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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-GB link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Further to recent e-mails and to Chris Pickford’s spreadsheet of ancient bells, and with reference to the bells listed under Hampshire, the Group may be interested in recent reflections on three bells within the Winchester Diocese, two of which do not appear in Chris’s spreadsheet.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Accepting that there will always be some debate about the date of un-inscribed bells of a particular shape and style, it is possible that these three bells are all from fourth quarter of the 14<sup>th</sup> Century:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><ul style='margin-top:0cm' type=disc><li class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:2.25pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><u>West Tytherley, St. Peter</u>: The treble here (which is included in Chris’s list for Hampshire), has long been reputed to date from circa AD 1260. However, it may be up to a 100 years or so later, given that it is relatively short waisted but has been skirted, and hence appears to have an earlier shaped soundbow & lip. Matthew Higby, who was involved in helping to satisfactorily clapper this bell, when the ring of three were overhauled and rehung in 2012, has provided two images showing both the profile and the skirting of this bell.<br><br><o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:2.25pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><u>Bossington, St. James:</u> This isolated Church set within the parkland of the Bossington estate in the Test Valley was rebuilt in 1839, but the single bell in a cote over the chancel arch appears to be much older than the “modern” date given by Colchester in Hampshire Church Bells. This bell (diameter 23.88” and weighing circa 2<span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>˝</span> cwts), was rehung by Matthew Higby in 2009, and he has also provided an image of this bell, photographed on completion of the rehanging.<br><br><o:p></o:p></li></ul><p class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:38.25pt'>This bell has similarities in appearance to a smaller bell at:<br><br><o:p></o:p></p><ul style='margin-top:0cm' type=disc><li class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:2.25pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><u>Valley Park (Chandler’s Ford) St. Francis:</u> This church was built in 1991, but was gifted a “spare” bell by Colden Common church. Notwithstanding that Holy Trinity Church, Colden Common was built in 1843, it appears that this bell was already at least second hand when gifted to Valley Park, as the oak headstock on which it was hung when gifted has a date of 1810 roughly carved into it and has drive-in gudgeons, crude stock hoops and nailed shere bands for strapwork. <br>In 2017, when re-staining of adjacent timber soffits enabled access to this bell, I was able to photograph it close up and an estimated date was provided by Chris Pickford from these photographs as AD 1380. <br>The attached image for this bell is a composite of two photographs as the scaffolding from which they were taken did not permit sufficient distance to capture the whole bell in one shot. The bell has a diameter of 13.25” and weighs around 0-1-12.<o:p></o:p></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Albeit that they are of significantly different sizes, there are similarities in the profiles and in the shape of canons of the bells at Bossington and Valley Park, which would suggest that the Bossington bell might also be from around 1380.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Debate and views always welcome.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Phil Watts<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>