Leake, Nth Yorks

[davidhird_uk]

I heard they were a ring but E&S converted them to a chime.

David

--- In bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com, "Mike Chester" <mike at m...> 
wrote:
> 
> I've passed this church at 70mph or so dozens of times! I've 
always 
> thought that this church was obviously Norman in origin and worth 
a 
> visit. However, inevitably, I have never got round to it.
> 
> I've found an interesting website at 
> 
> http://www.thirsk.org.uk/knayton/stmaryl1.html
> 
> Which says
> 
> The tower contains 3 bells, one* of which has an interesting 
history. 
> The men of Leake seem to have been successful snappers-up of 
> unconsidered trifles of the Dissolution and this bell snatched 
from 
> Henry VIII's melting pot was no mean acquisition. it has the 
> legend "O PATER AELRED GRENDALE MISERERE" which may be 
translated "O 
> Father Aelred pray for the sinners of Grendale".* Aelred was the 
> third abbot of Rievaulx, 1147-67, not many miles away. Grendale 
was 
> another Cistercian house a few miles south of Loftus, the site now 
> known as Handale. Two possibilities suggest themselves. The first 
is 
> that the bell was at Rievaulx at the time of the Dissolution and 
was 
> the gift of the nuns (Grendale) to Rievaulx; the second is that 
the 
> bell came from Grendale itself. Whichever is correct - and we 
shall 
> never know - the bell remains a fascinating link with medieval 
times 
> and is stated by Aelred's biographer to be the only medieval 
> invocation of Aelred's prayers that he has ever found.
> 
> *JOHANNIS pe STASSORD (Stafford) the bellfounder worked 1338-1371, 
so 
> this bell must date to his working life.
> 
> 
> Can anyone fill me in on the details? I assume that the bells 
> are/have always been for chiming.
> 
> Mike