Including Local history &
Genealogy for
the Parish of Soham, East Cambridgeshire.
www.sohamroots.co.uk
The Bells of Saint Andrews Church, Soham.
Click
image to enlarge
The Belfry.
Entries occur from time to time in the Church Wardens accounts referring to various repairs made to the bells, bell wheels, frames, &c, to the repair of old bell ropes and purchase to new ones. In 1663 four bell ropes are charged for, costing 13/9; and at intervals between 1674 and 1694 five new ropes were procured, the price being about 3/- each; but whether these later entries can be taken to determine the number of the bells is uncertain probably there were 6 bells at this time. New wheels and brasses were put to the bells in 1676 at the cost of about £14.
In 1694, 120 Ibs. of metal were added to the '' Greate bell '' by Charles Newman of Haddenham, at an expense of £27/12/0, the terms of the contract being settled at '' Ye Bull '' with the help of half-a-crowns worth of ale and wine. A new clapper weighing 38Ibs at 10d. per Ib. was put to the fourth bell in 1699 and the coppers of the fourth and fifth bells were repaired in 1701 at a cost of £2/15/0. In 1706 the third bell was taken to Bury and was runned at an expenditure of £8/13/0, besides 4/- for '' drink for the helpers at taking down, '' and an allowance of ........ to Isaac Hurst for '' damage done to the clock, '' and sundry other expenses. This work does not appear to have been carried out with sufficient promptitude, for we find the following entry, said court fees, the bell not being run'd in due time, 2s 8d. ''
In 1709 some, or all of the bells were taken down and repaired, as is shown by these entries :.....
'' For carrying of the bells to Fulbourne and expenses, for ourselves, horses, and men, being out 2 nights, and bringing ym back agen, £1/15/0. '' payed Mr Waylott '' part of ye charge of Running the bells, £20, '' ( the balance £7 was payed in 1710 ) . Drink to the value of £1/8/0 was consumed at '' John Goldsberoughs for ye ringers, and with ye bell founder, '' and £1/6/0 was payed Edmd Rumbelow for drink and for '' the use of his steyliards to weigh the bells by.'' The journey was not completed without some little difficulty, for Mr Plummer was allowed half-a-crown towards the repair of his waggon shafts which were broken on the way to Fulbourne. Mr Clack, Church Warden in 1726, made a journey to Newmarket to get the clapper of the great bell repaired, two of the bells having had new clappers put to them in the preceding year. In 1755 a new frame for the bells was fitted up at a cost of £29 odd. The accounts for 1757 contain this entry, '' money to be collected for the bells, £36/13/4, '' but no particulars are given as to the character of the work done.
At the Easter Vestry meeting in 1783 the '' principal inhabitants of the parish of Soham '' agreed and ordered that the bells be recast and sufficient quantity of new metal be added to make a peal of 8 bells, provided the Feoffees of Mr Bonds feoffment pay the sum of £85 in their hands and due to the church, towards the expense of recasting, &c. A subscription was also to be entered into for the same purpose and any deficiency was to be raised by rate.
A counter proposal that the bells be recast into a peal of 6 bells only, met with no support. The project however, seems to have fallen through for a time, for on Easter Monday, March 24th 1788, the matter was again bought forward and the following resolution passed :.... '' Whereas, at the general Vestry meeting of the principal inhabitants of the parish of Soham, the present bad state of the bells has been taken into consideration, the Tenor being split, and the other bells of so bad a tone that it is the opinion of Mr Osbourn, bell founder, the work cannot be well completed without recasting them, and whereas there is in the hands of the Feoffees of Bonds Charity a balance of £120 to be appropriated to the repairs of the said parish Church, '' it was agreed that if the Feoffees would undertake the work, the deficiency should be made up of rate. At a further meeting on May 26th 1788 the Churchwardens , William Pechy, and William Sizer, were directed to agree with Thomas Osbourn of Downham to recast the bells. Another meeting held on October 12h in the same year, '' to take the opinion of the parishioners whether they were satisfied as to the goodness of the 6 new bells, '' and it was unanimously agreed by the inhabitants then present '' that the bells are very good ones and give general satisfaction;'' and the Churchwardens were directed to pay Mr. Osbourn according to the contract. In 1790 it was ordered at the usual Easter Meeting, that the Churchwardens, William Pechey and John Yarro, '' do as soon as conveniently maybe, agree with Mr. Osbourn of Downham for putting up 2 new bells in the parish Church Steeple at as little expense to the parish as the nature of the work will admit, '' the Feoffees of Bonds Charity agreeing to pay the balance due to the Church into the hands of the Churchwardens. The accounts for the years 1788 and 1790 furnish the following details respecting the bells and expenses:....
