[Bell Historians] Adbaston

[Stuart Hutchieson]

Hi Sam,

> Can anyone provide me with details for the ring of four at
> Adbaston, Staffs please?

Here are some details from a trip in June last year. Certainly they are not 
an easy ring and the fall of the ropes is too close to some of the ground 
floor ringing room fixtures.

Adbaston, St Michael & All Angels SJ762279 (1552: Adbaston: iiij grett 
belles & a littell bell)

A very old ring of four bells whose original second was Thomas Clibury II 
(1655 30" IOHN BRODDOCKE ESQ TV 1655). In 1906 Charles Carr restored the 
ring at a cost of £50, recasting the second (for a further £10-10-0) and 
rehanging the bells in the original wooden frame. All the canons from the 
remaining older bells were removed and only plain bearings were used. An 
interesting feature are the curved stays which are supported from the 
opposite side of the headstock by metal strips fastened to the stay near the 
top in the manner of yoke stays.

1.     W & T Clibury   1627   D     4¼cwt     27"   GLORIA IN EXCELCIS DEO 
1627
2.     Charles Carr      1906   C#    5½cwt    30"    RECAST BY CHARLES CARR 
SMETHWICK 1906 R LARGE VICAR J SHARROD G MARSH WARDENS
3.    W Clibury           1640    B     6½cwt    32¼"    IESUS BEE OUR 
SPEEDE 1640
4.    W Clibury           1640    A     8cwt       35½"    + GLORIA IN 
EXCELSIS DEO 1640

There is also a small blank calling bell. It is hung for swing chiming above 
the entrance to the belfry.

1.    ?                        1530    A    ¼cwt    9½"    (blank)

> The local villagers thought our ringing was
> wonderful and a farmer gave us a lift to High Offley in his Mercedies
> as our lift had been delayed.

High Offley are a much nicer ring by far. You may have notices the rehang 
and augmentation to five occured in 1941. I wonder how much other 
bell-related work was being undertaken at that time. Presumably the ban on 
ringing (or at least sounding) bells was in force at that time.

Stuart