[Bell Historians] Early examples of retuned rings

[Neal Dodge]

Here's some early references from the CC's collated newspaper extracts

*The Two new Trebles for St. Giles's (Norwich) here are so curiously hit by
Mr. Newman the Founder, and the rest so greatly improved by the Direction
of Mr. William Goddard, that *Every body* must acknowledge them to be the
most Tuneable Peal of Eight in this City.*
(Norwich Gazette, Sat. 30 Sept. 1738)

*Whereas the Peal of Bells at Long-Stratton in Norfolk, have been lately
put in Tune by the famous Mr. COLLETT of Diss, and are thought (by those
that are very good Judges of Ringing) to be the most musical Peal of Five
Bells anywhere near them; notwithstanding they were so very much out of
Tune before...*
(Norwich Gazette, Sat. 9 Feb. 1745 - advert)

*Yesterday the Drapers Company held their annual election dinner at their
hall in Throgmorton Street. They went first to the parish church of St.
Michael, Cornhill, upon which occasion the twelve fine bells in the steeple
of the said church were rung for the first time since they have been new
tuned.*
(Lloyd’s Evening Post, Wed. 3 Aug. - Fri. 5 Aug. 1763)

*Last Tuesday Morning a Peal of Five Thousand One Hundred and Thirty
Grandsire Cators, (which lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes,) was compleatly
Rung by the Nottingham Change Ringers upon the 10 Bells at Grantham,
Lincolnshire, which are the only Peal of 10 in the County and allowed to be
as compleat in all respects as any in the Kingdom; the 1st, 2d, 3d, 9th,
and Tenor, are all new Bells, cast by Mr. Pack and Co. of White Chapel,
London; the other 5 are part of the old set of 8, the new Tenor weighs 30
C. 26 lb. and her Pitch is in D – the Peal was Tuned and hung by Mr. John
Wright of Nottingham.*
(Leicester and Nottingham Journal, Sat. 23 Sept. 1775)

*On Friday last the peal of eight bells at Chesterfield was opened by the
Sheffield Society of Ringers, who on that occasion, as well as on all
others, merited the greatest applause. The sixth bell which has been
recast, is an exceedingly good one and very well answers the rest of the
peal, which has been hung, tuned and put in order, by Thomas Hilton of Wath
in Yorkshire.*
(Derby Mercury, Fri. 6 Jan. 1775)


On Mon, 18 May 2026 at 19:48, Richard Smith via Bell-historians <
bell-historians at lists.ringingworld.co.uk> wrote:

> When did the practice of retuning rings of bells begin?  I can't
> immediately think of a single instance where a ring was retuned before
> the twentieth century, though I find it extremely hard to believe there
> are no such examples, particularly when rings were remodelled?  For
> example, when Kensington were topped and tailed by Warner's in 1879,
> were any of the retained Janaway bells retuned?
>
> RAS
>
>
>
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-- 
Many Thanks
Neal Dodge
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