1788. ...... 6 new bells weight as under : .... ( these are the present bells, but nos 5 to 10, four smaller ones having been added, ).
1st ..... 8 cwts. 0qrs.5Ibs, 2nd..... 8cwts,1qr.2Ibs. 3rd ......9cwt,3qrs.0Ilbs.
4th .....10cwts, 2qrs. 20Ilbs. 5th.....13cwts,2qrs.17Ibs. 6th .....19cwts,3qrs.3Ibs. 70cwts,0qrs.19Ibs.... at £5 12s.0d. per cwt., £392 19s.0d.;
6 clappers ......154Ibs. at 9d. per Ib., £5 15s.6d.
Hanging, as by agreement £30 0s.0d.; Total £428 14s.6d.;
Received by 6 old bells weight as under : 1st..... 5cwts,2qrs.4Ibs., 2nd......7cwts,3qrs.0Ibs., 3rd.......8cwts,1qrs.14Ibs., 4th......9cwts,2qrs.14Ibs., 5th.......11cwts,2qrs.8Ibs., 6th.......17cwts,1qrs.6Ibs., 60cwts.0qrs.18Ibs., ( a slight error was made in the accounts, the weight being reckoned at 60cwts, 2qrs.4Ibs., ) at £4 4s.0d. per cwt, £254 5s.0d. Received of Bonds Feoffees £120 0s.0d. Total £374 5s.0d. Balance £54 9s.6d.
Preparing the frame for the new bells cost £22. 12s.11d. besides sundry expenses for bell-ropes, iron work, &c, and Mr.Rignal at the '' White Lion '' was paid five shillings ''for the Cambridge ringers.''
1790......Two new bells weighing together 15cwts., at £5.12s.0d., £84.0s.od.; Two clappers weighing 43Ibs. 9d.; £1.12s.3d.; Hanging, &c., £11.3s.0d.; Total £96.15s.3d.
Received: Collected by Subscription £20.0s.od.; From Bond's Feoffees £50.0s.0d.; Total £70.0s.0d.; Balance £26.15s.3d.
In 1807 subscriptions were raised towards the expense of two new bells to make a peal of 10. The amount collected was £66.9s.4d., of which sum the company of ringers, fifteen in all, ( five of them being members of the Tebbit family, ) subscribed or collected £20, Bond's Feoffees paid £10.17s.8d., and the old lead and old bell frames realised £8.5s.6d.
The Tenor bell was re-hung in 1861 and a new stock, &c., provided at a cost of £5 or £6, and repairs effected in connection with some of the other bells at an expenditure of £10.
Besides the occasions on which merry peals were rung on the bells already referred to, we find the following references to the bells in the Churchwardens' account books: In 1677, Thos. Chambers, junr., was paid £1.8s.0d. for ringing the ''eight-a-clock '' bell; at a Vestry Meeting held on Easter Monday, March 28th, 1796, it was agreed that, as £2 was not a reasonable salary for the Sexton, ( Mrs. Tebbit ) for ringing the bell at four in morning and eight in the evening, £3 be allowed her yearly in the future; and in 1812 it was ordered that £5 be paid to Thomas Tebbit for ringing the night and morning bell was usual. In 1814 the following order was made : that £13 a year be paid to Thomas Tebbit for chiming the bells on Sundays and other times, winding up the town clock, tolling the bell in time of harvest, and for ringing the bell night and morning throughout the year ( Sundays excepted ) at such times as should be required by the parish officers.
