[Bell Historians] Re: Heavy old bells

[Brian Meldon]

--- In bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com, John Harrison <john at ...> wrote:

> But if you aren't used to reading 16th C hand-written script, you might
> find it an uphill task :-(
> 
> Regards
> 
> -- 
> John Harrison
> Website http://jaharrison.me.uk

How true John, and it is not just documents from the 16th century, it took us a couple of weeks to fully read our 1707 John Waylett court order, using photocopies of the original. Although ostensibly in the neat hand of court clerk, John Morrington, there was some very strange stuff in that one, like the shape of a kidney used for the letters `re'! (Apparently a reference to renal, so I am told??)  In fact at first we thought it was a contract for re-casting the tenor bell, it was only after it was fully de-ciphered that it became clear it was a court order against the Canewdon churchwardens taken out by Waylett for unpaid money! 
As a mater of interest John Waylett's own hand righting on another Canewdon documents was quite clear and easy to read.

Brian Meldon