[Bell Historians] Heythrop, Roehampton, etc.

[Susan & Christopher Dalton]

>> Did he, or has someone else?
>> R
>> 
>> In the interests of accuracy (having checked Ranald Clouston's
> notes instead
>> of relying on my failing memory), TC Lewis tuned the 2nd and tenor
> at
>> Heythrop, not the treble. According to RWMC they were "turned
> shoulder to
>> mid soundbow."
>> Nick
>>
>
> This is all most interesting!
>
> Having tuned these bells and most of the bells at Roehampton, why did
> he suddenly stop tuning?   All the bells at Shipbourne and Kingsbury
> (it is said he cast nearly 20 bells before he had an eight he was
> satified with for this job!)are most definitely maidens.
>
> One would have thought that, having gone to the expense of installing
> a tuning machince, Lewis would have continued to use it.   Or, at
> Heythrop and Roehampton, are we seeing tuning done by another party
> subsequent to the original installation?

I don't think so, but
>
this all needs further exploration (T C Lewis's tuning, that is).

My 1970 notes on Roehampton indicate that no. 1 (of 13) was maiden but nos.
2 to 6 inclusive all bore marks of original skirting, i.e. sharpening.  3, 4
and flat4 had been quite heavily skirted.  I did not note any tuning inside
the other six bells but I think Ranald Clouston did.  Anyway, on the
evidence of Heythrop, Lewis possessed - or had access to - a tuning lathe.
Some of the light bells at Roehampton are close to true-harmonic which,
according to his writings, is not at all what he was aiming for.

C D