The 26 bells of St Wilfrid's Harrogate

[Andrew Aspland]

Reading the appendices to Dove's guides (5th Ed. 1976) implies that St
Wilfrid's Harrogate back six were recast from the six at High Hoyland and
that the treble of eight at All Saints, Sculcoates, Hull was used in the
augmentation of the Harrogate bells to eight. Lincolnshire Bells and
Bellfounders tells that a bell from St Benedicts, Lincoln was also used.
However I have recently had access to the St Wilfrid's scrap book which
includes Ron Dove's notes on the bells. They include the following detailed
and comprehensive list of bells sold to the bell founders.

FOR THE SIX BELLS

High Hoyland - Six bells (weights given: 1, 3-3-8; 2, 4-1-14; 3, 4-2-26; 4,
5-2-4; 5, 6-2-12; 6, 9-2-6)

St Benedict's Lincoln - Mears & Stainbank London SCA CATARINA ORA PRO NOBIS
MCMXXXVIII 7-2-0

Christ Church, Meadow Lane, Leeds - smaller of two previous bells, inscribed
THOMAS MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1832 4-0-7

Holy Trinity, Lawkholme, Keighley (demolished) Single bell inscribed FEAR
GOD, HONOUR THE KING. VICTORIA, JUBILEE 1887 J. SHAW SON & CO. FOUNDERS
BRADFORD 3-2-6

St Mary of Bethany, New Wortley, Leeds JOHN WARNER & SON 1887 3-2-17

St Mary's Luddenden (a richly decorated apparently medieval bell - badly
cracked) 6-0-14

St Luke's Middlestown IESUS BE OVR SPEED A S WC FECIT 1662 I S [weight not
given]

The Holy Spirit, Beeston, Leeds Unnamed bell used at the old "tin church"
0-2-0

All Hallows' Leeds, Broken bell from church destroyed by fire JOHN TAYLOR &
CO FOUNDERS LOUGHBOROUGH 1887 11-1-5

Manchester, Little sisters of the poor, three small bells by Warners 1914
used for the ting tang and hours on the clock at the demolished hostel
(total weight) 2-0-21

Sunderland, Old Tram Sheds BARWELL OF BIRMINGHAM 1907 2-3-13

Baildon Mechanic's Institute Hour bell by Warners 1858 3-1-9

FOR THE TWO TREBLES

St Peter's Hunslet Moor, Leeds Wm. Blews B'ham 1867 3-0-19

Ryhope, Sunderland unnamed bell dated 1770 0-3-4

All Saints, Sculcoates, Hull Warners 1899 6-0-6

St Clement's Sheepscar, Leeds Taylor Loughborough 1868 5-1-6

St Mary's, Quarry Hill, Leeds C & G Mears London 1847 19-0-4

St Peter's, Blackburn Thomas Mears 1834 11-2-6

All Saints, Blackburn unnamed and undated bell 0-3-16

OTHER BELLS MENTIONED

So that High Hoyland would not be devoid of a bell the Sanctus bell from the
closed St John's Church, Tong Street, Bradford was fitted up for chiming.

The first Simpson tuned bells produced in 1906 by [...] Gillett and
Johnston, the hour and four quarter bells of the clock at Elestree School,
Herts. were acquired. The hour bell was sold to Luddenden Church near
Halifax and the largest of the four quarters replaced the bell at
Middlestown near Wakefield.

The single bell of 6.125 cwt. from the "round church" [All Saints Pilgrim
Street] Newcastle was bought and proved to be ideal for the new All Hallows
Church Leeds and was exchanged for the broken bell from the previous church
destroyed by fire in 1970.

Exchange of Mears 1859 bell from St Mary's Crumpsall, Manchester for smaller
Taylor bell from former Briercliffe Reading Room and used as a replacement
bell at All Saints Blackburn.


Ron Dove would have known of many of these bells through his work for Potts
clock makers. It seems remarkable that so many bells should have been used
in the casting of the eight and only the former ringing bells got a mention
in "Dove". It is the Sculcoates bell and the Sheepscar bell whose
inscriptions were used on the two trebles.

Andrew





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