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

[David Cawley]

Bells for Trinidad

Whitechapel Foundry printed catalogues:

1880 - No mention found.

1884 - West Indies.
          Trinidad Catholic Church 8 bells  13 cwt
          Trinidad New Church      6 bells   16 cwt
          Trinidad English Cathedral 5, to complete set of 8 bells 16cwt

1890 - To America (!)
          Trinidad Cathedral, Port of Spain, 8 bells tenor 16 cwt, total 72 cwt
          Trinidad, R. C. 8 bells, tenor 13 cwt, total 56 cwt

1895 - To Colonies and British Possessions
          1880 TRINIDAD CATHEDRAL  8 ... 16 cwt
          1830 Trinidad Catholic Church  8 ... 13 cwt
          1878 Trinidad Presbyterian Church ... 1 bell, 6 cwt

1912 - To Colonies and British Possessions
          1880 TRINIDAD CATHEDRAL  8 ... 16 cwt
          1830 Trinidad R. C.                 8 ... 13 cwt
          1902 Trinidad, Aruca Church    1 bell, 6 1/4 cwt
          1878 Trinidad, Presbyterian Church 1 bell, 6 cwt

1919 - As in the 1912 catalogue with addition of
          1914 Trinidad, St Mary's           1 bell, 7 1/4 cwt

That is the last of their 'everything in" catalogues - the next one was 1925, which contains nothing more than "Trinidad Cathedral" among the Cathedrals containing Bells from the Foundry. 

Nothing in my copies of Warner, Taylor or G&J catalogues / brochures.

I have a feeling that the "New Church" referred to in the 1884 catalogue is possibly Sir Ralph Woodward's church of 1823; if so the foundry had not realised this when they supplied five new bells (two new and three recast) to make the chime of eight in 1880. Most of these dates are at variance with the GCNA site; so it would be interesting to know ther source for their dates of 1819 [1] 1871 [1] 1880 [2] and unknown [4]. 

This only partially answers Malcolm's questions - if at all - but is I hope not entirely devoid of interest.

DLC 

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: David Bagley 
  To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2008 9:10 AM
  Subject: Re: [Bell Historians] Trinity Church bells, Port of Spain, Trinidad.


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

  David

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: <RingingMatters at 07WfukmQfkJeVU5IuAJx1hEwzW0GVNsnW7rP4r9z7uKQNrKwaTymblBimcKHU4jt5J0pygn55AATYFCtTi8.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



              
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