[Bell Historians] Oil for bell bearings in parish records

[Richard Johnston]

I am currently going through the churchwarden accounts for Plymtree 
Devon, which has bells that were definitely regularly rung (bell 
ropes and repairs and Nov 5 payments), and also has a clock.

There are annual entries for oil for the clock, after it was 
installed, which they were drowning in oil at the rate of 1/2 pint a 
year, but there are no entries at all for oil for the bells. 

If the bells weren't oiled, this might explain why the bell ringing 
seems to have resulted in a lot of structural damage.

Is this lack of mention of bell oil common, or is this case unusual?

Richard Johnston