Downside and the Great Bede Story.

[Mrthigby at a...]

Bill writes:

> I knew from having read various accounts that Nolloth rejected the 
> bell on some grounds, and that it was retuned a little by Taylors 
> before installation at Downside. However, I have never seen the 
> grounds for rejection. Are Nolloth's opinions of the bell recorded in 
> writing, and if so do you have a reference?
> 

Well now - this one is a long story............

A bell measuring 6' 5½" was ordered from Taylors in 1900 by Canon Nollothfor 
Beverley Minster. The bell was cast and supplied - untuned as Taylors did not 
have, at that time, a tuning machine large enough. The bell weighed 5 ton 13 
cwt 0 qtr 21 lb in A flat. The bell was judged to be a satisfactory bourdon 
for the then 21cwt ring of 8 in Eb but when this ring was enlarged to a 41cwt 
ring of 10 in C (Harmonically tuned) - the bell was considered grand enough. A 
larger bell was purchased for Beverley and the original bourdon was taken back 
into stock in 1901.

The inscription reads:

SOLI DEO GLORIA PAX HOMINIBUS A.D. MDCCC

It would seem that the De-Lisle family knew of the presence of the rejected 
bell and communicated this information to Downside, who had at the time ordered 
a 31cwt bell.

The bell was subsequently offered to Downside at a special rate.

Around this time Taylors installed a larger vertical Lathe and took the 
opportunity to tune the bell. At the same time the waist of the bell was engraved 
with a coat of arms appropriate to Downside, and two inscription bands were 
cast and attached to either side of the massive riveted iron headstock.

The inscription plates read: 

Ego sum Rogerius Beda Vaughan, Archiepiscopus Sydneiensis 1877-1883

and

Voco Alumino Ut Gratias Hodie Agant Numini ('I call on all living here to 
give thanks this day to God' - an acrostic of 'Vaughan'
.
The retuned bell weighed 5 ton 6cwt 3qtr 21lb in G and was forwarded by 
Midland Railway to Chilcompton Station on 28th May 1903.

The bell was named "Great Bede" in memory of Archbishop Bede Vaughan who had 
died in 1883. Vaughan had been a monk at Downside and had succeeded Bede 
Polding as second Archbishop of Sydney in 1877.

The total cost including hanging was £721.2s.9d.

The Dean of Beverley wrote to Downside as follows "I have heard it since it 
was re-tuned and I consider it now to be a glorious bell..... I fancy all bells 
especially big ones have a slight 'fourth'. You will never get rid of this 
harmonic but I believe there is very little of it in this bell; while it gives 
out a full rich chord that properly tuned bells do, in contrast to the harsh 
growl of most of the big bells of this country, like Tom of Oxford and Big Ben 
of Westminster".

In the same year as Great Bede was installed, Taylors were eagerly quoting 
for a peal of 10 bells which would also serve as a clock chime. But, somewhat to 
the relief of some whose bedrooms are on the garth side of the Monastery, the 
scheme was never adopted and during the completion of the tower in 1934, the 
roundels for the three clock faces were filled with tracery and glass by Sir 
Giles Gilbert Scott.

Pockets and concrete padstones remain in the tower walls for the foundation 
beams of a bellframe.

The bell was rehung on ball bearings in 1968 and more work was carried out by 
us in 1998 including replacing the bell bolts, overhauling the tolling 
hammer, moving the wheel to the opposite side of the headstock and re-roping the 
bell so that it is now swung from the ground floor ¢120 feet below. At the same 
time all of the supporting steelwork was replaced with new galvanized beams.

The new bell at Beverley measures 7' 2¾" (also G).

To be continued one day hopefully.............

Matthew

Sources: 
Fr Charles Fitzgerald-Lombard (Abbott of Dowside in 1998 and 'keeper' of said 
bell).
His eminence Rev David L Cawley de Castro.
Copies of the 'Downside Review' - various dates.
Neil Skelton Esq.


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