[Bell Historians] Prinknash / Caldey

[David Cawley]

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I think I was away when this last came up and you were all saved my outpour=
ings!

The 3rd and 7th were cast in 1909 in time for the opening of the chapel, wh=
ich became the Abbey Church. Both were hung for ringing.

In 1910, the six remaining bells were cast (to ringing weights), and hung f=
or chiming. There is no room in the small tower for a ringing peal of this =
size.

The changes in fortunes of the Abbey are as Bill states; one of the reasons=
for the transfer of the bells, and much else besides, is that the Cisterci=
an Order is much more austere than the Benedictine and the liturgical provi=
sions require only two bells (compare Mount St Bernard). The Cistercians h=
ad purchased the whole property and the bells were legally theirs; however =
they allowed the six chiming bells to go to Prinknash, where they were hung=
with a new 3rd and 7th in a steel chiming frame, being sounded by an Ellac=
ombe Apparatus. They were moved to the new Abbey when the Community moved =
in there.=20=20

The intention at Prinknash was to hang them eventually for ringing, proposa=
l drawings having made by John Taylor & Co in 1940 and again in 1969; indee=
d, the two replacement bells are hung on ringing headstocks, complete with =
gudgeons and ball bearings, but no other ringing fittings.

The two 1909 bells survived the fire which left the present Caldey Abbey Ch=
urch roofless in 1948. They are as stated used for liturgical purposes onl=
y.

The various issues of Pax, the magazine of the Anglican Benedictine Communi=
ty on Caldey gives an account of the casting of the two ringing bells. Int=
er alia, "Mr Taylor showed how simple it is to tune a bell perfectly. He i=
s able to tell the difference between a note of 1005 vibrations to the seco=
nd and a note of 1006"=20

The bells were uised as follows:-

Angelus: 7th
De Profundis, after Compline: tenor
Elevation at Conventual Mass: tenor
Call to Lesser Hours: 3rd
Call to Matins, Conventual Mass & Vespers: Whole peal chimed
(On Festivals) The two ringing bells additionally rung up

Abbot Aelred Carlyle said, "In time to come when the Tower of the future Ab=
bey is built, we hope to make our peal into one of twelve by adding two lar=
ger and two smaller ones with one of five tons to strike the hours". Canon =
Nolloth, eat your heart out! - but of course Aelred was a visionary, whose =
dreams, unlike the Canon's, did not always turn into reality. And, also unl=
ike the Canon, he was always seeking funds.

The Church Bells of Gloucestershire being a very Anglican book omits Prinkn=
ash - even though six of the bells were once Anglican ones. Here are the d=
etails of the bells:

Treble, 26.1/2", E, 3-3-27
(waist) Monachorum Adiuva Aidane Patrone / Fove Nos Monastica De Profession=
e

2nd, 27.1/2", D#, 4-1-12
(waist) Sancte Aelrede Gratiam Cocede Vitae Aeternae Nos Supernae Aulae Hae=
redes

3rd (old), 29.1/2", C#, 4-3-18
(new), 29.1/2", C#, 5-0-11
(i/r) Bernardi Meritis Mereamur Gaudia Coeli

4th, 32.1/2", B, 6-2-10
(waist) Ego Natus Cambiae Atque Pastor Bonus / Nunc Eius Ecclesiae Factus S=
um Patronus

5th, 37", A, 10-0-4
(waist) Anglorum Iam Apostolus / Nunc Angelorum Socius Gregorius

6th, 38.1/2", G#, 11-3-18
(i/r) Fuit Vir Vitae Venerabilis Gratia Benedictus Et Nomine

7th (old), 44.1/8", F#, 15-3-1
(new), 44", F#, 17-1-2
(i/r) STELLA MARIA MARIS SUCCURRE PIISIMA NOBIS

Tenor 49", E, 21-3-1
(i/r) THOMAS SPES ANGLORUM ET SANCTE HUGO VENERATE INTERCEDITE COELUM REDDI=
TE VOTA PATRATE

On the opposite waist there is the "John & Denison Taylor/Loughborough" bad=
ge with the date 1910; on the present Prinknash 3rd & 7th there is the "Tay=
lor/Loughboro" badge with 1931. The special inscriptions on the front six =
are in Black-Letter upper- and lower-case, and the back two in Lombardic ca=
pital lettering.=20=20=20=20

All the bells have names correpsonding to their inscriptions; excepting the=
4th. And who is it ? Answer: DAVID !

DLC
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Bill Hibbert=20
To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com=20
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2003 11:09 AM
Subject: [Bell Historians] Prinknash / Caldey


We had a correspondence about this last September / October. You may=20
recall that the eight now hung in the grounds at Prinknash were=20
originally at Caldey Island (off the Pembrokeshire coast near Tenby).=20
When they were removed, bells 3 and 7 of the eight were left behind=20
and replaced with new bells. The bells at Caldey are both (probably)=20
Taylors 1909.=20

Various correspondents asked about the state of the bells still at=20
Caldey, why 3 and 7 were retained, whether they could be rung etc.=20

I visited Caldey last week, as you do, and attended a brief service=20
at the Cistercian abbey. The abbey was (re)founded in 1906 and the=20
current buildings built in 1910, supporting the 1909 date for the=20
bells. When originally founded it was an Anglo-Catholic institution,=20
and was intended as the nucleus of a boy's prep school to be built on=20
the island. In 1913, the Abbott and many of the monks converted to=20
Roman Catholicism, the CofE having become unhappy with the form of=20
worship. The community became Benedictine. In the 20s the abbey=20
finances began to fail, probably because the fund-raising efforts of=20
the Abbott could not be sustained. The island was sold to the=20
Cistercians in 1926 (supposedly to stop it being bought by the=20
CofE!). The Benedictines had the right to buy it back if they could=20
raise enough money, but failed and in about 1929 left for Prinknash.

Most of the Abbey buildings, including the Abbey church, were=20
severely damaged in a fire in 1940. I do not know if the bells were=20
saved or replaced at this time.

The bells are in active use. They are swing-chimed, or rather rung=20
part way up, judging by the sound. The smaller of the two was used to=20
announce the service, and the larger to ring the Angelus. Both were=20
also rung at other points in the service I attended. The reason, I=20
imagine, for retaining bells 3 and 7 was to give bells a fifth apart,=20
which sounds good given the way they are used. The bigger bell in=20
particular sounds very fine.

I was forbidden by my wife from asking permission to view the bells=20
(which are hung in a small tower behind the Abbey church, not visible=20
from the public areas). Given the active use of the bells throughout=20
the day in workship, and the fact that most areas of the Abbey are=20
closed to the public, I suspect a request to go and ring the bells=20
might be politely declined.

It was good to discover that two fine-sounding and historically=20
interesting bells were being put to good use; they are clearly valued=20
by their owners.

Bill H



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