[Bell Historians] Navestock, Essex

[Richard Smith]

On Fri 18 Sept 2026 17:05, David Sloman via Bell-historians wrote:

> The old bell frame should still exist, it was at The Passmore Edwards 
> Museum London but apparently was moved to Woodham Ferrers County Council 
> Museum in the 1980's. I haven't seen it since it was removed from the 
> tower.It consists of four pits with the treble hung diagonally above.
> Can't add anything about bell numbers prior to 1862.

I can't find any record of a museum in Woodham Ferrers, either now or in 
the 1980s or '90s, unless it's the 'Heritage Hub' in St Mary's church 
which seems to be a very new thing.

The Passmore Edwards Museum closed in 1994, so it's not going to be 
possible to ask them where the frame went.  However, the bulk of its 
collection went to the Newham Heritage Service.  I don't think they have 
anywhere that could accommodate a large bell frame, but I would hope 
they will have records showing how the collection was disbursed.  I've 
sent them an enquiry.

I have found an article by Alan Dickinson on 'Timber Towers and Spires 
of Romney Marsh Churches', published in the Romney Marsh Irregular (no. 
38, 2011, Romney Marsh Research Trust), which refers to the bell frame 
at Navestock, Essex, which it says was dated using dendrochronology to 
1365–91:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/65df7835178a9d2b20f8d501/t/677d05d5d35ef524cb22f48d/1736246746152/papers-2011-10-01-timber-towers-and-spires-of-romney-marsh-churches.pdf

Unfortunately, the article quotes no sources.

I don't know what layout the frame has, but from David Sloman's 
description it sounds like a 5.7 layout, but with the diagonal central 
pit raised above the lower swastika.  That's an assumption on my part, 
but it seems a plausible layout for a frame of this age.

If this is correct, it suggests at least the lower/outer four pits would 
be original: i.e. fourteenth century, if the dendrochronology is 
correct.  This doesn't seem consistent with the two inventories quoted 
by Deedes and Walters.  They are quoted more fully in 'Visitations of 
churches belonging to St. Paul's cathedral in 1297 and in 1458' (1895):

* In 1297, 'Campanarium bonum bene opertum cum ij campanis sufficienter 
cordatis' – a good bell tower, well roofed, with two bells and 
sufficient ropes' – and later on, 'Item iiij campanule pro mortuis' – 
'four small bells for the dead'.

* In 1458, 'tria tintunabula, due campane manuales, tres campane in 
campanile insimul concordantes, cum vno sanctus bello' – three little 
bells, two handbells, three bells in the bell tower harmonising with 
each other, with one sanctus bell [p.67].

This suggests two bells in 1297 and three by 1458.

Of course, if the frame layout is not a two-layer variant of 5.7, that 
would perhaps make it more likely that it had been extended from a 
three-bell layout.

However, my primary interest is how many bells there were immediately 
before 1862, rather than in mediaeval times.

RAS