[Bell Historians] Thatcham tenor - a few bells are heavier than reputed

[La Greenall laalaagrr@googlemail.com [bellhistorians]]

When I was researching the bells of Waltham Abbey (Essex) for a small 
pamphlet I wrote on them back in 2009, a friend with contacts in Taylors 
asked them for any records they had, and amongst what they supplied was 
a list of the weights of the bells. Some of them differed to the weights 
stated in old lists kept by the church itself, and published elsewhere 
back in the day, and after further enquiries it transpired that the 
weights specified by the foundry at the time of the casting, in 1914, of 
four new bells and the recasting of five of the original ring of eight, 
to make a ring of twelve, were given with a sprinkle of liberality, some 
weights being on the generous side, as a ploy to confuse competing 
foundries. The more accurate recent data follows, with other specs 
incorporated:

Bell Diameter Weight Pitch
Service 24” 61 cm
Treble 24⅛” 61.4 cm 4-2-9 513 lb 233 kg G (1601 Hz)
2nd 26⅛” 66.4 cm 4-3-8 540 lb 245 kg F (1421 Hz)
3rd 27¼” 69.2 cm 5-1-3 591 lb 268 kg E (1342 Hz)
4th 29” 73.7 cm 5-1-17 605 lb 275 kg D (1196 Hz)
5th 32” 81.3 cm 7-0-2 786 lb 357 kg C (1065 Hz)
6th 33⅞” 86 cm 6-3-19 775 lb 352 kg B (1004.5 Hz)
7th 36¼” 92 cm 8-0-13 909 lb 413 kg A (895 Hz)
8th 39½” 100.3 cm 11-2-4 1,292 lb 587 kg G (798 Hz):
9th 44⅛” 112.1 cm 15-1-19 1,727 lb 784 kg F (710.5 Hz)
10th 47½” 120.7 cm 17-3-20 2,008 lb 911 kg E (670 Hz)
11th 52½” 133.4 cm 26-0-14 2,926 lb 1,328 kg D (597 Hz)
Tenor 59” 149.9 cm 37-1-7 4,179 lb 1,897 kg C (532 Hz)
Flat 6th 36” 91 cm 8-0-6 902 lb 409 kg B flat

Lawrence Greenall, Waltham Abbey Hist Soc.


On 18/09/2017 13:28, Ken Webb ken44webb at gmail.com [bellhistorians] wrote:
>
> On 18/09/2017 11:19, 'Chris Pickford' c.j.pickford.t21 at btinternet.com 
> [bellhistorians] wrote:
>>
>> So the 18 cwt in Thatcham’s case is, surely, just an approximate 
>> value (not an exact weight). If you look at tenor weights (where the 
>> bells then and now are the same) in old editions of Dove, you’ll 
>> quickly see how approximate weights were seldom other than greatly in 
>> excess of the subsequently discovered actual weight (a striking 
>> instance is Church Honeybourne, reputed 19.75cwt, actual 12-1-0). 
>> Edington priory was one exception (estimated 23 cwt, and actually 
>> heavier at 25-0-6 before tuning etc – now 24-0-24).
>>
>
> Another example of a new weight greater than previously is Bremhill, 
> Wilts tenor.
> Reputed 18.3.19 in CBW by Walters 1929 (source of the weights not 
> known to me). Although the bells were rehung in a new frame in 1913 it 
> appears the larger ones were not removed from the tower after the work 
> to the tower in 1864 (sound chamber floor hole too small).
> Actual 19.1.11 in 2011 before tuning, 17.2.5 in 2011 after tuning & 
> removal of cast in staple - both weights from Whitechapel. (The 5th 
> was reputed to be 14.0.0 & was actually 14.0.4 before tuning per  
> Whitechapel 2001.)
> Regards
> Ken
>
>
>
>
> 

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