Plymouth

[jim phillips]

DLC wrote:-

>but Cyril Johnston was very busy in the area at the time. He purchased the
damaged ring of ten from Charles Church, Plymouth >as scrap ("at an absurdly
low figure - but cannot vouch for this" per JT & Co).

I heard a different story about Charles Church from the late Canon C K Peake
then vicar of St Paul's church Truro, where I was taught to handle a bell.
Canon Peake told me that the Plymouth City Corporation had 'pinched' the
bells. There must be a local record of what actually happened to these
bells and if the City Corporation had taken them it is only right that the
Guild of Devonshire ringers should now ask for them back! The tower and
spire of Charles Church appear in good order and remains, together with the
walls of the church, as a memorial to the Plymouth blitz. Charles Church is
well known for a former vicar Dr Robert Hawker, author of 'Morning Portion
and Evening Portion'. Dr Hawker's son Jacob Stephen Hawker was for thirty
years Curate and then Vicar of Stratton and in turn his son R S Hawker
became the famous Vicar of Morenstow who wrote much poetry about bells and
ringers.