[Bell Historians] Canewdon John Waylett bell.

[Anne Willis]

Hard as it may be for us to imagine these days, it was quite common place
for itinerant bell founders to a temporary bell foundry close to the church
for which they had been contracted to cast a bell.   William Chapman set up
a furnace and casting pit in the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral in 1762
and cast a three ton bell for the Cathedral 
imagine the health and
safety risk assessment document you’d have to write to do that today!
 
Richard
 
There’s lovely accounts in the Wiltshire record office concerning the
casting of bells for Melksham and Highworth by Roger Purdue I.  These are
both in the churchwardens’ accounts, and include items such as the pit, the
furnace clay and the necessity of going to Devizes to get the money.
Neither set of bells seems to have been cast satisfactorily first time
round.  I get the impression that Roger P. cast single bells at Bristol (as
for Broad Blunsdon) and peals on or near site.   The Lacock Purdue five were
probably cast at Melksham. 

Bits of paper can stray.  The accounts for the Hannington bells, which were
cast at the same time as Highworth, are bound up with the parish registers.
It’s rather good as the weights are given.  [The ‘IS’ on the bells which
seems to have confused Walters is John Stubbs, the Vicar.]
from WSRO1819/2, p.75
	
	Our bells of this parish of Hannington were cast into five being
before but three in the yeare of the LD 1639; they were first plac’d in the
tower and ringed the 31 of December p’dict.  This worke was done by the
industry of John Stubbes Mr of Arts and Vicar of this place:
	Hump: Yorke cooaptor & part free guift of
			    Ralfe Freke)	Dom
			William Freke)	Manerii

	The trebell weigheth	5  0  9
	The Second			5  0 11
	The Third			6  0  2
	The Fourth			7  3 15
	The Fifth		      10 2 11

Humphrey Yorke was church warden from 1641-1647, and among his disbursements
are the following undated entries:
	
	for carringe the bells to & from highworth at 3/- the carriage  9/-
	for my expences at highworth when the bells were cast	3/-
        to Nicholus for bringing a load of bels from highworth	3/-
        
        
        Anne