Norton etc

[Chris Pickford]

Okay, rising to CD's challenge here's the best list I can cobble together without further research, listing complete rings (six and upwards, and rings only) in 1895-7. I'm lacking "completion" dates where there are blanks. All E&OE

Year
Mo
Day
Place
County
Bells
Tenor

1895
01
31
Bedford, St.Peter
Bedfordshire
6
13

1895
03
23
Walkley, St. Marys. 
Yorkshire
6
13

1895
05
23
Oxton. 
Cheshire
8
20

1895
07
06
Empingham. 
Rutland
6
16

1895
09
12
Newcastle-on-Tyne, St. Matthew's. 
Northumberland
8
31

1896
01
04
Cambridge, St.Mary's R.C. 
Cambridgeshire
9
32

1896
06
22
Brewood 
Staffordshire
8
22

1896
09
05
Merthyr Tydfil, Co.Glamorgan. (cast earlier - 1893?) 
Wales
8
20

1896
12
04
Norton 
Derbyshire
8
16

1897


Tushingham. 
Cheshire
6
11

1897


Dublin, St. Patrick's Cathedral
Ireland
10
45

1897


Reddish, St. Elisabeth's. 
Lancashire
8
12

1897


Sedburgh
Yorkshire
8
15

1897
02
22
Hartford. 
Cheshire
6
12

1897
04
08
Thrapston. 
Northamptonshire
8
14

1897
06
21
Todmorden. 
Lancashire
8+3
23

1897
09
11
Devynock, Co. Brecon. 
Wales
6
15

1897
11
01
Middleton 6
Yorkshire
6
14

1897
12
16
Heavitree. 
Devon
8
26

1898


Ampthill (5 in 1897, treble 1898)
Bedfordshire
6
14

1898


Werrington. 
Devon
8
15

1898


East Tytherley. 
Hampshire
8
11


This should help to answer the question of which ring is "the first" - once AWRW's classification is applied (though it depends how strict on purity of true harmony one wants to be - still room for a degree of subjectivity). But it's only part of the picture, and a careful study of the chimes, clock bells, singles and bells in old rings is really important to get a handle on just when Taylors really perfected the art. 

Just a comment. To my mind, St.Pat's Dublin really show just how far Taylors had come in barely a year since their first forays into true-harmonic tuning. Pity I don't know quite where they fit in the chronology. Sedbergh, too, are a pretty splendid ring - quite equal to Werrington, which I really admire.

CP



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