Newark
St Mary Magdalene

Bells

A western tower and spire containing a ring of 10 bells, also a turret between the nave and chancel containing 1 bell.

  Inscription Size Weight
1 J. TAYLOR & SON FOUNDERS LOUGHBOROUGH 1842
+ OS MEUM ANNUNCIABIA LAUDAM NUAM + MDCCCXLII +		 29.75" 5.2.6
2 ‘BE SURE YOUR SIN WILL FIND YOU OUT’ 31.5" 6.1.5
3 J:TAYLOR FECIT 1842. A VOICE FROM THE TEMPLE, A VOICE FROM THE LORD 33.625" 7.2.13
4 JOHN TAYLOR FOUNDER LOUGHBRO. 1842 35.75" 8.1.8
5 J:TAYLOR FOUNDER LOUGHBRO 1842 35.875" 7.2.15
6 J;TAYLOR FOUNDER LOUGHBRO MARCH 1842 “HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD” 38.5" 9.3.17
7 THIS PEAL WAS RECAST & AUGMENTED INTO TEN BELLS BY VOLUNTARY SUBSCRIPTION IN THE YEAR OF OUR SALVATION 1842 TO THE GLORY OF GOD [ ] J.G.RUSSELL, VICAR J BRANSTON, W.HALL G.INGLEDEW S.BENTLEY CHURCHWARDENS 43" 12.3.16
8 JOHN TAYLOR FOUNDER LOUGHBRO 1842 “FEAR GOD HONOUR THE KING” 46" 15.1.8
9 JOHN TAYLOR BELLFOUNDER OXFORD & LOUGHBOROUGH DEO ET ECCLESIAE 49.875" 19.3.26
10 JOHN TAYLOR BELLFOUNDER OXFORD & LOUGHBOROUGH 1842 LATE OF ST.NEOTS & BIDEFORD DEVON “CALL A SOLEMN ASSEMBLY” 59.625" 31.1.11 C sharp.
Service bell JOHN TAYLOR & CO * FOUNDERS * LOUGHBOROUGH * 1932 * 19" 1.2.26 A

Hung in a cast-iron low sided frame by Mears & Stainbank in 1913 and new fittings, metal headstocks and ball bearings by Taylors in 1954.

The service bell is hung for chiming in the nave turret.

All 10 bells are by Taylors, the 2nd in 1846 and the rest in 1842. They were his first complete 10 and his original specification still survives at Loughborough. The original 2nd was inscribed:

PEACE ON EARTH GOODWILL TOWARD MEN JOHN CORBY SEXTON 1842

From earliest times the tower held bells and from the Churchwardens Accounts it is possible much may be deduced.

In 1552 there were 5 bells mentioned in the Inventory.

The 5 bells were augmented to 6 in 1646. Between these dates however, the bells received a good deal of attention:

  1626       
  Paid for takinge upp foure bells the 26th day of Februarie and for sixe pot stucks, four bushes
 		   iiijs vid
in 1628-9 a large amount of money appears to have been spent on the bells which were rehung and the fourth bell was recast:
 
  To William Whitton for a tree to make yokes for the bells   xs iiijd
  For leadinge the same into Church Porch   viiid
  To Hughe Wilson for making stayes for the bell wheeles    
  To William Wragg and the bell founder for removinge the bells   iiijs iiijd
  At the castinge of the 4th bell   xiiis vjd
  To William Wragg by bill   iijs
  To the Bellfounder
 		   xlis
  1629    
  To the workman and for ale and bread at the gettinge the fourth bell home   viijd
  To Xpofer Eyre for the Carriage and the bell   xviijs
  To Goodman Wragg for his worke
 		   viij li xiii s

All of this tells us that the bells were rehung in a new frame - the payments to the Wraggs support this - and the 4th bell was recast. The founder, though not mentioned, was probably George Oldfield of Nottingham.

Several generations of the Wragg family were involved in bell rehangings. They would appear to be of local origin.

