[Bell Historians] Previous bells at St Wendreda, March

[Gareth Davies]

The original churchwardens accounts survive for the period 1536-1628.

Gareth


> On 26 May 2026, at 22:49, Chris Pickford via Bell-historians <bell-historians at lists.ringingworld.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> The parish records may help. If there are pre-Osborn churchwardens accounts, then they might indicate (if not explicitly, but e.g. by purchase of five ropes) how many bells there were. Of course, if the accounts are extensive enough then there may be references to recasting or purchase of bells too. If you're lucky there may be tradesmen's bills and vouchers too - worth searching for bills for work on bells. Vestry minutes record the decisions of the "parish parliament" and decisions re bells are usually documented.
> 
> Glebe terriers are another source. These can be in either / both the parish records and (as copies had to be lodged with the registrar) diocesan archives. They vary from Diocese to Diocese, but the Lincoln ones (March wasn't in Lincoln Diocese, I know) give numbers of bells in the eighteenth century terriers and inscriptions and diameters in 1822. Worcester and Lichfield terriers are silent on church goods. Although the terriers are principally inventories of glebe land and church property, they can be informative on bells where the contents is more like the modern form of "terrier and inventory"
> 
> I presume you've also checked the Trevor Bevis booklet on Fenland bells - and his article on March bells in a late 1960s issue of the RW
> 
> Chris Pickford
> e-mail: pickford5040 at gmail.com 
> 
> 
> 
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