Roger Rice, 1743

[Carl S Zimmerman]

Histories of Chester, Pennsylvania, USA, and of St.Paul's Episcopal 
Church in that town, mention a bell made in England and inscribed 
"Roger Rice, Chester 1743". This bell may have been recast/replaced 
by Wilbanks of Philadelphia about 1835, possibly replicating the 
older inscription. The bell was moved from the second building of 
this parish to the third one in April 1900. In 1909 the church 
acquired an 11-bell chime from the Meneely/Watervliet foundry.

I don't know whether the old bell survives, because all of the above 
information was found on the Web, and I haven't yet contacted the 
church directly. Also, I haven't found anything else on the Web 
about "Roger Rice" that can be connected with either bells or the 
1740s.

The point of this message is to ask the English historians the following:

1) Is "Roger Rice" a known bellfounder c.1743?

2a) If so, where was he working? (Chester would be a nice coincidence!)
2b) If not, what other foundries existed in 1743 that might have 
exported a bell to the colonies? (Whitechapel is obvious; but who 
else?)

3) Any other hints/suggestions/clues to explicate this matter?

Thanks in advance!

-- 
Carl Scott Zimmerman, CCP <XNS-Name:=Carl Scott Zimmerman=>
Certified Computing Professional (ICCP) Campanologist
Co-Webmaster: http://www.gcna.org/
Avocation: tower bells / Recreation: handbells / Mission: church bells
Voicemail: +1-314-361-5194 (home) E-mail: csz_stl at s...
Saint Louis, Missouri, USA - - 19th c. home of at least 33 bell
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