The bells bear the following inscriptions:.......
Nos.... 1 and 2....Revnd. H. Fisher, (Vicar); J. Dobede and R. Tebbit. C. W. J. Briant, (Hertford), Fecit *New by subscriptions 1808.
Nos. 3 and 4....H. Fisher, (Vicar); J.Dobede, and R.Tebbit. C.W.John Briant, (Hertford), Fecit * Re-cast by subscription,1808.
No. 5....Cum Voco Venite : T. Osborn, Fecit 1788.
No. 6....T. Osborn, Fecit J788. ( 1788 ). Laudate Nomen.
No. 7....T. Osborn, Downham, Norfolk, Fecit J788. Wm. Pechy, Wm. Sizer, Churchwarden.
No. 8....Wm. Pechy and Wm. Sizer, Churchwarden. T. Osborn, Fecit J788.
No. 9....In Wedlock's bands all ye who join,With hands your hearts unite,So shall our tune full tongues combine,To land the nuptial rite.*Thos. Osborn, Fecit J788.
No. 10....The Feoffees of Bond's Charity paid 120 pounds towards the casting of these Bells. T. Osborn, Fecit J788.
The following records of change ringing are copied from the lists hung in the belfry:....
Peals rung in this tower by the Society of Soham Youths. October 25th, 1790. 5120 changes of Oxford Treble Bob, in 3 hours and 33 minutes. 1st Bell, Thos. Tebbit; 2nd, Lk. Goldsbrow; 3rd, Rt. Tebbit; 4th, Jh. Finch; 5th, Ed. Tebbit; 6th, Rt. Silver; 7th, Thos Talbot; 8th, Thos. Brown.
1st January, 1795, 5040 changes of Norwich Court in 3 hours and 30 minutes. 1st Bell, Ed. Tebbit; 2nd, Thos. Tebbit; 3rd, Rt. Chevis; 4th, Thos. Tebbit, junior; 5th, Robert Tebbit; 6th, Lk. Goldsbrow; 7th, Rt. Silver; 8th, Thos. Brown.
17th February, 1800. 5152 changes of Imperial the Third, in 3 hours and 34 minutes. 1st Bell, Thos. Tebbit; 2nd, Lk. Goldsbrow; 3rd, Jh. Finch; 4th, Thos. Tebbit, junior; 5th, Rt. Tebbit; 6th, Rt. Chevis; 7th, Thos. Talbot; 8th, Rt. Silver.
A complete peal was rung in this tower by three brothers and their sons, of the Society of Soham Youths, on November 20th, 1809. 5280 changes of Oxford Treble Bob, in 3 hours and 35 minutes. 1st Bell, Thos. Tebbit; 2nd, Robert Tebbit, ( son of Robert ); 3rd, Benjamin Tebbit, ( 15 years old ); 4th, John Tebbit, ( son of Thomas ); 5th, Robt. Tebbit; 6th, Edward Tebbit; 7th, Thos. Tebbit ( son of Thos ); 8th, William Tebbit, ( son of Thos ).
In honour of the Queen's acquittal a complete peal was rung by members of the Society of Soham Youths on November 16th, 1820. 5040 changes Oxford Treble Bob Royal in 3 hours and 43 minutes. 1st Bell, Thos. Tebbit; 2nd, William Tebbit; 3rd, Robt. Tebbit; 4th, Robt. Staples; 5th, Thos. Tebbit, junior; 6th, Robert Talbot; 7th, Jas. Seaber; 8th, Benjamin Tebbit; 9th, Thos. Tebbit; 10th, John West.
New Treble Bob Royal, 5040 changes, was rung in this tower, Feb. 22nd, 1830, in 3 hours and 35 minutes, a complete peal containing 5003 changes of Grandsire Tittum Caters; performed the first attempt, conducted by W. Tebbit. Ringers:....W. Tebbit, J.Tebbit, R.Tebbit, R. Staples, T. Tebbit, junior, C. Elsden, J. Seaber, R. Chives, C. Spring, J. West.
