[Bell Historians] A bell founder called Abbot?

[John]

--- In bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com, "Peter Rivet" <peter at ...> wrote:
>
> ...  It seems unlikely that a bell from there would turn
> up in Dumfriesshire and a Gateshead origin is more probable, but obviously more details are needed.
> 
> Peter Rivet
> 
>     The only example we have in the pNBR of an Abbot bell is:
>   Weare Giffard, Devon 2/6 1878
>   John Baldwin

Chris Pickford has kindly made it clear to me that the two founders are indeed different.  

The Gateshead one is apparently spelt Abbot.  

The Weare Gifford founder, spelt Abbott, worked from Bideford, cast few bells, and that 1878 example is the only one known to survive (see Towers and Bells of Devon, John Scott et al, Vol I, p106).  A cast of his lettering, "neat, small Roman capitals" is shown also in Devon at Plate 31e.

The pNBR founder list is being amended accordingly.  (Thanks, Chris.)

John