Ten years later the 2nd bell was rehung:
  Paid to Maples of Norwell for taking up the bell and putting in brasses   ij s vi d
  Paid to George Oldfield in exchange of ye Brasse
 		   ij s iij d
Three years later, in 1642, the 5th bell received the same treatment:
 
  To William Taylor for going twice to Nott with and for the 5 bell brasses for casting of the brasses and new mettle   xx s iiij d
  For the 5th bell wheels and carriage
 		   xxiiij s

It would appear that bellfounders did quite a lot of trade in producing brass bearings for bells, the lower standard of hanging techniques etc. providing them with a regular source of work and income.

Although not directly mentioned the augmentation from 5 to 6 took place in the period 1646 to 1656. A benefactor must have given the bell as no mention occurs in the Churchwardens Accounts.

These 6 bells cannot have been very tuneful as George Oldfield came over from Nottingham to attend to them in 1658:
  Paid Mr Oldfield for ye chipping of two bells as by bill   ij s
  Paid Henrie Goddard for grinding Mr Oldfields tools and then spent upon Mr Oldfield   iij s vi d
  Paid Rag for mending ye bells by bill   viij d
  Paid him for turning the great bell
 		   v s
The total of these bills - £7.17.8d indicates a substantial amount of work in the tower. The turning of the tenor is unusual and indicates a worn bell, and therefore an old one. However its useful life was almost over and in 1680-1 it was recast by William Noone:
 
  Paid for the bells as by bill   iiij li iiij s
  Spent with Mr Noone about the bell   ij s
  Paid for horse hire to Nottingham about the bell   vi s
  Spent with Mr Noone the second time   xviij d
  Spent with Raggs the Carpenters   ij s ij d
  Paid to Raggs per worke
 		   xiij li x s
Transport of the new bell from Nottingham was down the River Trent and was evidently thirsty work with payments when unloading from the ‘boar’, putting it on a wagon and taking it up to the church. Then:
 
  Spent when the bell was drawn up into the steeple   iiij s
  Spent with the bellhangers   xij d
  Spent with the bellhangers when the bell was drawn up into the steeple   iij s viij d
  Paid to Mr Noone as per Bill   xiii li xv s viij d          

The life of this bell was short lived as in 1712 the bells were all recast by Abraham Rudhall of Gloucester and augmented to eight. A board hanging in the belfry states that Brid-Gen Sir Richard Sutton gave £200 to the cost of this work. The inscriptions of most of Rudhall’s bells have been recorded:

Treble Ex Dono Hon Brigadier Sutton A.R. 1713
2 Ex Dono Hon Brigadier Sutton A.R. 1713
3 Lost.
4 Brave Sutton Rais’d us to declare, the joys of peace the end of war
5 If Suttons praises we could speak, so much sweeter echoes we would make
6 Whilst here we’re lough in Suttons fame, what place rings not of his bright name Ely Stanstead, Vicar, 1713
7 Arma Virquino. Cano. Richard Read, Richard Handling Churchwardens Abraham Rudhall of Glocester cast us all Anno Domini 1713
8 Multi cum fuimus nos resonare fecit honor us Brigadier Sutton 1713 Soloman Bettinson Mayor Joseph Morris Churchwarden

Brown, in his History was very thorough for he also gives the weights of the bells down to the last ounce:

      cwts    qrs    lbs    ozs
1.   7   0   1   0
2.   7   0   26   0
3.   7   0   26   -
4.   10   1   0   0
5.   13   3   1   10
6.   15   1   11   10
7.   20   1   7   7
8.   28   1   7   7

These bell did good service, for it was not until 1775 that any major attention was necessary. The 3rd bell was damaged and recast by Pack & Chapman of Whitechapel. The inscription they put on the bell was their stock inscription:

PACK & CHAPMAN, LONDON, FECIT 1775

1821 saw the recasting of the tenor by Robert Taylor, then at St. Neots, and this bell was inscribed:

