Billingshurst, St Mary the Virgin
1965 - Present
Bell |
Weight |
Diameter |
Nominal |
Note |
Founder |
Cast |
Canon |
Hanging |
1 |
4-0-13 cwt |
26.25" |
1479 Hz |
F# |
1965 |
Full Circle |
||
2 |
4-2-5 cwt |
27.25" |
1387 Hz |
F |
1965 |
Full Circle |
||
3 |
5-2-8 cwt |
30.00" |
1234 Hz |
D# |
1965 |
Full Circle |
||
4 |
6-1-5 cwt |
31.75" |
1103 Hz |
C# |
1959 |
Full Circle |
||
5 |
7-0-7 cwt |
33.00" |
984 Hz |
B |
1965 |
Full Circle |
||
6 |
7-3-26 cwt |
35.00" |
929 Hz |
A# |
1965 |
Full Circle |
||
7 |
10-0-0 cwt |
38.00" |
827.5 Hz |
G# |
1965 |
Full Circle |
||
8 |
14-2-18 cwt |
43.25" |
736 Hz |
F# |
1964 |
Full Circle |
1921 - 1965
Bell |
Weight |
Diameter |
Note |
Founder |
Date |
Hanging |
1 |
4-0-20 cwt |
26.75" |
F# |
1897 |
Full Circle |
|
2 |
4-2-23 cwt |
27.00" |
E# |
1897 |
Full Circle |
|
3 |
5-1-17 cwt |
30.00" |
D# |
Thomas II Mears |
1812 |
Full Circle |
4 |
5-3-24 cwt |
31.50" |
C# |
Thomas II Mears |
1812 |
Full Circle |
5 |
6-2-6 cwt |
33.50" |
B |
Thomas II Mears |
1812 |
Full Circle |
6 |
7-1-4 cwt |
34.00" |
A# |
Thomas II Mears |
1812 |
Full Circle |
7 |
9-2-4 cwt |
38.00" |
G# |
Thomas II Mears |
1812 |
Full Circle |
8 |
12-1-11 cwt |
42.00" |
F# |
1921 |
Full Circle |
About the Bells
8 Bells, 14-2-18 in F#
Billingshurst have a beautiful ring of 8 bells hung for full circle in a West facing tower. The tower has many interesting features with the bells just being one of them. The tower is dated from the 12th century and has an open spire.
The tower itself does not follow the conventional design of a belfry with walls and a spire as the roof. Instead, the spire starts at the base of the belfry. In return, the bells are hung at the base of the spire on the floor. Inside the spire, a ladder goes right up to the top where a door overlooks the surroundings. It has peg rungs and suffers from woodworm. The spire is much greater than the tower itself making it unproportional but it still looks fantastic! On the west wall is a clock dial. The bells chime the Westminster sequence every 15 minutes on bells 3,4,5&8 and strikes the tenor on the hour.
From the ground floor, a Sanctus rope is present and chimes on the treble. A wooden staircase on the North wall is used to get to the ringing room.
The ringing room is very spacious and contains 8 ropes of red, yellow, and green. The bells are hung clockwise and are arguably one of best sounding rings of 8 in Sussex.
Access to the belfry is by a fine vertical wooden ladder that goes through a small intermediate chamber. The frame has more than one type of truss an it's also a combination of two layouts. It was made so that the original 6 bells fit around the 4 wooden beams supporting the spire. When Mears & Stainbank augmented the peal to an 8, they added two pits on the North side. The frame is now cruciform containing Z and V Trusses.
In 1724, the church had 5 bells. They were then recast by Thomas Mears in 1812 and a treble was added to make a ring of 6. later in 1897, 2 trebles were added by Mears & Stainbank to form an octave ring. The bells weighed:
1: 4-3-17 5: 7-0-13
2: 5-0-1 6: 7-3-6
3: 5-3-16 7: 9-3-18
4: 6-2-2 8: 13-0-6
The tenor become cracked so it was recast in 1921. The rest of the peal was restored and re-tuned in the same year.
In 1965, seven of the 8 bells were recast by Mears & Stainbank. A new tenor was probably given in 1964 because it does not state that it was recast. Interestingly, the tenor has the vicar and churchwardens names engraved on the waist. The inscriptions for the old bells are also shown below.
