[Bell Historians] Day of Eye

[Chris Pickford]

I'm certainly not equipped to give "chapter and verse", but can add a 
little to the helpful and informative responses already made by DLC and 
Peter Trent. I haven't researched the firm's work in full by any means, 
but I looked into their metal frames when working on /Bellframes/, and 
always maintained a passing interest in Day jobs when I lived in 
Bedfordshire as the firm did a fair bit of work west of Norfolk and 
Suffolk. Indeed they worked in Herefordshire and Warwickshire, among 
other places far from Eye.

Matthew specifically asked:
1. When did the start/finish etc?
2. Did his work include cast iron frames?
3. Are there any quirks or things which can easily identify their work?
4. Are there any lists of known work?

1. DLC has suggested 1860s to 1920s for start and finish dates. That's 
about right. The Broome job he mentions was actually 1872 (/Church Bells 
/1872 p.175) and happens to be the earliest definite job I've found. 
There may well have been earlier jobs. Blunham (Beds), 1926, is the 
last. However, we do have an end-date for the Days, as in February 1930 
Alfred Bowell finished off a rehanging at Downham Market - the work was 
"started by Days of Eye who went out of business". As to the 
"established 1802" mentioned by Peter, this probably relates to Day's 
succession to an older business - but not necessarily a bellhanger.

2. I said "yes" in my initial reply yesterday, but on checking I was 
wrong (or rather I mis-read the question!). I don't think Days did do 
cast-iron frames, but (as DLC has said) they certainly made iron ones. 
These (with their dates) are in /Bellframes/ as types 8.1.B.a, 
8.1.C.a,//and some offities 8.1.F.b-d

3. DLC has already covered this, and I agree with what he says. Their 
work was sturdily robust - good solid timbers, no skimping on metalwork 
etc. The bearing blocks (rather than the housings, I think) are often 
date-stamped. The "eye" mark certainly appears on many bells they 
commissioned.

4. As to lists, there's a list of Day jobs from the NDA reports 
1879-1920 on my Bowell CD - but in Norwich Diocese only. But the firm 
also produced several books of testimonials - I have copied, but haven't 
yet extracted jobs and dates into a list - which are an invaluable 
source for identifying Day jobs, expecially since they have indexes. 
I've picked up some Day jobs from the ringing periodicals and "county 
books" too, a hundred or so jobs 1872-1926 - in a spreadsheet, but no 
more than the "start" of a proper list


-- 
Chris Pickford
E-mail: c.j.pickford at ... or (interchangeably) 
c.j.pickford.t21 at ...
           
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