A turret with one or more bells was
probably contemporary with the building of our church in the mid 13th
century. The earliest surviving signs of bells in the tower, the recesses
for a crux frame in the wall of the now clock loft, which held four bells,
date from Marshfield's growth in the early 14thcentury. By the late 15th
century, further church expansion included the present belfry, which
eventually held 6 bells. Subsequent hanging on wheels, enabled bellringing
as we now know it.
The six bells recorded in 1881 comprised
the 2nd and 4th by Abraham Rudhall of Gloucester (1708), the treble (1720),
the tenor (1734), and the 3rd and 5th by Thomas Bilbie of Chew
Stoke (1739). The 2nd and 4th recast (1888) by Llewellins & James of
Bristol, and two lighter bells by Mears and Stainbank of London were added
(1910), to become the present treble and 2nd .
By the year 2000, it had become apparent
that the wooden bellframe was insufficiently braced, thus undue stresses
were being applied to the tower structure during ringing. Bearing wear and
generally poor condition of the entire installation was evident, leading to
reports being commissioned from three specialist companies, and in 2006 a
contract was given to Matthew Higby and Company Limited of Chilcompton,
Somerset.
With local assistance, the bells,
bellframe and associated parts were removed from the tower in July 2006, and
the bells were transported to Chilcompton by Edward Bond of F G Bond & Sons.
The ledge around the inside of the tower walls was in a very poor state, and
Matthew Higby's solution was a reinforced concrete ring beam, onto which the
new bellframe structure was assembled. The 7th and tenor bells have been
repaired by Soundweld of Newmarket, and all eight bells have been retuned at
Whitechapel Foundry, London. They were first rung for a service on Easter
Sunday morning 2007.
The Marshfield Guild of Bellringers, founded in 1706,
still exists today, and would like acknowledge the generous support both
financial and physical freely given by so many.
Church of England - MARSHFIELD BENEFICE - Bristol Diocese
