[Bell Historians] Re: Ash stays

[David Bryant]

> Moore, Holmes and MacKenzie fitted stays to the centre of their
> somewhat unorthodox headstocks at the end of the nineteenth
> century. The four at Surlingham, Norfolk used to be fitted thus
> (anyone know if they still are?).

Yes, they are. The bells were augmented to six by topping and tailing by
Eayre and Smith - treble hung in empty pit in frame, tenor in new pit
beneath. The fittings of the four old bells were conservatively restored.
These are the first cast iron canon retaining headstocks (I don't count the
Crediton headstock as a proper canon retainer, as it is basically a copy of
a timber one, and would have had canon straps).

David