[Bell Historians] Toby Norris I

[Richard Smith]

Thanks for your helpful comments, George.

> Inspection of the inscription in CBCambs reveals that they 
> have badge [81]. This is the same as CBLincs [2].

My copy of Raven's Cambridgeshire doesn't have a badge 81, 
and I can't see a badge that does look like the [2] from 
North's Lincolnshire.  It does list the Norris owl (fig 28, 
facing p.34) which is apparently on the All Saints, 
Cambridge bell.  Am I missing some pages?

> The inscription at Swayfield, Lincs (2nd of 3) has [2] and 
> includes ... TOBIE NORRIS CAST ME.

I'd noticed this bell, but the inscription is different, and 
not being aware of any similarity in the badge, I didn't 
consider it further.  The 3 of 3 there, on the other hand, 
did have the same inscription, but no founder name, and a 
different badge [3].

> There similar bells at Pinchbeck, Deeping St James to 
> mention but 2 more.

Deeping St James is particularly good -- thanks for that -- 
two of the bells have that inscription followed by TOBIE 
NORRIS CAST ME (on one) and TOBIE NORRIS FECIT (on the 
other).

In general, though, how reliable is comparing the badges 
when the badge is a very simple geometric figure such as 
North's [2], [3] and [5]?  In particular, I notice that 
[5] (and I think [3]) both appear on the Priest's bell at 
Great St Mary's.  This bears the inscription

   [3] THIS [5] BELL [5] WAS [5] MADE [5] BY [5] IOHN [5]
   WARRIN [5] 1607 [3]

on one line around the shoulder joining up at badge [3]. 
I'm certain I've correct identified badge [5]; the only 
photo I have of the [3] on this bell is a little unclear. 
I'll take a better photo or rubbing when I'm next in the 
tower.

If badges [3] and [5] are usually reliable indicators of a 
Toby Norris bell, what are we to make of this bell?

I've always been a bit sceptical about the founder who 
produced our priest's bell.  No other bells by a John Warren 
are known, and I'm also suspicious as a John Warren, a 
vintner, was churchwarden at GSM in 1607 and he was largely 
responsible for overseeing the completion of the tower that 
was going on at that time.  (That said, there was certainly 
a second, rather younger, John Warren in the parish at the 
time, perhaps the son of the churchwarden, and it seems that 
he may have been a blacksmith.  Conventional wisdom has it 
that the priest's bell was his sole attempt at bell founding 
-- if so, it's rather good for a first attempt.)

RAS