Bell Tower - St Mary - Cropredy, Oxfordshire, UK - Bell Towers on Waymarking.com

Bell tower of St Mary's church, Cropredy, with a ring of 8 bells.

Cropredy, Oxfordshire S Mary V
Bells
Bell	Weight	Nominal	Note	Diameter	Dated	Founder	Canons	Turning
1	5-0-5	1404.4	F	27.75"	2006	Whitechapel Bell Foundry Ltd	F
2	5-1-13	1318.5	E	28.75"	2006	Whitechapel Bell Foundry Ltd	F
3	5-0-8	1187.5	D	31.13"	1690†	William Bagley	R
4	5-3-6	1050.0	C	32.63"	1686†	William Bagley	R
5	6-0-25	928.5	Bb	34.88"	1689†	Matthew I Bagley	R
6	8-3-4	882.5	A	36.88"	1689†	Matthew I Bagley	R
7	10-3-12	788.0	G	40.06"	1689†	Matthew I Bagley	R
8	16-1-16	702.0	F	45.56"	1689†	Matthew I Bagley	R
Sanctus	1½cwt			18.63"	1703	William Bagley	Y

Frames
Frame	Bells	Year	Material	Maker	Truss	Layout
1	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8	1913	Cast iron	John Warner		8.

SOURCE - (Visit Link)

"The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Cropredy has a long and interesting history. - The lower stage of the tower dates from 15th century and the belfry was added about 80 years later. The clock, with it's 14ft long wooden pendulum dates from 1831. The tower has 8 bells, six of which were installed in the 17th century and the last two, Fairport and Villager were added in 2007. These bells were named to reflect the good relationship between the church and local Fairport Convention annual festival."

SOURCE - (Visit Link)

"The parish church of ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, a large and imposing building in the local ironstone, consists of a nave of four lofty arches, a chancel with vestry at its north-east corner, north and south aisles which contain chapels at their eastern ends, a battlemented west tower, and a south porch.

The oldest parts of the present building are the east portion of the south wall of the south aisle which contains a three-light window of c. 1300. From the early 14th century onwards the chancel, south aisle, nave, and, in the 15th century, the north aisle were successively rebuilt, and the chancel arch was enlarged to match the nave arcade; the two aisles were in the 15th century extended to form chapels, which over-lap the chancel. Mouldings on the nave arcade and on the tower and chancel arches are continuous to the ground without capitals. The porch dates from the 14th century and replaced an earlier porch; the tower was added in the late 14th century.

The peal of six bells with a sanctus was cast in 1686 and 1689–90, by the Bagleys of Chacombe (Northants.). The tenor was evidently recast, for its inscription says that it was given by Calcott Chambre; the two brothers of that name were lords of Williamscot in the late 16th and early 17th century. In 1706 three bells and the sanctus bell were broken, and were ordered to be new cast with their own metal. The bells were rehung and their fittings renewed by Messrs. Warner in 1913.

The church already had a clock in 1512 which was perhaps the clock repaired in 1694–5 and sold for 5s. in 1719–20; a new clock had been made for £6 in 1713–14 by an unnamed Daventry clockmaker. The clock surviving in 1966 was made by John Moore & Sons, Clerkenwell, in 1831; it was bought partly by subscription from Cropredy and Bourton and partly by subventions (1831–6) from the rent of the bell charity.

The bell charity dates from at least 1512, when Roger Lupton, Vicar of Cropredy, gave £6 13s. 4d. to find a person to keep Cropredy parish clock going hourly, and to ring bells at specified times. In 1614 the charity was stated to be also for the repair of the church. Two separate quarter yardlands in Wardington bought with the endowment in 1513 and 1517 were confiscated under the Chantries Act and sold to William Harrison, but were restored to the trustees in 1557. At the inclosure of Wardington in 1762 the trustees were awarded 14 a., subsequently known as Bell Land, which in 1823 brought in an income of £32. The money was divided equally between the churchwardens of Cropredy and Bourton and the excess of the income over the sum paid to the parish clerk for ringing and winding the clock (£4 10s.) saved Cropredy from raising its full church rate for many years. In 1966 the curfew was rung twice weekly at 6 p.m., and it was stated that a bell had been rung until recent times at 6 a.m."

SOURCE - (Visit Link)

 

Address of Tower: St Mary Church Lane Cropredy, Oxfordshire England OX17 1PL Still Operational: yes Number of bells in tower?: 8 Relevant website?: [Web Link] Rate tower: Not listed Tours or visits allowed in tower?: Not listed

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