[Bell Historians] RE: Wells

[DJ Bryant]

On Wed, 30 Oct 2002, andrewmbull wrote:

> So the 56-1-14 for Wells tenor originates from Taylors in 1877 – 
> it is the orginal "as supplied" weight. Presumably it was cast with 
> canons, which have since been removed when the iron headstock was 
> fitted; therefore the weight will have been reduced.

Very doubtful if the 1877 bells were cast with canons. By this time
Taylor's were in the habit of casting the larger bells of rings with flat
tops - e.g. St Paul's, the following year, front 8 with canons, back 4
flat-topped.

As regards the weight, I would think that it is likely to be pretty close
to what Taylor's supplied it as, even if the 'exact' weight is an
extimate. For example, St Paul's tenor, although only weighed to the
nearest hundredweight, was actually pretty close to the published weight
when it was weighed during the recent restoration.

Remember that Wells tenor is very, very thick, and so will be considerably
heavier than a bell of its diameter would normally be expected to be.

David