TROWBRIDGE, St James
Ring of 12 bells, and sanctus bell, in west tower with spire.
Bell Inscription
Diam. Cwt. qr. lb.
Treble GLORY BE TO GOD ON HIGH (bell and 25” 4 1 22
A pomegranate border) / THE SALVATION ARMY
BELL // (Taylor mark in rectangle) / 1934
2nd (Bell and pomegranate border) / THE ST. 26” 4 2 0 G
STEPHEN’S BELL / CHIEF DONORS: FRED &
CLARE MARSLAND // (Taylor mark in rectangle)
/ 1934
3rd (“Birmingham” border) / THE THOMAS 261/2” 4 2 10 F
HERBERT CLARK BELL / RECAST 1934 /
(Taylor mark in rectangle) // LEST WE FORGET /
HAROLD BUTCHER, A PARISH CHURCH RINGER, /
KILLED IN THE GREAT WAR. / P. A. NASH, M.A.,
R.D., RECTOR. / W. H. STANLEY, F. W. SAXTY;
CHURCHWARDENS / S. J. HECTOR; RINGING
MASTER. / C. M. LANSDOWN, F. H. WHITE,
F. P. GARLICK / H. LEDBURY AND J. A. COOPER;
COMMITTEE. / EASTER 1923
4th (“Birmingham” border) / IN GRATITUDE 1914– 28 5 0 11 E
1918, / LUCY MACKAY. // CAST 1923 /
RECAST 1934 / (Taylor mark in rectangle)
5th JAS. WELLS FECIT 1800. S. WATTON AND 297/8” 5 2 25 D
R. CASSWELL CHURCHWARDENS. / THE
JAMES WAREHAM BELL / RECAST 1934 BY
THE / TROWBRIDGE CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY
/ (Emblem) // RECAST 1912 / P. A. NASH,
RECTOR / F. HOBSON ) CHURCHWARDENS
H. MUNDY )
6th JAS. WELLS FECIT 1800. S. WATTON AND 311/4” 6 2 3 C
R. CASSWELL CHURCHWARDENS. / THE
SAMUEL SALTER BELL / RECAST 1934 /
(Emblem) // RECAST 1912 / P. A. NASH,
RECTOR / F. HOBSON ) CHURCHWARDENS
H. MUNDY )
7th JAMES WELLS FECIT 1800. SL. WATTON / 33” 7 0 26 B
RD. CASSWELL CHURCHWARDENS. / THE
HADEN BELL / RECAST 1934 / (Emblem)
8th JAMES WELLS FECIT 1800. SL. WATTON / 351/2” 8 1 7 A
RD. CASSWELL CHURCHWARDENS. / THE
STANCOMB BELL / RECAST 1934 / (Emblem)
9th JAMES WELLS, ALDBOURN, WILTS, FECIT 381/2” 10 0 17 G
1800. / SAML. WATTON AND RICHD.
CASSWELL CHURCHWARDENS. / THE JOHN
& EDITH KEMP BELL / RECAST 1934 /
(Emblem)
10th JAMES WELLS, ALDBOURN, WILTS, FECIT 41” 12 2 18 F
1800. / SAMUEL WATTON AND RICHARD
CASSWELL CHURCHWARDENS. / THE JOHN
HERITAGE BLAKE BELL / RECAST 1934 /
(Emblem)
11th JAMES WELLS FECIT 1800. SL. WATTON / 457/8” 17 2 6 E
RD. CASSWELL CHURCHWARDENS. /
RECAST IN 1934 / IN MEMORY OF /
GEORGE PERKINS STANCOMB /
CHURCHWARDEN 1854–1858 / (Emblem)
Tenor JAMES WELLS, ALDBOURN, WILTS, FECIT 511/2” 24 2 18 D
1800. / MAY ALL I SUMMON TO THE GRAVE /
THE BLESSING OF A WELL–SPENT LIFE RECEIVE.
/ THE THOMAS CHARLES USHER BELL /
RECAST 1934 / (Emblem) / RECAST 1870 &
1912 // THE PEAL OF 10 BELLS WAS RECAST
/ AND TWO BELLS ADDED IN THE YEAR /
1934 / RECTOR; REV. S. J. NISBET WALLACE /
CHURCHWARDENS ( M. F. V. CLARK, J. P.
( S. L. HARDING. /
COMMITTEE / C. ANDREWS C. T. LYDDIETH /
H. V. CASE F. C. PITT / A. A. FENSOM C. RAISON /
F. P. GARLICK I. SAXTY (MISS) / H. H. GARLICK
W. SHAW / S. J. HECTOR P. M. SNAILUM
(SECRETARY) / J. S. JAMES / C. M. LANSDOWN
(CHAIRMAN) / A. J. G. STANCOMB, J. P.