I TO THE CHURCH THE LIVING CALL AND TO THE GRAVE DO SUMMON ALL TAYLOR AND SON, ST. NEOTS FECIT 1821

In fact Taylor had to recast the bell twice, the first casting being rather too flat. Robert Taylor’s notebook records:

Dia    cwt   qr   lb                
Newark tenor 54" came out 54"                    Weight   29   3   8                
Second casting came out 54.25" Tone 1/8 D Weight   29   0   14                
  The Church of Newark                            
Recasting the tenor bell gross weight   28   0   2                
Deduct for Crown staple           10                
                        £   s   d
    28   0   2            Recasting     42   0   0
New bell   29   0   14                
Deduct old   28   0   2                
Additional new metal   1   0   12       7   15   0
            Carriage up                   4   3   9
                                
                    53   19   9

The diameters of the 8 bells were also given:

1.    31"     5.    41.75"
2.   31.5"     6.   43.875"
3.   34"     7.   47.5"
4.   37.625"     8.   54"

In 1842 a decision was taken to have a new ring of bells, and the work was entrusted to John Taylor, then recently moved to Loughborough from St. Neots and Oxford. An account of the events at this time occurs in Brown’s History of Newark and I quote in some length:

In 1842 the old peal of bells were recast and converted (with additional metal) with a peal of ten. The great bell of the old eight was taken down on Saturday. February 19,1842. The remainder of the peal and frames were taken down during eight days-viz. from March 7th to the 15th, six men being employed. The new bells arrived by boat on Monday, April 25th 1842 and were met by the ringers at the top Roving. Having got on board, they rang a peal on the handbells until they came to “Huddleston Top Wharf” Mill Gate where many people came to see the bells. The Notts. Society of Change ringers were appointed by the Churchwardens of Newark to open the peal, and on Wednesday week, May 25 they assembled at Newark for that purpose. The bells were raised at eight o’clock in the morning, and 600 changes were rung. The Sheffield change ringers then raised the bells, and after accomplishing nearly the same number of changes, they desisted. The bells were then oiled, and short peals were rung during the day. The Nottinghamshire ringers pronounced the bells at Averham to be the finest peal of six in the county, having rung a peal of 720 “Kent or Treble Bob” on their return home. At Newark, on the evening of Wednesday, their performances on the hand-bells gained them very great repute. On the hoisting of the bells into their places in the tower they were each of them named by parties who were present.

As sometimes happens, the virtues extolled on the opening of a ring of bells and the real truth are somewhat divergent, and quickly the state of the hanging became unsatisfactory. Work was set in motion and the bells rehung, resulting in the following advertisement being inserted in the Leicester Mercury:

It will be recalled that about 18 months ago a new peal of bells for Newark Church was cast by John Taylor, bellfounders of Oxford and Loughboro’, but in consequence of the person who hung them not having a thoro’ knowledge of bell hanging they became at last quite unmanageable and the ringers refused to touch them- Mr Taylor being applied to engaged Mr Smith of Meadow Lane Lobro’ to remove the difficulty and he has now hung them on an Improved principle which has given the greatest satisfaction as they are to be rung with half the former labour- Mr Chas. G Bateman late of St John’s Church Manchester and now conductor of the Newark ringers declared them to be very skilful workmanship which reflects great credit on Mr Smith- The prize ringing which should have taken place last summer but was postponed in consequence of the bad state of the bells will now take place as soon as sufficient money is collected for the purpose when one of the greatest treats of the kind ever witnessed in Newark may be expected as the contest will be open to all,

                                         by hand
       John Taylor & Co.

As noted above the 2nd was recast in 1846 and the treble was retuned at the same time.

In 1897 the bells were rehung by Taylors with new wheels, gudgeons, clappers etc; the canons were removed from the bells and the crowns bored for the new crown staples at a cost of £175.10.0

Further restoration took place in 1913 when the Whitechapel foundry provided a new cast-iron low sided frame, and in 1954 Taylors rehung the bells on ball bearings.