The Belfry.Entries occur from time to time in the Church Wardens accounts referring to various repairs made to the bells, bell wheels, frames, &c, to the repair of old bell ropes and purchase to new ones. In 1663 four bell ropes are charged for, costing 13/9; and at intervals between 1674 and 1694 five new ropes were procured, the price being about 3/- each; but whether these later entries can be taken to determine the number of the bells is uncertain probably there were 6 bells at this time. New wheels and brasses were put to the bells in 1676 at the cost of about £14.
In 1694, 120 Ibs. of metal were added to the '' Greate bell '' by Charles Newman of Haddenham, at an expense of £27/12/0, the terms of the contract being settled at '' Ye Bull '' with the help of half-a-crowns worth of ale and wine. A new clapper weighing 38Ibs at 10d. per Ib. was put to the fourth bell in 1699 and the coppers of the fourth and fifth bells were repaired in 1701 at a cost of £2/15/0. In 1706 the third bell was taken to Bury and was runned at an expenditure of £8/13/0, besides 4/- for '' drink for the helpers at taking down, '' and an allowance of ........ to Isaac Hurst for '' damage done to the clock, '' and sundry other expenses. This work does not appear to have been carried out with sufficient promptitude, for we find the following entry, said court fees, the bell not being run'd in due time, 2s 8d. ''
In 1709 some, or all of the bells were taken down and repaired, as is shown by these entries :.....
'' For carrying of the bells to Fulbourne and expenses, for ourselves, horses, and men, being out 2 nights, and bringing ym back agen, £1/15/0. '' payed Mr Waylott '' part of ye charge of Running the bells, £20, '' ( the balance £7 was payed in 1710 ) . Drink to the value of £1/8/0 was consumed at '' John Goldsberoughs for ye ringers, and with ye bell founder, '' and £1/6/0 was payed Edmd Rumbelow for drink and for '' the use of his steyliards to weigh the bells by.'' The journey was not completed without some little difficulty, for Mr Plummer was allowed half-a-crown towards the repair of his waggon shafts which were broken on the way to Fulbourne. Mr Clack, Church Warden in 1726, made a journey to Newmarket to get the clapper of the great bell repaired, two of the bells having had new clappers put to them in the preceding year. In 1755 a new frame for the bells was fitted up at a cost of £29 odd. The accounts for 1757 contain this entry, '' money to be collected for the bells, £36/13/4, '' but no particulars are given as to the character of the work done.
At the Easter Vestry meeting in 1783 the '' principal inhabitants of the parish of Soham '' agreed and ordered that the bells be recast and sufficient quantity of new metal be added to make a peal of 8 bells, provided the Feoffees of Mr Bonds feoffment pay the sum of £85 in their hands and due to the church, towards the expense of recasting, &c. A subscription was also to be entered into for the same purpose and any deficiency was to be raised by rate.
A counter proposal that the bells be recast into a peal of 6 bells only, met with no support. The project however, seems to have fallen through for a time, for on Easter Monday, March 24th 1788, the matter was again bought forward and the following resolution passed :.... '' Whereas, at the general Vestry meeting of the principal inhabitants of the parish of Soham, the present bad state of the bells has been taken into consideration, the Tenor being split, and the other bells of so bad a tone that it is the opinion of Mr Osbourn, bell founder, the work cannot be well completed without recasting them, and whereas there is in the hands of the Feoffees of Bonds Charity a balance of £120 to be appropriated to the repairs of the said parish Church, '' it was agreed that if the Feoffees would undertake the work, the deficiency should be made up of rate. At a further meeting on May 26th 1788 the Churchwardens , William Pechy, and William Sizer, were directed to agree with Thomas Osbourn of Downham to recast the bells. Another meeting held on October 12h in the same year, '' to take the opinion of the parishioners whether they were satisfied as to the goodness of the 6 new bells, '' and it was unanimously agreed by the inhabitants then present '' that the bells are very good ones and give general satisfaction;'' and the Churchwardens were directed to pay Mr. Osbourn according to the contract. In 1790 it was ordered at the usual Easter Meeting, that the Churchwardens, William Pechey and John Yarro, '' do as soon as conveniently maybe, agree with Mr. Osbourn of Downham for putting up 2 new bells in the parish Church Steeple at as little expense to the parish as the nature of the work will admit, '' the Feoffees of Bonds Charity agreeing to pay the balance due to the Church into the hands of the Churchwardens. The accounts for the years 1788 and 1790 furnish the following details respecting the bells and expenses:....
