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<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=171073808-06042011>Perhaps there's scope for somebody to act as a
Police liaison officer, identifying stolen bells?</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=171073808-06042011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=171073808-06042011>Peter</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>
bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com [mailto:bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com]<B>On
Behalf Of </B>Chris Pickford<BR><B>Sent:</B> 06 April 2011 09:14<BR><B>To:</B>
bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Bell Historians]
recovered church bell<BR><BR></FONT></DIV><SPAN
style="DISPLAY: none"> </SPAN>
<DIV id=ygrp-text>
<P>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>The case I mentioned, if correctly
reported, really doesn't reflect at all well on Police powers of observation
and detection. The notice actually says:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">Above
the central branch of the E, which forms the main staircase of the new wing, a
belfry was added whose bell carried the elaborately moulded inscription:
CHARLES STANFORD ESQUIRE – ELENOR – 1610. <SPAN> </SPAN>Elenor was John
Alderford's daughter, who brought the Hall for her husband, Charles Stanford
on Alderford's death in 1606. The dating of the bell in 1610 possibly marked
the completion of the new wing begun in 1602. For nearly 4 centuries the bell
hung in its belfry undisturbed. But the old Hall fell on hard times. The
Stanfords died out, and their family home was left unoccupied and largely
deserted. In the 1980s squatters, gypsies and thieves stripped the building of
everything remaining of value, and the last act of vandalism was the theft of
the bell itself in June 1987. In July 1987 Charter Hotels Ltd, a family
company spent two years restoring the Hall to its former beauty and grace. The
forlorn empty belfry was given a new brass bell, filling the void but without
the history of romance of the original. Then in 1989, when the renovated
building was opened as a hotel, the story of the old bell took a strange
twist. A neighbour reported that <STRONG>it had been sold by auction in
Stratford, offered for sale not by the thief, but by the Police!</STRONG> It
appeared the thief had been caught quickly. but the Police had been unable to
link the bell, which they found among his assorted loot. The neighbour had
immediately recognised the bell and its message, <STRONG>but the Police
claimed they had not even noticed it carried one</STRONG>. Charter Hotels
traced the bells purchaser, bought it back, and restored it to its ancestral
home. It now has a proud place in the reception lounge, where guests can
admire its striking inscription and reflect on its romantic
history.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Peter is right, and the Heritage Protection team
can't be experts at everything - but we might hope they make use of any clues
that are available. Unless part of the plan is to sell off unclaimed stuff to
pay for the scheme!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Cynical? Yes, I'm afraid so</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>CP</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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