(TREASURER) / H. LEDBURY P. L. TAYLER (MRS.) /
M. S. LEDBURY (MRS.) W. C. THOMAS / A. LESTER
T. C. USHER, J. P. / W. H. LONG, J. P. F. H. WHITE
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Sanctus Jas. Wells Aldbourn 1800 17” 1 0 12
Wiltshire’s first – and at the time of writing only – ring of twelve bells was provided, along with a new frame and fittings, in 1934 by the Loughborough foundry and dedicated by the Bishop of Salisbury on 25th July (Ringing World, 3rd August 1934). This was the outcome of a highly successful appeal to individuals, businesses and groups in the town, launched in the January of that year. The bells are of course flat-topped and some of them are very copiously inscribed. It goes without saying that this is one of Taylors’ multitude of excellent true-harmonic rings, even if the acoustics of the tower are not so good as they might be[?]. Whilst plenty of ringing has certainly taken place on at least eight of the bells, and a fair amount on all twelve, I think it is true to say that Trowbridge has never really yet become a centre of twelve-bell ringing locally.
The tower is not large on plan, necessitating for a ring of this size a two-tier frame with the lightest five bells, and the seventh and ninth, on the low-side upper tier and the remainder, including the sanctus, in the H-pattern lower tier. The fittings are of Taylors’ standard pattern and include iron stocks, ball bearngs, independent clapper-staples and Hastings-type stays.
The tower is said to be of 13th-century origin but was given 15th-century dress at the time that the remainder of the church was rebuilt. It has a tall stone spire. The ringing chamber is upstairs. The three-train clock, provided by Smith of Derby in 1934, has a twelve-bell quarter chime especially composed for it by Sir Walter Alcock, Salisbury Cathedral organist at that time.
The bells in use up to 1934 were based on the ring of eight cast in 1800 by James Wells of Aldbourne, whose sanctus bell of the same year survives. The tenor had been replaced by William Blews of Birmingham in 1870; in 1912 it was again replaced, along with the treble and second, by Llewellins & James of Bristol. The bells were then hung with new fittings, including iron stocks, in a new iron frame, following which they were re-dedicated by the Bishop of Salisbury (Bell News, 22nd June 1912, p. 219). Earlier, it had been reported in Bell News on 23rd March 1912 that the founders were ‘tuning the whole peal on the principles initiated by the late Canon Simpson’ which anyone familiar with the work of James Wells will realise is an impossibility. However, the result was said to be ‘a magnificent peal of eight, which do [sic] great credit to the firm [Llewellins & James], on whose behalf the work was superintended by Mr. F. E. Taylor.’ Everyone was ‘agreed that the bells went beautifully, and were of a fine tone’ (Ringing World, 28th June 1912). In 1923 Llewellins & James added two more bells as a First World War memorial, making a ring of ten which was opened on Easter Monday that year (Ringing World 1923, p. 267).
Taylors’ report in 1933, on the other hand, spoke of poor tonal quality with ‘wild and chaotic harmonics or overtones’ and criticised the gudgeons, bearings, clappers and pullies. It seems likely, however, from other examples of their work in this period that Llewellins & James’s own bells had true-harmonic tuning, or an approximation to it, and one would particularly like to have heard their tenor. James Wells’s original ring of eight would have been closely comparable with his surviving (but re-tuned) octave, of similar weight, cast some three years later for Newbury, Berkshire.
The bells were then as follows (the weights are the nett scrapping weights recorded by Taylors in 1934):
Bell Founder and date
Cwt. qr. lb.
Treble Llewellins & James of Bristol, 1923 5 3 6
2nd [As treble] 5 3 7
3rd Llewellins & James of Bristol, 1912 5 3 18
4th [As 3rd] 5 0 20
5th James Wells of Aldbourne, 1800 6 1 14
6th [As 5th] 7 3 1
7th [As 5th] 9 1 18
8th [As 5th] 12 1 11
9th [As 5th] 15 1 9
Tenor [As 3rd] 22 3 21
The inscriptions on these bells were very largely repeated on the present ones. Blews’s tenor of 1870 had been inscribed in Gothic capitals.
At the time of the 1553 inventory Trowbridge had five bells and a sanctus. By 1800 there were six which were then replaced by a new ring of eight. Of the frame and fittings, etc., in place before 1912 little seems to be recorded. In typically dismissive tone the Ringing World article on 28th June 1912 reported that ‘in carrying out the work of restoration it was found necessary to dismantle the belfry entirely. All the old tangle of wooden beams was cleared away …’ The exercise was, of course, to be repeated only a little more than 20 years later.
Condition: very good.
Visited 9th August 1967.
[Illustrations: ?]
[* Need to revisit. *]