ripon Cathedral of SS Peter and Wilfrid  SE 314712

Back to Ripon Deanery

History

The crypt dates from c670 and the present building includes work of various periods up to the Perpendicular period.  The splendid Early English west front includes the south-west tower in which the peal of bells is hung.  

Bells

Twelve bells plus a flat sixth hung for full circle ringing in the south- west tower and one bell hung for chiming in a turret on the central tower.

Frame and Fittings

The thirteen bells are hung in a lowside cast iron frame - designed for ten bells in 1933 and adapted for thirteen in 2008.  The fittings include cast-iron headstocks, ball bearings and Hastings stays.  The augmentation work was undertaken by Hayward Mills Associates.

The single bell on the central tower is fitted with an electric internal tolling hammer.

Poppleton

RIPON  CATHEDRAL (St. Wilfrid). Ten bells.

These are in the south-west tower, and have-

1.              JOHN KEARSLEY CIV: RIPON AMABILIS OB: 1890

(lower)  R KEARSLEY  H C BICKERSTETH  AND  H KEARSLEY D.D. IN MEMORIAM

(lower)  J SHAW & C^O BRADFORD 1891.

2.    J SHAW & C^O BRADFORD 1891

(lower)  D TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF ANN CROSS WHO DIED 1890

(This bell was given by Miss Cross, of Coneygarths.)

3, 5, 6 & 8. LESTER & PACK OF LONDON FECIT 1761

       (No. 8 has incised on it, “12 2 15,” its weight.)

4 & 7. CAST BY JOHN WARNER & SONS LONDON 1866

(lower)                        PATENT

9.    THE RIGHT REV^D ROBERT DRUMMING ARCHBISHOP

(lower)              (i)              A boar's head (Dean Wanley’s crest), with the inscription-

                               “F. WANLEY . DD. DEAN . OF . RIPPON”

                     (ii)              A mitre.

                     (iii)              A hunting horn, with the letters " RIPPON " interspersed (the arms of the city), with the inscription-              “IOHN . TERRY . ESQ . MAYOR”

10.  THE REV^D IN^O DERING SUB DEACON  GUL^US LAMPLUGH  HENRY GOODRICKE               HUGH THOMAS  IN^O FOGG              CHRIS. DRIFFIELD

(lower)              AND JAS. WILKINSON PREBENDS

                     LESTER & PACK OF LONDON FECIT  1761

(lower)              (i) The seal of the church, an Agnus Dei.

                     (ii) The arms of Aislabie of Studley.

                     (iii) The arms of Lawrence of Kirkby Fleetharn

                     (Ar. a cross ragully gu.).

The weights of the bells of Lester & Pack's ring which still

remain, viz. 1 (3), 3 (5), 4 (6), 6 (8), 7 and 8 (9 and 10), are as

follows:-

Cwt. qrs. lbs.     Cwt. qrs. lbs.

(1)     6 2 3     (6)     12 2 15

(3)     7 2 2     (7)     15 2 0

(4)     8 3 26     (8)     19 3 8

The bells are now hung in an iron frame, but the old wooden frame formerly had the inscription:- “Francis Wanley, D.D., Dean; James Harrison, of Raisen in Lincolnshire, Bell Hanger; John Hutchinson, Matthew Beckwith, and Thos. Fothergill, Agitators. 1762.”

Thomas Gent in his History of Rippon (1733) gives the following inscriptions as on the then bells :-

1.              OMNIS SPIRITVS LAVDET DOMINVM HALLELVIAH

       IOHANNES DRAKE ECCLESIÆ COLLEGIATÆ DE RIPON SVBDECANVS 1673

                               33 in. dia.

2.    D Sancte Wilfride Ora Pro Nobis

                               36¼ in. dia.

3.  D Pisticus et Nardus dicor vocor et Leonardus et terno numero ecclesiœ sumus ordine vero

                               36½ in. dia.

4.              GLORIA IN ALTISSIMIS DEO  1663

                               38 in. dia.

5.              IACOBVS SMITH EBORACENSIS FECIT  1663

                               42½ in. dia.

As to the Rev. John Drake, Sub-dean, see Memorials of Ripon, Surtees Society, ii, 282.

