[Bell Historians] Lost bell of Peterborough

[David Bryant]

> Those of you who will remember the history of the old cathedral bells will
> be interested to read this article and what has been uncovered after 20
> years or more:

Interesting. I think the description of the largest bell as being a ton is a 
bit of an over-estimate - 15cwt seems a bit more like it.

I'd imagine most on here are aware, but the three bells discussed in the 
article were the front three of the old five at Peterborough Cathedral. Of 
the two larger bells, the 4th became the tenor of ten (recently augmented to 
12) at Withycombe Raleigh, Exmouth, and the tenor remains at Peterborough 
Cathedral as a slow-swinging bourdon bell.

The bells were the surviving back five of a ten, with the front five being 
sold as scrap in 1831 when the 4th (i.e. former 9th) was recast. The bells 
were rehung in a Taylor composite H / A frame in (from memory) 1889. In 
1986, the Taylor ten from the redundant St John the Divine, Leicester, were 
transferred to Peterborough and augmented with three new trebles. The 
existing frame was modified by having the tenor pit removed (the current 
tenor hangs in the old 9th pit), and new pits for the trebles built using H 
castings from the Leicester frame. The bourdon (old tenor) hangs in a new 
lowside cast iron frame above the ring.

Despite its modification, the frame is a good example of its type and shows 
the transition from A to H castings (it has both in its original design). It 
is, in my opinion, a much, much better example of a Taylor frame of this era 
than Great Malvern, and if frames of this type are to be selected for 
preservation the Peterborough one would certainly be a contender.

The remaining castings from the Leicester frame were used in building the 
frame at Towcester, and the Leicester Ellacombe apparatus and peal boards 
can now be seen at St Mary de Castro in Leicester, where list member Dave 
Cawley is the incumbent.

David