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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>There is clearly a lot more work to be don=
e on=20
Llewellins & James. When I was in Bristol, 1983-95 I saw a lot of=
=20
their bells. Most of you will know the X-Y-Z book on Bells &=20
Bellfounding which John Llewellin published c1875; but few of their bells f=
ollow=20
the precepts laid down therein - mercifully !</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>My own experience is that their bad bells =
get=20
worse (and fewer) and that their good bells get better. It will =
be=20
interesting to have readers' opinions of the restored ring at Cheddar, once=
a=20
truly bad eight (augmented and old treble and 4th recast in 1914 by=20
L&J. Taylor's have done the work. Of the four L&J bells,=
=20
before restoration, Jed Flatters (quoting Andrew Higson) wrote:</FONT></DI=
V>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>"If one were to base a tuning analysis on =
the=20
Nominal or dominant partial tones of each of the bells, there would be=20
no justification for further tuning. Llewellins &=20
James amazingly appear to have had the technology to put the bells int=
o a=20
decent scale, and have even managed to stretch the frequencies of the trebl=
es=20
slightlyto give an impression of greater tone in tenor bell. However,=
=20
tonally there is a complete spectrum of tones and that is just within the=20
Llewellins & James bells!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>"The second bell (1914) is more in keeping=
=20
with bells of a Victorian influence than a good 19th Century casting a=
nd=20
bears little in its tonal quality that relates it to the other bells in the=
=20
peal.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Our best advice with the Llewellins & =
James=20
bells is that they must be recast".</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Well, they weren't, and underwent some pre=
tty heavy=20
treatment at the foundry. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The ring had a complete set of Llewellins =
&=20
James' box-section cast iron headstocks ("effectively a copy of our own pat=
tern=20
headstocks") which were retained with new gudgeons fitted. I don't kn=
ow=20
when L&J first started fitting "Taylor type" headstocks, but it cannot =
be=20
long before then.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The firm has so much in common with Warner=
s - they=20
were a very large general engineering firm, and=20
bells were increasingly a sideline. They effectively packed=
up=20
after failing to get the contract for a new ten at St Paul, Bristol in 1926=
, and=20
there are only five bells of theirs existing dated 1930-1940, Th=
e=20
last for All Hallows, Easton, Bristol was cast in September only a month be=
fore=20
the destruction of their works. Warners cast no bells of their o=
wn=20
after 1922 and their Spitalfields Foundry (and I believe their offices in J=
ewin=20
Crescent, Cripplegate) were destroyed in 1940 or 1941; and like L&J the=
y are=20
so frequently derided for their bad bells when they cast far, far more good=
=20
ones.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>They did rehang an 1881 bell of their ex S=
t=20
Lawrence, Bristol in the new church at Hatcliffe, Bristol in 1956. It=
has=20
since been rehung again by Whitechapel.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>It is a fact that many of L&=
J's rings=20
have tuned up remarkably well - cf Taylors' retuning of East Ardsley=20
recently. Likewise in 1971 when JT & Co had in their hands the=20
old six ex St Luke, Bedminster, Llewellins & James first ring of t=
heir=20
own. They took away the tenor ('a foul bell') tuned the front fi=
ve=20
into a back five and added a treble to make the pleasant little six at=
St=20
Paul, Southville. And yes, their tenor at St Thomas, Bristol, is a su=
perb=20
bell. Even if Mr Barwell had to rehang it a few months after - but th=
at's=20
another story.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> We shall look forward in due course=
=20
to seeing the fruits of Richard and Nick Bowdens' research into their=
=20
buildings and their bells.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>DLC </FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0p=
x; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>Fro=
m:</B>=20
<A href=3D"mailto:cmpovey@3..."=20
title=3Dcmpovey@3...>Chris Povey</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20
href=3D"mailto:bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com"=20
title=3Dbellhistorians@yahoogroups.com>bellhistorians</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, January 16, 2003 1=
1:11=20
PM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Bell Historians] L&J=
=20
bells</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Re: recent mails on L&J bells:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Castlemorton, Worcs, have three L&J bells in the =
ring of=20
6: the treble, 4th and tenor. All were cast in 1896, the 4th and the=
=20
tenor being recastings and the treble to augment to 6. HMA undertook a to=
nal=20
analysis on their inspection to provide a price for a rehang of the ring =
on=20
new fittings. This has now happened (but by another contractor). I am sur=
e HMA=20
will not mind if the analysis figures are repeated, as, because of retuni=
ng,=20
these old notes are now history. The notes of all the bells are given, to=
show=20
how L&J fitted in with the others.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT=20
size=3D2> &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; =20
Nom =20
Quint =20
Tierce =20
Fund Hum</FONT></=
DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Treble =20
L&J =20
1896 =
=20
+40 =20
+40 &nbs=
p; -4  =
; =20
-129 -32</FONT></=
DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>2 &n=
bsp;=20
=20
Rudhall 1695 &n=
bsp; -5 =20
+2 &n=
bsp;=20
-3 &n=
bsp;=20
&nbs=
p;=20
-157 +66</FONT></=
DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>3 &n=
bsp;=20
=20
Rudhall 1695 &n=
bsp; +14 =20
=20
+15 &nbs=
p; +36 =20
=20
+79 &nbs=
p; -10 =20
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>4</FONT><FONT=20
size=3D2> &nbs=
p; =20
L&J =
1896 =20
+48 =20
+154 =20
+65 &=
nbsp;=20
+147 =20
+56</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>5 &n=
bsp;=20
=20
Rudhall 1795 &n=
bsp; +31 =20
+108 =20
+25 &=
nbsp;=20
+5 &n=
bsp;=20
+80</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Tenor =20
=20
L&J =
1896  =
;Datum =20
+62 =20
=20
+3  =
; +83 =20
+9</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>I'm not sure whether this shows that L&J were cle=
ver to=20
fit in fairly consistently with (in this case) the wayward Rudhall=20
tuning, or that their tuning was just as wayward and that it was just luc=
ky=20
that it seemed to reflect the Rudhall trend. I suspect it might have been=
the=20
latter. It would be interesting to know how L&J's tuning of that=
=20
period compared with the other founders. I don't have the weigh=
ts=20
before and after tuning, but David Bagley has at least the retuned weight=
s.=20
I think there was a big reduction in weight.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>HMA noted in their report that although the treble ha=
d no=20
signs of tuning, the 4th and tenor exhibited light tuning on their soundb=
ows,=20
even though L&J prided themselves on being able to cast 'maiden' bell=
s=20
which did not require any tuning. L&J probably retuned the 3rd a=
nd=20
the 5th, as the 3rd was heavily lipped and the 5th lightly edged. They ma=
y=20
have retuned the Rudhall bells to fit in better with their=20
bells.</FONT></DIV><BR><BR><TT>This=20
message was sent to you via the Bell Historians' Mailing List. To unsubsc=
ribe=20
from the list send an email to=20
bellhistorians-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com<BR><BR></TT><BR><BR><TT>Your u=
se of=20
Yahoo! Groups is subject to the <A=20
href=3D"http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/">Yahoo! Terms of Service</A>.</=
TT>=20
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