Blyth
St Mary and St Martin

Bells

A western tower containing a ring of 6 bells.

  Inscription Size Weight
1   26" 4.4.4
2   28½" 4.1.25
3

JESUS BE OUR SPEED

31" 5.2.19
4

J: TAYLOR FOUNDER LOBO 1842 IOHANNES BAPTISTA

33" 6.3.10
5

BENEDICTA SIT S: TRINITAS JOHANNES COSSALE ARTE XPI

36" 8.3.20

6 F

THESE BELLS WERE RECAST FROM FOUR TO SIX
BY JOHN TAYLOR LOUGHBOROUGH A.D.1842

JOHN RAINE M.A. VICAR J.SWINDIN, J.BLACKBURN C.WARDENS
N: PENISTON N: INETT

THE SIX BELLS WERE RECAST 1935

41" 12.3.19

Hung in a low sided cast iron frame for 6 bells by Taylors in 1935, with ball bearings. metal headstocks etc. They were rededicated on October 2nd 1935. Prior to then there was a previous Taylor 6 of 1842:

  Inscription Size Weight
1

Blank

31¼" 6.0.26
2

Blank

32½" 6.1.24
3

As 3 of ring above

34¼" 6.3.18
4

As 4 of ring above

36¼" 8.0.13
5

As 5 of ring above

39½" 10.0.6

6

As 6 of ring above except for SWINDINE

42¾" 13.1.2

The opening of this 1842 ring was noted as far away as Stamford for the Stamford Mercury reported:

A new peal of 6 bells has just been erected in the new Church of Blyth Notts by Messrs Taylor & Son, Lobro’ in place of the four old bells which were extraordinarily unmusical and one of which was cracked. The Vicar and the Churchwardens made an appeal to the parishoners in order to raise the sum required for a new peal, and it was most hansomely responded to So that now one of the most musical rings of bells in the Kingdom is found at Blyth.

The old four appear to have been an interesting ring and presumably parts of the inscriptions on the 1842 ring came from the old bells. The name of Johannes de Colsale is particularly interesting as it extends his known working life as a founder. The only other date for him is 1409 on the former bell at Beckingham, Notts.

The Churchwardens Accounts record:

  Pd to Walter Day for a new yoke for the Second Bell & for work at it and the first bell   £2.6.6
  Spent when the 4th Bell wheel was mended 1759/60   0.1.0
  Casting the Bell Brasses   1.13.8
  5 May pd for Hanging the bells etc   19.0.0