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IV.
MANY recollections, some fondly pleasant and others fraught with unspeakable sadness, are crowded back upon them memory of the aged parishioner by the sound of the Old Church Chimes. To such, a few words on the subject will possibly recall many fond memories of the past. The bulk of the information contained in this sketch is obtained from "Blakemore's Pamphlet," published in 1857. But previous to dipping into its pages, it may be well to just briefly chronicle the church improvements of more recent years. The Parish Church Accounts for 1872 show that a new Hot Water Heating Apparatus had been put in, but that £83 were wanted towards the cost of this. Later on, in August, 1876, an appeal was issued for the restoration of the church, which was to be effected at an estimated cost of £6,000. It was proposed to take down the unsound spire, to raise the tower ten feet higher, then to rebuild the spire as it was before, and to re-case with cut stone the whole of the exterior of the fabric. Towards this a parishioner, Miss Adams, headed the list with £1,000 ; and then followed the two churchwardens, Messrs. Ed. Blakemore and John Knowles, with £100 each ; Messrs.Wilson Lloyd and J.T. Duce also contributed £100 each, and eventually enough money was raised to carry out most of the projected renovation. Even this, however, was not comprehensive enough in its scope, and the present vicar (Rev. J. Eckersley) is now anxious to begin a more thorough and a more artistic scheme of restoration. In view of this, an excellent and elaborate report has been printed and published by Mr. Basil Champneys, architect, with finely executed plates showing plans and elevations of the structure as it now stands, and as it is proposed to alter it. To do this, £5,000 or £6,000 are required ; but desirable as the object in view is, the scheme at present hangs fire for the lack of funds. With more direct reference to the Chimes themselves we learn that so early as 1635 William Hopkins, yeoman, Richard Hawkes, and Robert Carter, caused the "chimes of the Parish Church to be made and set up at their equal and proper cost and charges."
It would appear that in 1854 the tower and spire of the Old Parish Church had fallen into a state of dilapidation, and an appeal was made for £200 to repair the same ; an additional sum of £300 for re-casting the bells, which were then unfit to ring, and a further sum of £100, were also asked for. This appeal was signed by the Rev. Isaac Clarkson, vicar, and by Edward Blakemore and Richard Ashmore, churchwardens. A liberal response to this appeal was a subscription list, which was kept open till the beginning of 1857, and which produced £1,081 9s. 0d. During the whole of this period the work of repairing had been progressing steadily under the constant care and superintendance of Mr. Blakemore, for the Rev. I. Clarkson became vicar of Sandal, in 1855, and the other churchwarden, Mr. Ashmore, died on October 7th in that year, in the third year of his office, and at the comparatively early age of 42. Mr. Blakemore, however, stuck to the work, only to find it growing more arduous as he proceeded with it. As we have seen, he and his colleagues modestly asked for £600 and obtained more than £1,000 ; yet in 1857 he was compelled, single-handed, to make a second appeal. This was owing to several causes.
It had been found necessary to re-build a larger portion of the spire than was originally intended : the old clock was worthless, and a new one with four dials had to be provided : the former peal of eight bells was re-placed by a new one of ten bells, with new stocks and wheels complete, and the clock chamber and belfry had nearly to be made anew : extra work was expended on the tower and battlements, and new windows were inserted in the belfry, the clock chambers and in the two porches. This second appeal produced £83 5s 0d., and with £7 received for the old clock, brought the total receipts up to £1,171 14s. 0d. But this handsome sum included £50, the value of the four clock dials, given by T. Walker, Esq.: a second subscription of £100 for the clock itself, and £35 for the font, given by the Rev. I. Clarkson. The new clock, with four sets of dial-work, compensation pendulum, and quarter-chimes on four bells, was supplied by Thomas Joyce, of Whitchurch, for £232, the odd £2 being an "extra" for the re-placing of some wheels, &c., stolen from the tower during the erection of the clock. A further sum of £40 was paid to T.Andrews for casing the clock-work, lining the belfry and assisting with labour in the erection. The order for the clock was given on May 22nd, 1855 and it was completed and set to work on March 22nd, 1856. For months it did not vary one minute, and could be regulated so as not to vary a minute in a year. It strikes the Cambridge chimes on the first, second, third, and sixth bells, as follows :-
The weights, which have a fall of over 40 feet, weigh as below :- The weight for the "going part" - 1 cwt. 1 qr. 5 lbs. ; weight for chimes, 6 cwt. 1 qr. 7 lbs. ; for striking the hour, 3 cwt. 3 qrs. 20 lbs. Some further interesting figures, which are obtained from the Birmingham Daily Mercury of April 1st, 1855, are as follows :- The pendulum (which works on the then new gravity escapement of Denison) weighs about 2 cwt. and beats once in 1¼ seconds. The cast-iron dials, 8ft. 4 in. in diameter, are above the bells, and in the old spire were 20 feet higher than the clock ; the minute hand is four feet in length.. The number of blows which is required for chiming the quarters for a week is 6,720, and these for once winding.
It has been mentioned that the old peal consisted of eight bells. The following are the inscriptions and dates upon them : - No. 1. -
"Lester and Pack, of London, Fecit
1758 ; " weight, 5 cwt. 3 qrs. 20
lbs. On September 9th, 1854, the order was given for the new bells, and the old ones were forwarded to London for re-casting in November. Two new additional bells were ordered to make up a peal of ten. The re-casting was successfully accomplished on the 23rd of November at the foundry of Messrs. C. and G. Mears, the only mishap being the omission of the letter H on No.7, making the word "Hora" read "Ora !"
The new bells arrived safely at Bescot Station on January 13th 1855, and the fixing was completed by the 3rd of March, at a total cost of £417. Trial peals rung the same night by John Griffiths, Samuel Aston, Thomas Foster, Joseph Wood, Isaac Griffiths, William Brittain, James Foster, Henry Spittle, William Griffiths, James Holland, and Stephen Muckley. The grand opening peal, however, was rung on the 15th, when ringers were present from Worcester, Burton, Birmingham, Dudley, Shrewsbury, Stafford, Shifnal, Stourbridge, &c., &c., and who dined together, to the number 150, in the school room on the hill. The old inscriptions were preserved on the new bells, together with the following :- "C. AND G. MEARS, FOUNDERS, LONDON - re-cast 1854.
WEIGHT OF NEW BELLS.
In addition to the church bells, a peal of 57 handbells was purchased by subscription at the same time, at a cost of £27 12s. 6d., twelve of them valued at five guineas, being given by Messrs. C. and G. Mears, the founders. Campanology seems to have been highly cultivated in Wednesbury at that time, or the public would not have subscribed so readily to provide handbells for the church ringers. These handbells were church property, of course, and that they could be used to some purpose is evident from the fact that a campanological concert produced £15 8s. towards the restoration fund.
One noted old ringer was Samuel Aston, who was beadle for 24 years ; after ringing for more that half a century he was called to his grave on Thursday, the 30th July, 1857, by a muffled peal performed by a band of his old comrades from all round the country side. Among the many peals recorded on the boards in the belfry, was one rung on March 24th, 1856, which was a complete peal of grandsire caters, containing 5,291 changes, and which occupied 3 hours 5 minutes, and was conducted by William Micklewright. In conclusion, an epitaph on the gravestone of an old ringer buried in our old churchyard may be appropriately quoted. It reads : - "Here lies an
old ringer beneath the cold clay,
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