The Rev. Richard Warcup Pitt was a very keen bell-ringer and was instrumental to the renovation of the bells at St. Mary’s in 1899 and 1908.

Rev. Pitt became Rector of St. Mary’s in 1892 and served the church and village of Saxlingham until his retirement in 1918.

The St. Mary’s Bell-ringers in 1908 with the two new bells purchased by the Rev. Pitt (seated, centre).

Rev. Pitt’s career 

Richard Warcop Pitt was born in 1849 in Scarning, near Dereham, he went to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University in 1868 and received his BA in 1872 and MA in 1875.

He was ordained a deacon in York in 1873, and priest in 1874.

He was Assistant Master at Doncaster Grammar School between 1872 and 1881; Curate of Christ’s Church Doncaster 1873 – 1881; Curate of St. Paul’s, Burton on Trent 1881 – 1885; Curate at Great Yarmouth 1885 – 1887; Curate at North with South Lopham 1887 to 1892.  He joined St. Mary’s Saxlingham Nethergate with Saxlingham Thorpe in 1892.

Following his retirement, aged 69 in 1918, he was a Licensed Preacher for the Norwich Diocese until his death in 1943.

In 1883 the Rev. Pitt was admitted as a member of the Midland Counties Association of Change Ringers.

1883 Certificate awarded to Rev. Pitt

The Rev. Pitt was married to Charlotte Heyhoe Taylor (born 1851 at Mattishall) in the December quarter of 1887 in Mitford near Dereham – she died, aged 77, 14th March 1928.  Rev. Pitt died, aged 94, on 20th March 1943.  Both The Rev. and Mrs. Pitt are buried in the churchyard at St. Mary’s.

The Pitts had one daughter, Winifred Heyhoe Pitt (born in the June quarter of 1889) who married Vyvyan George Hooper Hicks, a solicitor. The Rev. Pitt left an estate valued at £44,788 18s.