>* T-^^ •• .(('."(It -lit •)!■ .'II', -lU .'il! .'•^' "',' • '1' . THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES 9 I /•• c THE CHURCH BELLS CAMBRIDGESHIRE. ONLY OyE HUNDRED COPIES miNTED. THE CHURCH BELLS OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE A CHRONICLE OF THE PRINCIPAL CAMPANALOGICAL EVENTS THAT HAVK OCCURRED WITHIN THE COUNTY. TO "WHICH IS APPENDED A LIST OE THE IISCRIPTIOIS QIS THE BELLS. J. J. EAYEN, B.D., OF EMMANUEL COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, HEAD MASTER OF YARMOUTH GRAMMAR SCHOOL. " ni. llfgnnt. it ^iins. Crli- M. 3^,um; Conington tenor, inscribed, |iirgn Cnrnnntn_ Inr Mm ^]i llriJIIJI *J3rilllI ; and the third at Isleham, which is stamped with the arms of Bernard and Peyton, and bears a long intercessory prayer addressed to the angel Gabriel, for the souls of John Bernard, Thomas Peyton, and their wives. The fact that John Bernard died in 1451, and Thomas Peyton in 1484, gives an approximate date for this foundry. From the initial cross, stops, and lettering of the Coton tenor, which bears the same inscription as that at Conington, I am inclined to think that is from this foundry. The letters are all capitals, of the Bury type, and the cross and stops are identical with those on the tenor at Eisby, Suffolk, which bears the Bury stamp. The small stop (fig. 21) is often found on bells from this foundry : it occurs on the 3rd at Wicken, the treble at Conington, &c. It seems that this foundry was carried on at Bury success- fully by two men named Chyrch — ftither and son — Reignold Chyrch and Thomas Chyrch. The former, who is described as a burgess of Bury S. Edmund's, died in the year 1498, and the following extracts from his will, dated 16th Febru- ary in that year, have been supplied to me by Mr. Tymms : — " My body to be buryed in Scynt Mary chirche, in the Ele of Scynt Pet,' vnder the marble ston ther be me leid. To the parysshe preest of THE CnURCH BELLS OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE. 15 the same chirche to p'y for my soule, and to relicrse my name in tlie beclc- rollc eu'y Sunday be an hooll yeer, xjs. viij-J;c(, j). 170. 28 THE CHURCH BELLS OF CAMBRIDGESHIEE. rung out and was never before." On wliich Bowtell remarks that the occasion was probably the Queen's accession, November 17th, " as it seemeth by the following entry : — " Item, payed for Ireon worke about hainging the bells against the Quean's daye x«. vrf.'' The following items show that the work was only just finished in time : — " It,' Nov. 16, paid John Dowsey for iij dayes &half & his Sonne for iiij daycs abowght yoking of the greate bell with the old yoke, and drawing of the three greatest bells into their frames from the nethermost flore vijs. vjr/.'' Fifteen years after this we find the following : — " Mem.' That rpon this vj"" day of October, 1611, the parishoners of Greete St. Maries parishe, in Cambridg, assembling together did with en assent and consent, condicend and agree that the bell-frame should be re- payred, and that the fowre belles then hanging in the said frame should be cast into five tunable belles with expedition, and for the fitt and per- feckting heereof the said parishoners did then and theire chouse and au- thorise Henrie Kinge, John Yorke, Henrie Cotton, and Walter Bettson, to be assistant to the churchwardens according as their several skills in that buisines requireth ; and allso then and theire assented that theire should be a Icauie made vpon the said parishoners as the vse hath been heeretofore in other buisincses for the said church for the perfectinge of the said workes. Provid : all waics that this chargeie concerning the bells and the frame shall not be chargable to the parish above the some of xlv/., which some of xlv/. is to be leuied of the parishoners. Philippe Scaelette, j churchwardens. James Kobson. ) Heneie Mowtlowe, Beniamin HiNTOjr, Mtchael Woolfe, Nathanael Cradocke, Edward Djdson." From a memorandum in the parish book it appears that the whole expense amounted to £53. l^s. 7d., of which £14. 195. lOd. was to be paid to S. Michael's parish for one of theii' bells, weighing 4 cwt. 1 qr. 10 lbs. Such borrowing of metal was not uncommon in those times, but the system led to many inconveniencies here as elsewhere, the S. Michael's authorities in the end acknowledging the receipt of £16. 10^. id., " in full discharge of all reckonings about THE CHURCH BELLS OF CAMBRIDGESHIEE. 29 our bell, and the suit toucliinge the same.'' The bell foun- der (John Yorke^ of Cambridge, as it appears from Bowtell's account of the inscriptions on the old peal) received <£18. In 1620 and 1621 there appears to have been fui-ther im- provement, two of the old peal being recast and another added. From the mention of St. Ives as the place of meet- ing, I suppose the founder to have been Tobias, or Tobie N orris, of iStamford, many of whose bells are to be found in the town and neighbourhood. The items are as follows : — A. D., 1620. It' paid for the bell founder's two bonds ijs. It' paid for helping downe the bell ia. vjrf. It' paid for a baldrikk ibr the now bell iijs. iiijrf, A. D., 1621. Item, p"^ for timber to repair the frame, & for new wheel es to the bells yli. xix«. rjrf. It' to helpers in taking downc & hanging vp the bells xijs. yi\]d. It' p** for writing the indentures for the bells to be new cast, and a bond vppon them iiij*- It' pd. to one for going to St. Ives to take bond of the bell founder with tAvo suertyes ij«-" The money was better managed this time, the collection for the bells being £48. 