[Bell Historians] Mells bells

[Susan & Christopher Dalton]

> In the ringing chamber at Mells, there is plenty of information about the
> bells - founders, dates and inscriptions - but a only a list of approximate
> weights. I notice that the tenor is given by Dove as 26-2-23. Are the other
> exact weights known? There is also no indication of when they were last
> restored / re-hung / tuned. Is there information available on this?
>
>   Finally, is anything more known about the Sanctus bell? It appears on
> Dove as 'unidentified founder, c1325'.
>
(I have just been able to reach my Somerset material after a lengthy spell
of inaccessibility.)

All I can offer is that the bells were comprehensively rehung (iron stocks,
b.b.s, etc.) by M & S in 1924.  I don't know if they were retuned at that
time or not, though it rather appears not.

The date for the sanctus bell, which hangs in its own cote separately from
the ring and tower, sounds about half a century too early.

At Haselbury Plucknett I have 1,2,3,5/6 M& S 1949, 4/6 L & J 1884 and 6 the
only survival of the Bilbie ring of 1735.  Weights after retuning in 1949
3-2-5, 3-2-19, -?-, 4-1-26, 5-2-0, 6-3-17.

The 1861 weights at Buckland St Mary (treble added since) were
4-2-13, 5-1-12, 6-0-22, 7-0-10, 12-2-26.

C D