[Bell Historians] heavy tenors

[David Bryant]

> Redcliffe 11th. 25 1 5, tenor 50 2 21 Taylor 1903

The tenor (and other eight Taylor 1903 bells) are correctly proportioned to
each other and are right for their notes. It is the 11th whcih is
disproportionately light for its note (C#). The other two old bells, 8 and
10, are also light relative to the others although not as much as the 11th
is.

> Exeter 11th. 40 3 19, tenor 72 2 2 Taylor 1902

The 11th is an exceptionally good bell, and the old tenor (scrapping weight
62-3-0) was recast because it was not considered good enough to cover the
tenor effectively. The cathedral asked for an extra half ton to be added to
make sure it covered effectively. In fact, a modern bell of 63 cwt would no
doubt have sufficed, but the result is very fine nevertheless.

Don't know about the others - you'd need to look and the founders and notes
in each case, and what the weight was before recasting.

David