[Bell Historians] Re: Edinburgh bells

[A Willis]

Regarding the recent e-mails concerning that unnamed church in Edinburgh, I
have a slight problem.

Matthew Higby wrote that the bells were by Lester, Pack and Chapman. If the
date on the bells is correct these gentlemen would have been long dead when
the bells were cast. I had heard that the bells were by William and Thomas
Mears, and their dates fit that in the ‘family tree’ at the front of the
booklet Whitechapel published in the late 1970’s.

However the advert for Thomas Mears on the same page states that the firm
was ‘late Lester, Pack and Chapman’. Was the foundry trading under that
name until Thomas Mears took over. If so, why?

There seems to be a precedent for using a previous founder’s stamp. The
bell at Corsham Almshouse was cast in 1668, and the inscription reads

THIS BELL BELONGS TO THE ALMES HOVSE OF CORSHAM
THE HONORABLE DAME MARGARET HUNGERFORD JVNE 6
THOMAS BARTLETT FOVNDER 1668 (WHITECHAPEL STAMP)

According to the booklet Thomas Bartlett was known to have been casting
bells in 1616, but seems to have been succeeded by an Anthony Bartlett by
1640.
Any ideas anyone?
AW