1 Bequest was made to the bells in 1424, December 4th by Thomas Rombern:
"lego ecclie de Billyngeshurst viz. ad campanile iijs iiijd"
meaning "I bequest to the church of Billingshurst viz. 3 shillings 4 pence for the purpose of the bells.
Elphick states that the churchwarden's accounts show that at least 1 bell was recast in 1526 and that there was also a sanctus bell at the time. The 4th bell was bought for 18s, 8d and must have been unsatisfactory for it was recast in 1529.
Between 1531 - 1532, a bell was sent to a foundry in Reading run by John White. It cost £6 0s. 2d, a third of it was for additional metal, suggesting that the broken bell was a thin casting and may have been of an early cast. Thomas Silverlock bequeathed a single shilling towards the great bell in 1536.
1536, Jan. 16 "I bequeth to the Grete Bell of Billyngherst xijd"
In 1563, the 4th bell required recasting which cost £3 6s suggesting that there was at least 5 bells. A bell founder was resident in the churchyard in 1580. During this time, he repaired the treble which had a broken crown staple. This is likely to be John Wallis, an itinerate founder.
In 1593, a "large bell" was cast at the cost of £10. This was obviously no good for it was recast in 1616 by Thomas Wakefield. Thomas Collins bound with Henry Goringe, Robert Penfold, and Richard Towers to cast another tenor which was in tune with the rest for another £10.
Another bell was recast in 1625 for £8 13s. The next recasting took place in 1686 when William Hull did it for £10.
Visited by Kye L Leaver & Catherine Bleach, 24/05/2023.
Billingshurst have a beautiful ring of 8 bells hung for full circle in a West facing tower. The tower has many interesting features with the bells just being one of them. The tower is dated from the 12th century and has an open spire.
The tower itself does not follow the conventional design of a belfry with walls and a spire as the roof. Instead, the spire starts at the base of the belfry. In return, the bells are hung at the base of the spire on the floor. Inside the spire, a ladder goes right up to the top where a door overlooks the surroundings. It has peg rungs and suffers from woodworm. The spire is much greater than the tower itself making it unproportional but it still looks fantastic! On the west wall is a clock dial. The bells chime the Westminster sequence every 15 minutes on bells 3,4,5&8 and strikes the tenor on the hour.
From the ground floor, a Sanctus rope is present and chimes on the treble. A wooden staircase on the North wall is used to get to the ringing room.
The ringing room is very spacious and contains 8 ropes of red, yellow, and green. The bells are hung clockwise and are arguably one of best sounding rings of 8 in Sussex.
Access to the belfry is by a fine vertical wooden ladder that goes through a small intermediate chamber. The frame has more than one type of truss an it's also a combination of two layouts. It was made so that the original 6 bells fit around the 4 wooden beams supporting the spire. When Mears & Stainbank augmented the peal to an 8, they added two pits on the North side. The frame is now cruciform containing Z and V Trusses.
In 1724, the church had 5 bells. They were then recast by Thomas Mears in 1812 and a treble was added to make a ring of 6. later in 1897, 2 trebles were added by Mears & Stainbank to form an octave ring. The bells weighed:
1: 4-3-17 5: 7-0-13
2: 5-0-1 6: 7-3-6
3: 5-3-16 7: 9-3-18
4: 6-2-2 8: 13-0-6
The tenor become cracked so it was recast in 1921. The rest of the peal was restored and re-tuned in the same year.
In 1965, seven of the 8 bells were recast by Mears & Stainbank. A new tenor was probably given in 1964 because it does not state that it was recast. Interestingly, the tenor has the vicar and churchwardens names engraved on the waist. The inscriptions for the old bells are also shown below.
1 Bequest was made to the bells in 1424, December 4th by Thomas Rombern:
"lego ecclie de Billyngeshurst viz. ad campanile iijs iiijd"
meaning "I bequest to the church of Billingshurst viz. 3 shillings 4 pence for the purpose of the bells.
Elphick states that the churchwarden's accounts show that at least 1 bell was recast in 1526 and that there was also a sanctus bell at the time. The 4th bell was bought for 18s, 8d and must have been unsatisfactory for it was recast in 1529.
