Fw: South Somercoates

[David Bryant]

And another

----- Original Message -----
From: David Cawley
To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2003 7:57 PM
Subject: South Somercoates


Gothic lettering was certainly used on the 1869 Worcester ring; whether it
was reproduced (in facsimile) or repeated in another Gothic font, I don't
know. Taylors were using a handsome Gothic font designed by Charles Hansom
in the mid 19th-century, but I am fairly certain that this is not the font
used on the Worcester bells. Thomas and C&G Mears used a particularly nasty
form of Lombardic upper-case at the time, but I think that George Mears
introduced a new, Kimber-designed type in time for Big Ben II, whose
lettering and ornament are especially good.

I believe that the "South Somercoates" stamps at Whitechapel, which include
letters not used at S.S., but easily reproducible from contemporary sources,
was developed for Westminster Abbey in 1919, in respect of the two new
trebles and the replacement 3rd. I have a copy of a letter from A.A.H. to
H.B.Walters thanking him for helping with the translations and lettering -
althought Somercoates is not specifically mentioned. I understand it has
been used elsewhere, though the only example I have seen is on the treble
bell they installed to make five at Eythorne, near Dover, in 1924.

DLC