The bells of Watton at Stone

 

St Andrews and St Mays Church, Watton at Stone

 

Parts of a bell, showing the Headstock, which is made of wood

 

Whitechapel Bell Founders report on the Treble bell. Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies, Bells and Bellringing pamphlet file

 

Whitechapel Bellfounders report on the second bell. Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies, Bells and Bellringing pamphlet files

 

Whitechapel Bellfounders report on the third bell. Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies, Bells and Bellringing pamphlet files

 

Whitechapel Bellfounders report on the fourth bell. Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies, Bells and Bellringing pamphlet files

 

Whitechapel Bellfounders report on the fifth bell. Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies, Bells and Bellringing pamphlet files

 

Whitechapel Bellfounders report on the sixth bell. Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies, Bells and Bellringing pamphlet files

 

The second at Watton at Stone, which was the second at Upper Clapton. It has two inscriptions: MEAR & STAINBANK : FOUNDER : LONDON : 1868 TE : ÆTERNUM : PATREM : OMNIS : TERRA : VENERATUR which translates as All the earth doth worship thee, the father everlasting

 

This is the 6th at Watton at Stone, which was the 6th at Upper Clapton. There are two inscriptions: MEAR & STAINBANK : FOUNDER : LONDON : 1868 TE : PER : ORBEN : TERRARUM : SANCTA : CONFITETUR : ECCLESIA : Which translates as, The Holy Church throughout the world doth acknowledge thee

 

This is the treble at Watton at Stone, which was the treble at Upper Clapton. There are two inscriptions: MEAR & STAINBANK : FOUNDER : LONDON : 1868 TE : DEUM : LAUDAMUS : TE : DOMINUM : CONFITEMUR : which translates as We praise thee o God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord

 

Plaque giving details of the original bells at Watton at Stone

 

Dated 21 December 1907. This quarter peal would have been rung on the old original Watton Bells

 

A brief history of the bells and how they came to be at the church along with all the inscriptions on each of the bells

 

This was the first peal rung in the original steeple of St Matthews Upper Clapton, Middlesex, dated 22 January 1870

 

Peal dated 10 December 1901 on the original bells at St Matthews, Upper Clapton, Middlesex

 

This was the first peal after the bells were restored, dated 26 December 1911

 

Peal run on 10 February 1912

 

Quarter peal to mark the centenary of the first peal on the original bells at St Matthews, Upper Clapton, Middlesex by an entirely local band. The peal attempt failed. Date 21 Aug 2013

 

The ringers and the peal board for the first peal on the original bells at St Matthews, Upper Clapton, Middlesex by an entirely local band, dated 21 August 1913

 

The first peal rung on the original bells at St Matthews, Upper Clapton, Middlesex, by an entirely local band dated 21 August 1913

 

Half Muffled peal rung in memory of Arthur Thomas King president of the Middlesex County Association. He was interred at Stevenage, dated 30 March 1922. Rung at St Matthews, Upper Clapton, Middlesex

 

Peal dated 11 April 1953 rung at St Matthews, Upper Clapton, Middlesex

 

Rung at St Matthews, Upper Clapton, Middlesex for the wedding of Dennis Neal and Gwendoline L Friswell, members of the local band, dated 16 June 1956

 

Not a peal board, but a quarter peal board in thanks giving for the life of Edgar (Ted) Shippin. He was tower captain at Watton at Stone from 1970 - 2000 and was the major player in getting a new set of bells for Watton and saving those of Upper Clapton after the fire.

Just recently I have been helping with some bellringing learners at St Andrews and St Mary’s Church Watton at Stone. They have some lovely Peal boards in the ringing chamber, but if you read them, they relate to St Matthews Church, Upper Clapton in Hackney, this puzzled me, why would they be in a village church in Hertfordshire.

First, let’s look at Watton at Stone church, there has been a church building on the site of the Parish Church of St Andrew and St Mary since the 13th century, and probably much earlier. However, the dedication to St Andrew and St Mary dates from around the beginning of the 19th century. Thoroughly restored 1851 by G. Clarke at the expense of Abel Smith of Woodhall Park.

The original set of six bells were the treble cast by J. Bryant, 1785; the second by George Chandler, 1682; the third by the same maker and of the same date was recast by Bowell in 1907; the fourth by J. Bryant, 1785; the fifth by C. & J. Mears, 1852; and the sixth by Thomas Mears, 1841.

Over time and lack of maintenance, the bells became difficult to ring, in December 1975, the ringing master, Ted Shippin, arranged for the Whitechapel Bell Founders to come and do a thorough check on the bells and send in a report, this informed the ringers and the church, what they feared.

On the first of December 1975 at a meeting of the Watton at Stone Parochial Church Council, Ted Shippin bought up the subject of the bells at the church, he reported back on a report that was sent from the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London.

