 3 below. This can also be seen at Hamsey and Itchingfield. On all the bells I've seen so far, he widely uses the diamond stop to break up words and use an I with a line through the middle so that it's not mistaken with a number 1. Along the inscription is a line of coins of 1.5" in diameter from the era.
The bells of William Hull have a rich antique tone to them like the Eldridge bells.
The canons show the bell has been quarter turned.
1 bell in a great condition.
Visited: 24/7/2022 with Heather & Andrew Leaver
When Offham was built, the tenor (heaviest bell) at Hamsey was lowered, restored, and transferred to Offham. Judging by the fittings, it was rehung by Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel.
The bell chimed by a lever from the ground floor by a short sallied rope. Access to the tower is by a spiral staircase which leads to a large intermediate chamber. From here, a metal ladder takes you up to the very spacious belfry. The floor of the belfry starts at the base of the louvres.
In the belfry, there are 2 halves of the old wheel along with it's original clapper. The bell is neatly tucked in the South East side of the tower in a timber frame for 1.
The frame is made out of S trusses.
The bell was cast in year 1682 by the South Malling based founder William Hull. The bell was most likely made in the church yard of Hamsey, St Peter.
Examining the inscription of the bell, we can see that the Rector at the time at Hamsey was John Shore and the back of the church guide confirms this. William Hull was an interesting bell founder for his lengthy inscriptions. The inscriptions would take up two inscription bands with 2 moulding wires above, 1 in between and 3 below. This can also be seen at Hamsey and Itchingfield. On all the bells I've seen so far, he widely uses the diamond stop to break up words and use an I with a line through the middle so that it's not mistaken with a number 1. Along the inscription is a line of coins of 1.5" in diameter from the era.
The bells of William Hull have a rich antique tone to them like the Eldridge bells.
The canons show the bell has been quarter turned.
1 bell in a great condition.
Visited: 24/7/2022 with Heather & Andrew Leaver
Recording of the bell:
How the bell is tuned in relation to its 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+
Hum - 300Hz - D+37
Prime - 485.5Hz - B-29
Tierce - 665.5Hz - E+16 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 809Hz - Ab-45
Nominal - 1105.5Hz - Db-4
Prime - 485.5Hz - B-29
Tierce - 665.5Hz - E+16 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 809Hz - Ab-45
Nominal - 1105.5Hz - Db-4
| cut_offham.mp3 |
Inscriptions:
*Underlined text is around the inscription band*
1 |
☥ IOHAN♢SHORE♢RECT♢1682◉♢◉♢◉♢◉ ☥ WILLIAM♢HVLL♢MADE♢MEE♢◉♢◉♢◉♢◉ |
☥ = Fig. XXXVI,c
◉ = A coin
◉ = A coin
Photographs:
*Click on the images to enlarge them*