1788. ...... 6 new bells weight as under : .... ( these are the present bells, but nos 5 to 10, four smaller ones having been added, ).
1st ..... 8 cwts. 0qrs.5Ibs, 2nd..... 8cwts,1qr.2Ibs. 3rd ......9cwt,3qrs.0Ilbs.
4th .....10cwts, 2qrs. 20Ilbs. 5th.....13cwts,2qrs.17Ibs. 6th .....19cwts,3qrs.3Ibs. 70cwts,0qrs.19Ibs.... at £5 12s.0d. per cwt., £392 19s.0d.;
6 clappers ......154Ibs. at 9d. per Ib., £5 15s.6d.
Hanging, as by agreement £30 0s.0d.; Total £428 14s.6d.;
Received by 6 old bells weight as under : 1st..... 5cwts,2qrs.4Ibs., 2nd......7cwts,3qrs.0Ibs., 3rd.......8cwts,1qrs.14Ibs., 4th......9cwts,2qrs.14Ibs., 5th.......11cwts,2qrs.8Ibs., 6th.......17cwts,1qrs.6Ibs., 60cwts.0qrs.18Ibs., ( a slight error was made in the accounts, the weight being reckoned at 60cwts, 2qrs.4Ibs., ) at £4 4s.0d. per cwt, £254 5s.0d. Received of Bonds Feoffees £120 0s.0d. Total £374 5s.0d. Balance £54 9s.6d.
Preparing the frame for the new bells cost £22. 12s.11d. besides sundry expenses for bell-ropes, iron work, &c, and Mr.Rignal at the '' White Lion '' was paid five shillings ''for the Cambridge ringers.''
1790......Two new bells weighing together 15cwts., at £5.12s.0d., £84.0s.od.; Two clappers weighing 43Ibs. 9d.; £1.12s.3d.; Hanging, &c., £11.3s.0d.; Total £96.15s.3d.
Received: Collected by Subscription £20.0s.od.; From Bond's Feoffees £50.0s.0d.; Total £70.0s.0d.; Balance £26.15s.3d.
In 1807 subscriptions were raised towards the expense of two new bells to make a peal of 10. The amount collected was £66.9s.4d., of which sum the company of ringers, fifteen in all, ( five of them being members of the Tebbit family, ) subscribed or collected £20, Bond's Feoffees paid £10.17s.8d., and the old lead and old bell frames realised £8.5s.6d.
The Tenor bell was re-hung in 1861 and a new stock, &c., provided at a cost of £5 or £6, and repairs effected in connection with some of the other bells at an expenditure of £10.
Besides the occasions on which merry peals were rung on the bells already referred to, we find the following references to the bells in the Churchwardens' account books: In 1677, Thos. Chambers, junr., was paid £1.8s.0d. for ringing the ''eight-a-clock '' bell; at a Vestry Meeting held on Easter Monday, March 28th, 1796, it was agreed that, as £2 was not a reasonable salary for the Sexton, ( Mrs. Tebbit ) for ringing the bell at four in morning and eight in the evening, £3 be allowed her yearly in the future; and in 1812 it was ordered that £5 be paid to Thomas Tebbit for ringing the night and morning bell was usual. In 1814 the following order was made : that £13 a year be paid to Thomas Tebbit for chiming the bells on Sundays and other times, winding up the town clock, tolling the bell in time of harvest, and for ringing the bell night and morning throughout the year ( Sundays excepted ) at such times as should be required by the parish officers.