195. 4^?., and the expenses £42. 145. 10c/. In 1667 two more bells were added, probably by Robard Gurney, who, in that year, made the 7 th at S. Andrew's before mentioned. The 3rd and 4th also were recast. Mr. King (can this be the ''Henrie Kinge" of 1611?) is paid his "charges goeing to Bury to give direction for casting the two bells, 125. OJ.," £2. 55. 0^. is paid for carriage, £9. 85. 8^. to the founder for casting the 3rd and 4th, and in 1668, 95. for mending the 7th bell and the tenor, but I can find no items as to the two new bells. Dr. Mason has recorded the weight of the old peal of eight. cwt. qr. lb. cwt. qr. lb. First 3 2 24 Second 4 1 25 Third 4 3 26 Fourth 6 7 Fifth 7 10 Sixth 9 3 3 Seventh 14 1 Ei-hth 18 2 I give the inscriptions literatim from Bowtell's MS., 30 THE CHURCH BELLS OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE. though I must confess myself utterly at a loss to reconcile them with his history of the peal. '' I. Cum Sono, si non vis venire, nunquam ad preces cupies ire. II. mater Dei, memento mei. (Besides this inscription there was a shield containing a semee of Fleur-de-lis for France, which shows it must have been cast before the year 1407, when the semee was reduced to the number three.) III. Celorum Christe placeat tibi Eex sonus iste. IV. Johannes Yorke me fecit in honorem beate Marie. Y. Intactum Sileo, percute dulce cano. YI. Soli Deo Gloria Pax hominibus. YII. Musica medicina est molestice illius quee per labores suscipitur. YIII. Or soul bell. Sum voce pulsata mundi Maria vocata, 1595.''* The third must have been Norris's. " Celorum Christi, &c.," is a favourite inscription of his, and occurs on the 4th at Tydd S. Giles in this county, made by him in 1603. It has been neatly translated : — " Christ, Heaven's King, Be pleased with this lliug ! " In Alderman Metcalfe's Diary appears the following note on the expenses of this peal : — " 1611. Awdctors for the Acountc of Jeames Robsonn and Phillip Scar- lett Churchwardens goeing forth of ther office in Ester tuesdaye 1612. Dockter Mowltellowe, Mr. Edward Pottoe, Mr. Wicksted, Henrie Gibbs, Antonie Tomson, Edmond Jeffrie and Walter Metcalfe, these being mett together at S' Maires abowte the laste of Aprill 1612 to take ther Acownts for the parrish goods and ther receats w'' ther disbursements did find that theye had in ther hands xii/. xixs. id. ob. the w'' the did Refuse to deliuer nntell theye had maid ther acounte for the frayme w"" the Casting of the bells whear uppon it stayed unto Co'mcnsemcnte sonndaye." Several curious facts relating to the old peal may be found in Mr. Yenables's Paper on S. Mary's church, published by the Cambridge Camden Society. We have already touched upon Tobie !N'orris, of Stamford. * Bowtell's MS., VI, 2256, kc. THE CHURCH BELLS OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE. 31 He was not a very first-rate founder, but his orthodoxy is beyond all question, non sono animabvs mortvorvm sed AVRiBVS viVENTiVM is a favoiu'ite inscription of his, and may be seen on the bell at S. Mary's-the-Less (1608), and the tenor at All Saints (1606), Cambridge. I suppose him to be the founder who cast three bells for S. Michael's in 1625, probably at St. Ives. The parish book gives the items : — Now laying out. Layd out vppon composition to the bell founder Item, to Mr. Short for drawing the covenant with the bell founder It' for earnest for the Bell wheel It' for charges att St. Ives about the bells It' for divers charges at severall times to the bell-foun- der com'ing to towne It' for new hanging the bells It' for 2 labourers helping to pull up the bells It' for three keyes for the bells It' for bell ropes The following extracts relating to the Norris family, from the Eegister of the parish of S. George, Stamford, have been kindly supplied to me by Mr. Justin Simpson, of that town. 1G06. Antony Xorris, ye sonne of Tobias JS'urris, was baptised y^ 11th daye of January, 1606. 1609. Toby JSTorris, ye sonne of Toby IS'orris, was hurried ye 26th day of Marche, 1609. 1612. William Norris, the sonne of Tobye l^orris, was baptised ye 24 of August, 1612. 1612. Anthonie IS'oriis, the sonne of Tobias Xorris, was hurried the 3rd day of January. 1614. Marye Norris, the daughter of Tobye ^S^'orris, was baptised the 24th day of September. 1617. Abortiua, ye daughter of Tobye Norris, was hurried ye 4th of Julye. 1618. John, the sonne of Tobye Norris, wasbaptised the 1 4th day of June. 1620. Frances Norris, the daughter of Tobie Norris, was baptised the 21 daye of September. 1625. Samuell, the sonne of Tobias Norris, was hurried the xvth day of September. 1628. John Norris, the sonne of Toby Norris, was burned the eleventh of January. 1634. Aprilis 25. Tobias Norris, the son of Thomas Norris, Bel- fouuder, was baptized. £. s. d. 6 1 2 1 6 5 7 1 4 3 4 32 THE CHURCH BELLS OF C">ivi.m' • U. in. ttu.m. iiw t\y\.\s: 41, nt ,,,. f iiswriii. mm