Devizes Branch - Westbury, All Saints
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There were 6 bells at Westbury in 1553, as recorded in Edward VI's inventory, and these were rung from the crossing of the church. In 1755 the churchwardens petitioned for a ringing loft and two new bells but a shortage of funds meant that only the loft was installed (and is still in use today).
Details of the old six bells, prior to recasting in 1921, were as follows:
| Cast by | Date | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treble | John Lott of Warminster | 1671 | 11-1-2 |
| Second | William Cockey of Frome | 1738 | 10-3-21 |
| Third | Roger Purdue of Bristol | 1650 | 12-3-8 |
| Fourth | Thomas Mears of London | 1836 | 21-1-10 |
| Fifth | Roger Purdue of Bristol | 1616 | 20-1-17 |
| Tenor | Abraham Rudhall of Gloucester | 1714 | 30-2-14 |
The fifth bell bore two coats of arms, the Royal Arms and those of the Earl of Marlborough.
The weights were very uneven, as was the tuning, but Pigot's Wiltshire Directory referred to them in 1822 as "a fine peal of heavy bells" and in 1844 as "a peal of sweet toned bells". The bells were rehung in 1884 by the Whitechapel bell foundry.
In 1910 it was reported that the framework of the bells was becoming unsatisfactory and ringing was infrequent. In 1920 a faculty was obtained for the restoration of the bells and fund raising commenced. A tender for hanging and augmenting the bells was accepted from John Taylor of Loughborough and the six bells left Westbury on 7th October 1920. Following inspection at the foundry it was agreed to recast all the old bells and the new eight were cast in June 1921 and installed with a new frame and fittings on 12th October 1921.
The bells were tuned as the back eight of a ten and are the third heaviest ring of eight in the world after Sherborne and Adelaide. The dedication service was attended by some 150-200 ringers from all parts of country. The Bath Chronicle reported that "the ringing for the day was in the hands of Mr S J Hector of Trowbridge who had no easy task in allotting opportunities to the many who were anxious to share in the honour of a first pull".
The first peal on the new bells was rung on 27th December 1921 of Double Norwich Court Bob Major.
The current band practice on each Tuesday and normally ring a number of triples methods. Visitors are always welcome.
| Practice night: | Tue. 19:30 |
|---|---|
| Sunday ringing: | 08:45 |
| Peals: | Felstead Peal Records |
| Access: | Upstairs. Entrance inside the church. |
| Grid ref. | ST873514 |
| OS map | 183 |
| Dove | Dove tower page |
| Links: | |
| Contact: | Email contact |
| Founder | Weight | Note | Year cast | Inscription | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Taylor of Loughborough | 7-0-16 (800lbs) | 1921 | ||
| 2 | John Taylor of Loughborough | 7-2-1 (841lbs) | 1921 | ||
| 3 | John Taylor of Loughborough | 9-0-20 (1,028lbs) | 1921 | ||
| 4 | John Taylor of Loughborough | 10-3-24 (1,228lbs) | 1921 | ||
| 5 | John Taylor of Loughborough | 14-3-19 (1,671lbs) | 1921 | ||
| 6 | John Taylor of Loughborough | 18-3-3 (2,103lbs) | 1921 | ||
| 7 | John Taylor of Loughborough | 24-2-5 (2,749lbs) | 1921 | ||
| 8 | John Taylor of Loughborough | 35-0-14 (3,934lbs) | 1921 |
Tower information last updated on 11th November 2009.