The bells bear the following inscriptions:.......
Nos.... 1 and 2....Revnd. H. Fisher, (Vicar); J. Dobede and R. Tebbit. C. W. J. Briant, (Hertford), Fecit *New by subscriptions 1808.
Nos. 3 and 4....H. Fisher, (Vicar); J.Dobede, and R.Tebbit. C.W.John Briant, (Hertford), Fecit * Re-cast by subscription,1808.
No. 5....Cum Voco Venite : T. Osborn, Fecit 1788.
No. 6....T. Osborn, Fecit J788. ( 1788 ). Laudate Nomen.
No. 7....T. Osborn, Downham, Norfolk, Fecit J788. Wm. Pechy, Wm. Sizer, Churchwarden.
No. 8....Wm. Pechy and Wm. Sizer, Churchwarden. T. Osborn, Fecit J788.
No. 9....In Wedlock's bands all ye who join,With hands your hearts unite,So shall our tune full tongues combine,To land the nuptial rite.*Thos. Osborn, Fecit J788.
No. 10....The Feoffees of Bond's Charity paid 120 pounds towards the casting of these Bells. T. Osborn, Fecit J788.
The following records of change ringing are copied from the lists hung in the belfry:....
Peals rung in this tower by the Society of Soham Youths. October 25th, 1790. 5120 changes of Oxford Treble Bob, in 3 hours and 33 minutes. 1st Bell, Thos. Tebbit; 2nd, Lk. Goldsbrow; 3rd, Rt. Tebbit; 4th, Jh. Finch; 5th, Ed. Tebbit; 6th, Rt. Silver; 7th, Thos Talbot; 8th, Thos. Brown.
1st January, 1795, 5040 changes of Norwich Court in 3 hours and 30 minutes. 1st Bell, Ed. Tebbit; 2nd, Thos. Tebbit; 3rd, Rt. Chevis; 4th, Thos. Tebbit, junior; 5th, Robert Tebbit; 6th, Lk. Goldsbrow; 7th, Rt. Silver; 8th, Thos. Brown.
17th February, 1800. 5152 changes of Imperial the Third, in 3 hours and 34 minutes. 1st Bell, Thos. Tebbit; 2nd, Lk. Goldsbrow; 3rd, Jh. Finch; 4th, Thos. Tebbit, junior; 5th, Rt. Tebbit; 6th, Rt. Chevis; 7th, Thos. Talbot; 8th, Rt. Silver.
A complete peal was rung in this tower by three brothers and their sons, of the Society of Soham Youths, on November 20th, 1809. 5280 changes of Oxford Treble Bob, in 3 hours and 35 minutes. 1st Bell, Thos. Tebbit; 2nd, Robert Tebbit, ( son of Robert ); 3rd, Benjamin Tebbit, ( 15 years old ); 4th, John Tebbit, ( son of Thomas ); 5th, Robt. Tebbit; 6th, Edward Tebbit; 7th, Thos. Tebbit ( son of Thos ); 8th, William Tebbit, ( son of Thos ).
In honour of the Queen's acquittal a complete peal was rung by members of the Society of Soham Youths on November 16th, 1820. 5040 changes Oxford Treble Bob Royal in 3 hours and 43 minutes. 1st Bell, Thos. Tebbit; 2nd, William Tebbit; 3rd, Robt. Tebbit; 4th, Robt. Staples; 5th, Thos. Tebbit, junior; 6th, Robert Talbot; 7th, Jas. Seaber; 8th, Benjamin Tebbit; 9th, Thos. Tebbit; 10th, John West.
New Treble Bob Royal, 5040 changes, was rung in this tower, Feb. 22nd, 1830, in 3 hours and 35 minutes, a complete peal containing 5003 changes of Grandsire Tittum Caters; performed the first attempt, conducted by W. Tebbit. Ringers:....W. Tebbit, J.Tebbit, R.Tebbit, R. Staples, T. Tebbit, junior, C. Elsden, J. Seaber, R. Chives, C. Spring, J. West.
Visitor no.