He said” following their examination of the bells, which are, the tenor is cracked in the sound bow and the only satisfactory remedy is to recast it. The 2^nd, 3^rd and 5^th are not good bells, the treble and 4^th are the only bells approaching correct size and weight. None of the bells has been quarter turned and the indentation where the clapper strikes is considerable. The ringing fittings are in a very poor state of repair, most of the headstocks are worm infested, and the two trebles are dangerous. The recommendation was to recast the tenor bell, but it would not be advised to make it less than 3ft 9inches diameter, which not only too large for the existing bell, but it would also throw the balance of tone out even further, it was therefore suggested that serious consideration be given to retaining the two Bryant Bells as the 2^nd and 5^th in a smaller ring of six and recasting the other four. Approximate cost of dismantling and bringing away the present six bells recasting four of them and returning the other 2 and supplying the ringing fittings and returning to rehang them in the existing frame would be £5,150 plus VAT. As an alternative the Bryant bells could be used as the 3^rd and tenor and the others recast to make a lighter peal of six in G sharp, allowing for surplus metal, this would reduce the cost from £5,150 to £3,900 plus VAT.”

The PCC felt that other avenues should be explored including advertising for redundant sets of bells, Mr Shippin said he would continue the matter further.

So, let’s see what the report said about each bell:

Treble bell (the smallest bell)

The diameter was 30 and 7/16th inches. It weighed 5cwt & 1 qtr. The musical note was C+ .78 Semitones.

Clapper was the correct length. Tuning marks could be seen by chips in sound bow, the sound bow is the thick part of a bell against which the hammer strikes

Headstock was made of Elm and its condition was poor, worm eaten and split. The bell had never turned.

The Bell Founder was John Bryant of Hertford, and the bell was date 1785, There was an inscription on the bell which read: T: Kimpton & J: Rowley. C:W J Bryant, Hertford fecit 1785

Second bell

The diameter was 30 and 7/8th inches. It weighed 5cwt & 2 qrs. The musical note was B flat +.52 semitones.

Clapper was the correct length. Tuning marks could be seen by chips at lip 5/8th inch flat.

Headstock was made of Elm and its condition was quite fair with some splits. The bell had never been turned. It was noted that there was a casting fault in the top of the sound bow.

The Bell Founder was George Chandler, and the bell was dated 1682. There was an inscription on the bell which read: Drayton Parslow. George Chandler made me 1682

Third

The diameter was 33 and 11/16th inches. It weighed 6cwt and 1 qrs, 14 lbs.  The musical note was A flat + .45 semitones.

Clapper was the correct length. Tuning marks could be seen as turning in the sound bow.

Headstock was made of Elm and its condition was quite good, being made in 1907. The bell had never been turned.

The Bell Founder Alfred Bowell of Ipswich, the bell being dated 1907.

There was an inscription (on the band) George Chandler Made me 1682, [on the waist] Recast by Bowell of Ipswich for J R Gray and son of Hertford, 1907

Fourth

The diameter was 37 and 1/8th inches. It weighed 9cwt. The musical note was note G + .30 semitones.

Clapper was the correct length. Tuning marks could be seen as chips in sound bow.

Headstock was made of Elm and its condition was poor, split and worm eaten, and c 1852 in date. The bell was never turned.

The Bell Founder was John Bryant, Hertford and dated 1785.

There was an inscription which read: T:Kimpton. & J: Rowley. C:W J:Bryant. Hertford Fecit. 1785.

Fifth

The diameter 39 and 3/4 inches. It weighed 9cwt and 11lbs. The musical was note F – .08 semitones.

Tuning marks can be seen as chips at the lip 9/16 of an inch wide and flat.

The bell Founder was Charles and George Mears of Whitechapel and dated 1852.

There was an inscription which read: C & G Mears Founders London 1852. The Hon (ble) & Rev (D) Lowther J Barrington. M.A. Rector 1852. Holiness to the lord. E S Trower esq, E Newman Churchwardens.

Tenor (the biggest bell)

The diameter was43 and 5/8th inches. It weighed 13cwt and 24 lbs. The musical note was E flat +.21 semitones. The Bell had a 5-inch crack, visible in sound bow.

Tuning marks could be seen as chips in sound bow. The bell was never turned.

The Bell Founder was Thomas Mears II, of Whitechapel and Date 1841.

There was an inscription which read: Thomas Mears founder London 1841.

The clappers were all made in 1842 with two bolts tops, leather lined metal and wood centres

At the next Parochial Church Council meeting, held on 23 February 1976, Ted Shippin reported back to the PCC that “the bell fund stood at £650, he also had the promise of a substantial sum from Hertford County Association of Change Ringers once we were in a position to carry out the work. In the meantime, we must continue in money raising efforts. Mr Stewart put forward a suggestion that we write to the Parish Council asking them if they could help financially in any way towards the cost either for the bells or the repair of the church clock”

The next time the bells were mentioned at a Parochial Council Meeting was on 22 Nov 1976

“Mr Shippin informed the PCC that a set of 8 bells had now become available from a burnt-out church in Upper Clapton, London but a decision was required immediately as the bells would otherwise be sold as scrap, the cost of purchasing them would be £3,500, in addition approximately £250 would be required for their removal. Apart from the 2nd bell which cannot be sold because of its age, our own could be sold as scrap, which would bring in about £2,500, net cost for a replacement set of bells £1250, approximately. Mrs Able Smith proposed, seconded by Mr Herinex, that we go ahead with the sale including the salvage of our own five. 12 for 1 against.