These bells were in the south-west tower. In the north-west tower was a large bell, 51 in. diameter, said to have been brought from Fountains Abbey. It had-

D I. H. S. Ora mente pia Pro Nobis Virgo Maria

            Alexander Episcopus Ebor Dei Gracia

Archbishop Alexander Neville held the see 1373-1388.

In a cupola at the north-west angle of the central tower (“St. Wilfred's Steeple,” as Gent calls it) was a bell 25 in. diameter, bearing-

VOCO VENI PRECARE

A fragment of this bell remains in the Minster vestry. It is said that this fragment, which bore the date (1)710, was shown at an exhibition as a portion of an eighth century bell; but someone who saw it, and knew that the cupola bell had been recently broken up, found by experiment that the fragment had been part of it.

The bells described by Gent were taken down in 1761, and recast by Lester & Pack into a ring of eight, weighing altogether 4 tons and 3 lbs. The recasting cost £557 11s. 11d., towards which the Corporation contributed £50. Nos. 3 and 5 of this ring, now represented by the two bells by Messrs. Warner, had-

3.              LESTER & PACK OF LONDON FECIT  1761

5.              LESTER & PACK FECIT 1761 IOHN HUTCHINSON ALDERMAN MATT^HW BECKWITH THO^S FOTHERGILL

(lower) (i) The arms of Beckwith (an antelope proper; in the mouth, a branch-motto, "Coram viris sinceram "). Beckwith was Mayor of Ripon 1755-67.

(ii) The arms of Hutchinson (?) (a head dishevelled). Hutchinson was Mayor of Ripon four times.

On a board still remaining in the ringing chamber is:

 “Orders made and agreed upon the second day of February, in the year of our Lord 1764, by the Society of Ringers, and to be observed by strangers and others that enter this belfry.

“Every person refusing to keep his hat off after having been requested by any member so to do, shall forfeit sixpence. Every person making a bell sound with hat or spur on shall forfeit sixpence. Every person swearing, giving the lie, offering to lay wagers, guilty of any other abusive or indecent language, or behaving himself in any disorderly manner, shall forfeit one shilling.

“Every person guilty of the malicious and unwarrantable practice of spoiling or besmearing the painting, cutting or marking the wood or plastering of this belfry, or otherwise obliterating or defacing any part thereof, shall forfeit two shillings and sixpence.

“And lastly, all the above forfeitures for every time such respective offence may be committed shall be immediately paid to the President or Treasurer for the time being of the said Society, or in his absence to such member thereof here present then to be appointed to receive the same, and it is earnestly requested by the said Society that all persons here assembled would be very still and keep strict silence whilst they are ringing.”

A list of the members of the said Society anno Domini 1764:-

Thomas Hunter, Verger; Thomas Dowson, Thomas Fothergill, John Gilbertson, Thomas White, Robert Askwith, Jos. Turkington, John Orton, Edward Harrison, Matthew Thirlwall.

 In the Ripon Fabric Rolls are to be found many entries with regard to the bells, particularly as to the "Lady" bell referred to above as formerly hanging in the north-west tower.

The third bell appears to have been recast in 1540, at a cost of £8, by George Heathecott, of Chesterfield (to whom we may assign marks ⁽¹¹⁾ and ⁽²⁷⁾), as appears by the following memorandum (Memorials of Ripon, iii, P. 28g):

"Thys byll mayd the xv day of August, ye yere of or lord god Mccccc and xl, wytnessz y^t, s^r Rawlynge Sysgyswyche cham’lane of ye collegge churche of Rypon, haythe delyu’yd unto Mast^r Crystofer Dragley, p’sedentt, and Mast^r Marmaduke Bradley, p’bend, of ye sayme churche, iiij pownd of good ynglysche money in full contentacyon and paymeritt of eyghtt pounds for the castyng new of on bell callyd ye thyrde bell, as ys specyfyed in a payre of Indenturs mayd by twyxtt ye p’esedentt and ye chapytor of ye on p’tye, and George Heathecott, of Chestrfeld, belfoundr, of y^e oy^r p’tye.

            “p^r me, Cristoferū            p^r me, M^rmaducū Bradley,

                        Dragley.           manu p^r ppia & noie sig. 0/0

“Summa iiijli.”

It seems to have been the custom to ring four bells at funerals, as John Arnclif, who died in 1478, by his will left a legacy:-

“Sacristae pro pulsacione iiij^or campanarum in die sepulturae ejus scilicet prout consutudo est.”

Sources

ARA 2008