[Bell Historians] Steel ring at Holy Trinity, Bolton

[Chris Pickford]

Never a steel ring, but quite an interesting history

Prior to 1877, Holy Trinity had a Mears ring - built up piecemeal between 1825 and 1861. These bells (their dates removed) are now the middle six of the eight at West Teignmouth, Devon. They were installed at Teignmouth, with added treble and tenor to make eight, in March 1879.

Basically (I'll omit the detailed evidence from which I know all this to be correct) the Bolton ring (and the Teignmouth middle six) were / are as follows:

1. Mears & Co - i.e. G. Mears & Co 1861. 5-1-23
2. Mears Founders - i.e. C. & G. Mears 1853. 5-3-14
3. G. Mears & Co - 1861. 6-3-21
4. Mears Founders - i.e. C. & G. Mears 1853. 6-3-7
5. Mears & Co - i.e. G. Mears & Co 1861. 8-1-4
6. Mears of London Fecit - i.e. Thomas Mears II, probably 1825 (when the Bolton church was first built). 10-0-2

These weights are as recorded when the bells returned to Whitechapel in 1877. The records show that the two bells of 1853 were originally supplied for the quarter chimes of the clock. Mears supplied a six-bell frame and five sets of ringing fittings (with bells 1, 3 and 5) in 1861. So, Holy Trinity had a ring of six (tenor 10-0-2) from 1861 to 1877.

In 1877, Mears & Stainbank supplied a new ring of eight - 5-1-11, 5-3-14, 6-2-15, 7-0-25, 8-2-24, 9-2-26, 11-3-6, 15-2-25. They were invoiced on 29 January 1877, so the bells may have been cast (and dated) in 1876

After the fire, Mears & Stainbank supplied a lsightly heavier replacement eeight in 1920 (now at Preston, of course), the original weights and diameters of which were 1. 28½" 5-0-20, 2. 29¼" 5-0-22, 3. 31" 5-3-6, 4. 34" 7-0-5, 5. 36" 7-3-14, 6. 38" 9-0-9, 7. 42" 12-1-8, 8. 47½" 17-1-14 in E 

CJP           
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