Between 1531 - 1532, a bell was sent to a foundry in Reading run by John White. It cost £6 0s. 2d, a third of it was for additional metal, suggesting that the broken bell was a thin casting and may have been of an early cast. Thomas Silverlock bequeathed a single shilling towards the great bell in 1536.
1536, Jan. 16 "I bequeth to the Grete Bell of Billyngherst xijd"
In 1563, the 4th bell required recasting which cost £3 6s suggesting that there was at least 5 bells. A bell founder was resident in the churchyard in 1580. During this time, he repaired the treble which had a broken crown staple. This is likely to be John Wallis, an itinerate founder.
In 1593, a "large bell" was cast at the cost of £10. This was obviously no good for it was recast in 1616 by Thomas Wakefield. Thomas Collins bound with Henry Goringe, Robert Penfold, and Richard Towers to cast another tenor which was in tune with the rest for another £10.
Another bell was recast in 1625 for £8 13s. The next recasting took place in 1686 when William Hull did it for £10.
Visited by Kye L Leaver & Catherine Bleach, 24/05/2023.
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 - 368.5Hz - F# -6
Prime - 737.5Hz - F# -5
Tierce - 879Hz - A-1 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1173Hz - D-1
Nominal - 1475.5Hz - F# -4
Prime - 737.5Hz - F# -5
Tierce - 879Hz - A-1 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1173Hz - D-1
Nominal - 1475.5Hz - F# -4
| billingshurstone.wav |
Bell 2
Hum - 346Hz - F-15
Prime - 690.5Hz - F-19
Tierce - 822Hz - Ab-17 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1085.5Hz - Db-36
Nominal - 1384Hz - F-15
Prime - 690.5Hz - F-19
Tierce - 822Hz - Ab-17 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1085.5Hz - Db-36
Nominal - 1384Hz - F-15
| billingshursttwo.wav |
Bell 3
Hum - 308Hz - Eb-16
Prime - 616Hz - Eb-16
Tierce - 738Hz - F# -4 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 931Hz - Bb-1
Nominal - 1233Hz - Eb-15
Prime - 616Hz - Eb-16
Tierce - 738Hz - F# -4 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 931Hz - Bb-1
Nominal - 1233Hz - Eb-15
| billingshurstthree.wav |
Bell 4
Hum - 276Hz - Db-6
Prime - 553Hz - Db-3
Tierce - 656.5Hz - E-6 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 856Hz - A-47
Nominal - 1104Hz - Db-6
Prime - 553Hz - Db-3
Tierce - 656.5Hz - E-6 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 856Hz - A-47
Nominal - 1104Hz - Db-6
| billingshurstfour.wav |
Bell 5
Hum - 246.5Hz - B-2
Prime - 492Hz - B-6
Tierce - 586.5Hz - D-1 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 758Hz - F#+42
Nominal - 984Hz - B-6
Prime - 492Hz - B-6
Tierce - 586.5Hz - D-1 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 758Hz - F#+42
Nominal - 984Hz - B-6
| billingshurstfive.wav |
Bell 6
Hum - 231.5Hz - Bb-11
Prime - 463.5Hz - Bb-9
Tierce - 557Hz - Db+8 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 702.5Hz - F+10
Nominal - 927.5Hz - Bb-8
Prime - 463.5Hz - Bb-9
Tierce - 557Hz - Db+8 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 702.5Hz - F+10
Nominal - 927.5Hz - Bb-8
| billingshurstsix.wav |
Bell 7
Hum - 207.5Hz - Ab+0
Prime - 413Hz - Ab-9
Tierce - 496Hz - B+7 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 625.5Hz - Eb+9
Nominal - 827Hz - Ab-7
Prime - 413Hz - Ab-9
Tierce - 496Hz - B+7 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 625.5Hz - Eb+9
Nominal - 827Hz - Ab-7
| billingshurstseven.wav |
Bell 8
Hum - 184Hz - F# -8
