[Bell Historians] RE: Bilbie/Rudhall bells

[David Bryaant]

"For the period, I consider that the Evans foundry of Chepstow cast better
bells. The six at Cwmdu, which were left untuned when Eayre & Smith rehung
them, are - to my ears anyway - a very pleasant old-style six, and the
decision not to retune them was the correct one."

Good point. The Evans 10th at Exeter Cathedral is a very fine-sounding bell,
and I've come across other very good examples too - from memory, the back
five at Luccombe in Somerset are very nice.

" David's comments on the Bilbies are interesting, as they were direct
competitors to Evans, as the well-known inscription at Backwell bears
testament."

I've heard quite a lot of Bilbie bells, and most of those by the Chewstoke
branch of the family seem to be old-style but generally quite
decent-sounding. The Cullompton branch of the family, however, produced some
pretty awful bells - I'm pretty sure the tenor at Staple Fitzpaine is one of
them (detail for this tower is incomplete on Dove), and it's undoubtedly one
of the worst-sounding bells I've ever heard.

David 

           
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