In 1552 all churches had to prepare an Inventory of Church Goods. The Saxlingham Nethergate entry with regards to the bells is as follows:
“2 belles, weighing 13c the Gret belle 8c the lesser 5c. Value £9. 15s.”
c is the Centumweight – and is defined at the bottom of this page.
The bells pre-1899
Of the six bells of St. Mary’s before 1899 five bore inscriptions.
One bell was un-inscribed and is believed to have been purchased with ten shillings left by Elizabeth Meeke in 1606.
The five bell inscriptions were:
- AD 1617
- a.d. 1618 ABW – this bell still hangs in St. Mary’s
- John Brend made mee 1651 – this bell still hangs in St. Mary’s
- ….and churchwardens 1615
- A.D. 1616 William Brend – this bell still hangs in St. Mary’s.
The date on the 4th bell cast by William and Alice Brend – 1618
The bell with no inscription and the 1615 and 1617 bells were those recast in 1899 by Mears and Stainbeck.
Current bells.
As with our proposal, in the past bells have been melted down and the metal recast to create new bells. Our current peal of eight, which is rare in South Norfolk, currently consists of the following bells:
Tenor bell, weight 8 Cwt, 1 Qu, 20lb from 1899 – cast by Mears and Stainbank, London
Inscribed:
Mears and Stainbank, Founders, London, 1899
R.W.PITT Rector
L.W.SEWELL
F.WILSON Churchwardens
Inscription on one of the bells re-cast by Mears and Stainbank in 1899
7th bell, weight 5 Cwt, 3 Qu from 1616 – cast by William Brend, Norwich – This bell will be re-hung as the clock bell as a part of this project.
Inscribed:
ANNO DOMINI 1616 along with the mark of William Brend
6th bell from 1899 – cast by Mears and Stainbank, London
Inscribed:
Mears and Stainbank, Founders, London, 1899
R.W.PITT Rector
L.W.SEWELL
F.WILSON Churchwardens
5th bell, weighing 4 Cwt from 1651- cast by John Brend II, Nowich
Inscribed:
JOHN BREND II 1651
The date on the 5th bell cast by John Brend in 1651
The mark of John Brend on the 5th bell he cast in 1651
4th bell, weighing 3 Cwt, 3 Qu from 1618 – cast by William and Alice Brend, Norwich
Inscribed:
1618 along with the mark of William and Alice Brend.
3rd bell, weighing 4 Cwt, 27 lb from 1899 – cast by Mears and Stainbank, London
Inscribed:
Mears and Stainbank, Founders, London, 1899
R.W.PITT Rector
L.W.SEWELL
F.WILSON Churchwardens
2nd bell, weighing 3 Cwt, 3 Qu, 16 lb from 1908 – cast by Mears and Stainbank, London
Inscribed:
Mears and Stainbank, Founders, London, 1908
We Praise Thee O God
This bell also has a small plaque reading “DAY HUNG US” with an eye symbol under the name Day.
Plaque on the 2nd Bell (1908)
Treble bell, weighing 3 Cwt, 2 Qu, 17 lb from 1908 – cast by Mears and Stainbank, London
Inscribed:
Mears and Stainbank, Founders, London
The Treble and 2nd Bell were given
To complete the Octave
By
R.W.PITT., Rector
1908
The inscription on the Treble bell cast by Mears and Stainbank donated to St. Mary’s by Richard Warcap Pitt, Rector from 1892 to 1918.
NOTE:
The Centum weight – Cwt – or hundred weight equals 112 lbs or approximately 50.8 kg.
One Quarter of a Centum weight is 28 lbs – or approximately 12.7 kg.
One pound is 454g.
This is the Imperial definition of the Centum weight. In the United States of America the Centum weight is defined as 100 lbs.