Prime - 368Hz - F#-8
Tierce - 442Hz - A+8 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 555.5Hz - Db+4
Nominal - 735Hz - F# -11
Prime - 368Hz - F#-8
Tierce - 442Hz - A+8 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 555.5Hz - Db+4
Nominal - 735Hz - F# -11
| billingshursteight.wav |
Inscriptions:
*Underlined text is inscriptions within the inscription band*
*Text in red is engraved on the bell*
*Text in blue is on the opposite side of the bell*
*Text in red is engraved on the bell*
*Text in blue is on the opposite side of the bell*
1965 - Present
1 |
MEARS & STAINBANK FOUNDERS LONDON 1897 H AE CAMPANAE PARVULAE V.I.R. REGNUM FELICISSIMUM COMMORANT RECAST 19 ◉ 65 MEARS LONDON |
2 |
MEARS & STAINBANK FOUNDERS LONDON 1897 A.H.BARROW VICAR R. GOFF } H. IRELAND }CHURCHWARDENS RECAST 19 ◉ 65 |
3 |
≍≍≍≍T MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1812. ≍≍≍≍ RECAST 19 ◉ 65 |
4 |
≍≍≍≍T MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1812,≍≍≍≍ RECAST 19 ◉ 59 MEARS LONDON |
5 |
≍≍≍≍T MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1812. ≍≍≍≍ RECAST 19 ◉ 65 |
6 |
≍≍≍≍T MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1812. ≍≍≍≍ RECAST 19 ◉ 65 |
7 |
CHARLES FARHALL VISITOR. WṂ KING GUARDIAN. RICHARD PUTTOCK OVERSEER 1812. T. MEARS FECIT. RECAST 19 ◉ 65 MEARS LONDON |
8 |
R. E. HOPKINS ~ Vicar C. GODFREY } J. SNOWBALL }Churchwardens 1965 MEARS & STAINBANK 19 ◉ 64 LONDON, ENGLAND. |
1897 - 1921
1 |
MEARS & STAINBANK FOUNDERS LONDON 1897 A.H.BARROW VICAR R. GOFF H. IRELAND }CHURCHWARDENS |
2 |
MEARS & STAINBANK FOUNDERS LONDON 1897 H AE CAMPANE PARVULAE V.I.R REGMUN FELICISSINUM COMMORANT |
3 |
≍≍≍≍T MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1812. ≍≍≍≍ |
4 |
≍≍≍≍T MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1812. ≍≍≍≍ |
5 |
≍≍≍≍T MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1812. ≍≍≍≍ |
6 |
≍≍≍≍T MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1812. ≍≍≍≍ |
7 |
CHARLES FARHALL VISITOR WṂ KING GUARDIAN RICHARD PUTTOCK OVERSEER 1812 ♗♗♗ T MEARS OF LONDON FECIT. |
8 |
MEARS & STAINBANK FOUNDERS LONDON ◎ THIS BELL WAS RECAST AND THE WHOLE PEAL RETUNED OCTOBER 1921 R. O. JOHN VICAR. E. A. HINGESTON JOHN ARGENT CHURCHWARDENS |
1812 - 1897
1 |
≍≍≍≍T MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1812. ≍≍≍≍ |
2 |
≍≍≍≍T MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1812. ≍≍≍≍ |
3 |
≍≍≍≍T MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1812. ≍≍≍≍ |
4 |
≍≍≍≍T MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1812. ≍≍≍≍ |
5 |
CHARLES FARHALL VISITOR WM KING GUARDIAN RICHARD PUTTOCK OVERSEER 1812 ♗♗♗ T MEARS OF LONDON FECIT. |
6 |
THE 5 BELLS WERE RECAST AND A TREBLE ADDED 1812 THE REVD G . WELLS VICAR THOS CLEAR} THOS LATHY} CH : WARDENS T . MEARS OF LONDON FECIT |
Latin Translations:
1: HAE CAMPANAE PARVULAE V.I.R REGMUN FELICISSINUM COMMORANT - These little bells reign happily in residence
3-6: FECIT - to make / made
◉ = Fig. AWD, 1 (Bells 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
≍ = Fig. TLE,1 (Bells 3,4,5,6)
◎ = Fig. ARH, 1
♗ = Fig. L,e
*Click on images to enlarge them*
1: HAE CAMPANAE PARVULAE V.I.R REGMUN FELICISSINUM COMMORANT - These little bells reign happily in residence
3-6: FECIT - to make / made
◉ = Fig. AWD, 1 (Bells 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
≍ = Fig. TLE,1 (Bells 3,4,5,6)
◎ = Fig. ARH, 1
♗ = Fig. L,e
*Click on images to enlarge them*
Photographs:
*Click on the images to enlarge them*
