Balscote

[David Bagley]

The following is an extract from some notes I put together a few years ago
on the Balscote ring with the help of Chris Pickford, Matthew Higby and
Michael Williams.

Balscote, Oxon.
A light ring of six bells (tenor 1-0-22) was cast by Gillett & Johnston in
1951 for Mr C.O.S.Jarvis. The bells were described in The Ringing World of
4th January 1952, p13. The first trial ringing was held on 29th December
1951, and a report of this (with a correction of the published tenor
weight), was reported on page 29 of The Ringing World of 11th January 1952.
The bells were hung in an outhouse and are mentioned in The Church Bells of
Oxfordshire (Part IV p487) by F.Sharpe. Dove (1956) records the tenor
weight as 1-0-211/2.

Ten further bells were subsequently added to give a ring of ten with various
semitones. Not all the bells were hung at any one time, they could be
swapped around as required.

By the time the 1988 Dove was published, the bells were taken down, and put
into storage by Mr Jarvis' daughter.


The following was discovered in Ross on Wye tower by Michael Williams on
10/6/95. It is taken from one of George Cousins' books.

In 1951 Charlie Jarvis, a farmer at Balscott near Banbury, and a lifelong
ringer, decided to build a tower on his land and provide a ring of bells.
They were six in number initially, a predictably light ring with a 1 3/4cwt
tenor. For an ordinary ringer with no particular technical or scientific
training the hanging and arrangement of bells is an extremely difficult
undertaking, and at Balscott the problem was increased by the very lightness
of the ring. The conventional timber wheels were not possible, for example,
and the ingenious Mr Jarvis at first used bicycle wheels of varying sizes
for the purpose. The first six bells were cast by Gillett & Johnson, a
Croydon foundry that no longer undertakes this work though it still engages
in hanging and maintenance, and they were an instant success. In 1961 the
ring was augmented to ten, and was later increased, first to a complete ring
of twelve and subsequently, with ancillary bells added, to a total of
sixteen. The lightest bell weighs a mere 14lb. The bells are now hung in a
solid metal frame on aluminium wheels, in exactly the same way as church
bells. In 1971 Mr Jarvis retired and built himself a bungalow on a hill-top
site in Balscott, adjacent to the tiny red sandstone village church. Behind
the bungalow is a long, low shed of the sort used for agricultural
equipment, and at its western end a 20ft tower, green-painted and clad with
corrugated iron sheets, where Mr Jarvis has now installed his beloved bells.
The ringing chamber, 11ft by 10ft, has a low ceiling through which emerge
the ropes each with its gaily coloured sally. A ladder leads up to the
belfry, and here one is confronted with an astonishing sight. The bells
hanging there are arranged scientifically to reduce stress to a minimum,
each on its wheel and complete with slider and stay, exactly as in a church
tower. Mounted above them are the four small bells that have recently been
installed, the whole representing an incredible achievement by a man who
claims he has no technical knowledge but has just 'listened to other people
talking'. The sound of the bells is high and sweet, with a surprisingly
mellow tone for such small dimensions.

The village church has two bells only, and the Jarvis bells are rung
regularly for weddings by members of the Banbury branch of the Oxford
Diocesan Guild; they are also becoming increasingly popular with touring
bands. Each bell has been individually cast for Mr Jarvis, the later ones by
the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, and bear his name.


The bells were sold to Whites of Appleton in 1996.

David.