A letter dating 18 December 1976 was received from R W M Clouston, Chairman, Bells sub-committee of the conservation Committee of the Council for places of worship. Watton at Stone Church Bells, Herts. Some details of the existing ring of six bells are given on the attached sheets (mentioned above) The tenor is badly cracked in the sound bow where the clapper used to strike on the side opposite the pulley; the crack is visible for 5 inches upwards from the lip and the tone has gone.

As will be noted the bells were not well in tune; compared with the tenor, the fifth remains 0.29 semitones flat and the others are all too sharp, the treble by as much a 0.57 semitones. The 1907 third bell has a poor tone due to the fundamental pitch (460Hz) being too sharp. The fifth has already been appreciably chipped at the lip to sharpen the note and is still too flat; the tone is now only fair due to this chipping.

The frame dates from 1852 and the fittings are of this date or later. The clock is alongside the bell frame and is of some importance. The going and hour strike trains bear on the setting dial: – JOHN BRIANT, HERTFORD FECIT 1820. The chime train was added in 1898. The writer feels that the 1820 part should be preserved. If the St Matthews, Upper Clapton ring of eight come here it would appear to be quite in order to scrap the 1907 third, the 1852 fifth, and the cracked 1841 tenor. The second of 1682 could be transferred to Upper Clapton for use by the parish there, and the two Briant bells of 1785, the treble and the fourth, could go to other parishes having need of bells of these notes. Just at the moment the writer is not in touch with any parishes where these two 1785 bells would fit.

In the meeting of the Parochial Church Council of 10 January 1977 the subject of the bells was bought up again, “with regard to the proposal under this section the council recognise that the sale of the existing bells was a necessary pre-requisite to the purchase of a replacement and approve the purchase.

In the meeting of the Parochial Church Council on 7 March 1977 an update on the project was given:

“A brief summery was given by Mr Shippin on the work carried out so far, on the 29 January volunteers removed the eight bells and frame from St Matthews Church and bought them to Watton. Also dismantling and disposal of our bells and frame, two of which were sold, one to Upper Clapton Parish Church and the second to a church in Sutton Bonington, Loughborough. The remaining four went to Whitechapel Bell Foundry as scrap. The bell fund had stood at just over £1000 of which £800 had been spent. Mr Shippin asked for permission to make use of the money in the bell fund Mr Oldfield proposed we spend up to the amount in the bell fund seconded by Mr Williams. On behalf of the PCC the rector congratulated Mr Shippin and his team of workers for all their hard work.”

At the meeting held on 2 May 1977another progress report was made:

“Mr Shippin reported that the work on the installation of the bells was progressing satisfactorily and that the debt to Upper Clapton Parish Church had now been cleared after which the bell fund at this time stood at £680.

At the Meeting held on 6 March 1978, Mr Stewart wanted clarification regarding cover for men working on the installation of the church bells with regard to insurance. The general feeling of the PCC was that this should be looked into. Mr Stewart proposed seconded by Mrs Abel Smith, that enquiries be made regarding personal accident on voluntary works on the bells over the period of installation. Agreed.

The next mention of the bells was on 12 June 1978 regarding the dedication and a plaque. The rector stated that the Bishop of Hertford had agreed to come at a special dedication Even Song at 3 o’clock July 23 1978. Mrs Bignell proposed and seconded by Mrs Able Smith that an informal invitation be sent to the main organisations in the village to the service. Mr Shippin stated that there would be an open ring immediately after the service for the benefit of visiting ringers. Mrs Phillips agreed to organize teas to be served after the service, it was agreed that the standing committee should make all necessary arrangements.

The Rector stated that Mr Stewart had offered to donate a plaque commemorating all the hard work carried out by Mr Shippin and his team in installing the bells, and had suggested it be made from anodised steel. Doubts were raised by the PCC if this would meet the requirements of the diocese who would prefer brass or bronze, after some discussion on the matter Mr Stewart suggested that he went a head with his offer and get the plaque inscribed, the question of a faculty and the position of the plaque in the church could be decided at a later date, this was agreed as was also the following wording, proposed by the standing committee “Presented by the PCC in appreciation of the work of the following, Messrs E. Shippin,  J Hall, D Spicer, R Stagg, P Green, M Hawkins and other helpers in dismantling the original six bells and the instillation of the present eight bells from St Matthews, Upper Clapton, during the period 29 January 1977 and March 1978 which were dedicated by the Bishop of Hertford, The Right Reverend P Mumford on July 23 1978. Thanks be to God.

The final entry in the Parochial Church Council meeting minutes appeared on 12 Feb 1978 stating that the instillation of the eight bells together with the peal boards was now complete, they had yet to purchase a set of new ropes but the cost of them was already covered.