[Bell Historians] Trinity Church bells, Port of Spain, Trinidad.

[David Bagley]

There's some more information at :-
http://www.gcna.org/data/TTPORTSP.HTM

David

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <RingingMatters at RNKccYmD46H-YEXsohJpvk-hh5M73XJZD4teM03eYfLNs-PxmZpQ-uWwsR6YegAxHEifWV205GWmV0jL.yahoo.invalid>
To: <bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, October 24, 2008 11:26 PM
Subject: [Bell Historians] Trinity Church bells, Port of Spain, Trinidad.


While I was doing some family history research at The Society of
Genealogists, I came across the following intriguing story:

On 23rd May 1823, Sir Ralph Woodford, Governor of Trinidad attended the
consecration of Trinity Church, Port of Spain, Trinidad.

The following extract is taken from “The History of the West Indian  Islands
of Trinidad & Tobago 1498 - 1900” by Gertrude Carmichael

“Woodford was very generous to the new  church.  He … gave … a peal of six
bells.  The bells he was unable to  hear, for though they were mounted with
wheels and ropes, there was no one in  the colony who could ring…  Later a 
Mr
Fuller and six others “who felt  inclined to learn the art of ringing” and 
who
had gone to the expense of  purchasing a set of sixteen handbells and who “
expected a ringing tutor from  England”, came forward with proposals for 
organised
bell-ring.  In spite of  this Woodford was destined never to hear his bells
ring, for the great  earthquake of September 20th, 1825, damaged the church 
and
the tower had to be  rebuilt, the bells not being rehung for some years.”

1. Do we know who cast these bells?
2. Who hung  them?
3. How the project was completed without Governor Woodward,  or his project
co-ordinator being told that trained ringers would be required to  ring the
bells?
4. Who rehung the bells years after the  earthquake?
5. What happened to these bells.  Are they still there  and/or in use?

Malcolm Bland