garforth St Mary  SE 410331

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History

A tall cruciform church built by George Fowler Jones in 1844.

Bells

A clock chime of four bells with Ellacombe appartus replacing a previous peal of three.  The recasting of the bells and the installation of the clock in 1919 was as a war memorial.  Since the above picture was taken the clock dials have been removed - the clock had fallen into disuse following a lightening strike - which if anything is aesthetically an advantage.

Bell Founder Date Cwt-Qtr-Lb Diameter Note
1 John Taylor of Loughborough 1919 3-1-25 26" D#
2 John Taylor of Loughborough 1919 4-3-11 29" C#
3 John Taylor of Loughborough 1919 6-0-4 31.875" B
4 John Taylor of Loughborough 1919 13-1-19 42.5" F#

Inscriptions  These have been reproduced from the old bells but not in facsimile.

1.    IB:    GLORIA IN ALTISSIMIS DEO 1760 CHARLES                         RICH DAWSON CHURCH

                                                                                                     WIGHTON RECTOR      DAV SCHOLES  WARDENS

      W:    [Taylor shield] RECAST 1919

2.    IB:    VOCO VENI PRECARE 1716  ROB : HARRISON  RAN : DAWSON   CHURCH   S

                                                                                                                                                                              WARDEN

     W:    [Taylor shield] RECAST 1919

3.    IB:    THOS MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1794

     W:    [Taylor shield] RECAST 1919

4.    IB: [Ornament + Taylor Shield]

    W:               GREAT WAR

                         1914-1919

        IN MEMORY OF GARFORTH HEROES

                        CAST 1919

Frame and Fittings

The bells hang from wooden beams spanning the old frame.  Each bell is fitted with a clapper with an eye in the flight by which they are chimed from the Ellacombe rack in the chamber below.  Each bell also has an external clock hammer (the tenor has two). An extra rope from the treble clapper goes through to the ground floor.

The bell frame consists of X shaped wooden braces supporting large (10" square) timbers all running east west.  There is evidence of grease and cut outs for bearings as well as carefully made rope holes in the floor.  This suggests that the three bells were hung for full circle ringing before the 1919 restoration though the unconventional frame may be explained as the result of rebuilding a frame from the timbers available during the 1844 rebuilding of the church.

Poppleton

GARFORTH  (St. Mary). Three bells.

1.              GLORIA IN ALTISSIMIS DEO 1760

       CHARLES                                   RICH. DAWSON

       WIGHTON   RECTOR              DAV SCHOLES    CHVRCHWARDENS

       {E Seller Ebor}

2.    ROB: HARRISON  RAN: DAWSON

         VOCO VENI PRECARE 1716

(lower)              SS Ebor (1) twice

3.    THOS MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1794

                               30 in. dia.

In ringing the death-bell it is customary here to give very elaborate differences, as follows

Age.

Minute bell rung

Bells

 

 

First.        Second.    Third.

Under 10

5 minutes, followed by strokes on

1           1            1

10 to 30

10 minutes, followed by strokes on

5           7            9

30 to 60

15 minutes, followed by strokes on

7           9            11

Above 60

20 minutes, followed by strokes on

9           11          13

Clock

There is a three train clock by Potts of Leeds dating from 1919.  There are the remains of automatic illumination apparatus for the dials.  This clock strikes the hours on the largest bell and the Cambridge Quarters on all four bells.  It formerly drove four glass dials mounted outside the louvres.  These were removed in the early 21st century.  The clock is not currently in operation.

Sources

ARA - November 2005