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St.Swithun's has a peal of 6 bells which are rung on a regular basis for services and special occasions. We also host bell-ringing competitions, our team is one of the best in the area. The team captain is Claude Nicholls.

The following is a description of the history of the bells, given to us by the late Mr. D.Clarke, the son of a former Rector at St.Swithun's

The Bells of the Church of St Swithun, Littleham

Church Bells

The video to the right is of the Littleham Campanologists and includes a rare view of the inside of the belfry in St Swithun's, Littleham and the bells in action.

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The earliest record we have of bells in the tower is from the well-known inventory of Church Goods of 1553. Four bells were listed, two of which remained in the tower until 1913.

The oldest of these bells was the tenor or largest bell of the peal, which was probably cast around the year 1400. It bore the following inscription in "Lombardic" capitals, ECCA MARIA VIRGO, and was from the Exeter Foundry. Medieval bells were almost never dated and it has only been possible to give approximate dates, following many years of research. Some medieval bellfounders used a recognisable foundry mark on their bells, and these sometimes included their initials.

The other " Pre-Reformation" bell remaining was the old third bell, which was probably cast by Robert Norton of the Exeter Foundry in the second quarter of the 15th.Century. It bore the following inscription in "Gothic" or "Black Letter" script: -

Misteriis Johannis Repleat Nos Dea Sacris

Latin scholars may be interested in these inscriptions, but should be warned that bellfounders in those days were almost all illiterate in their own language, never mind Latin. These inscriptions were copied from scripts and are sometimes found with inverted or reversed letters or even words. Each founder tended to have one set of letter moulds and a small number of stock inscriptions. This has assisted historians in attributing bells to founders.

The other two medieval bells were recast at least once during the next 350 years, and in 1908 the old second bell bore the inscription: JOHN, SQUIRE, 1825. We are not sure who this man was, and so there are possibilities for further research here for any budding historian. He may have been a Church Warden or a Priest, but is more likely to have been the founder. He is not known as a founder however, and since his bell was melted down in 1913, we have no physical clues. We do know however that in 1825, Williarn and John Taylor (bellfounders from Oxford at that time) set up a *branch" bellfoundry in Buckland Brewer. This arrangement lasted for ten years or so, and then the foundry was taken over by one Caleb Squire. Could it be that John Squire had cast a few bells in Buckland Brewer before the Taylor take over, and then his son carried on the business afterwards.

The treble bell in 1908 was by the famous Thomas Bilbie, whose bells still grace many Devonshire towers. The family originated in Chew Stoke near Bristol, and for many years operated from a "branch" foundry in Cullompton. This bell was cast in 1749 and bore the following simple inscription: THOMAS BILBIE, 1749.

These four bells and two new bells, were hung in a new cast iron frame by William Aggett & Sons of Chagford, in 1908. The additional bells were supplied by Mears & Stainbank of Whitechapel, in the east end of London; a belifoundry since 1570 and still in operation today. The new bells bore the names of the current priest and the bellhanger, who was a great self-publicist. Unfortunately he had a much higher opinion of his abilities than history can bear out, although at least his frame at Littleham has stood the test of time.

We must assume that these bells were deemed to be unsatisfactory, and can cite some possible reasons for this. The tuning of old bells was not normally undertaken at this time and the notes produced by this very mixed bag of bells, would probably have been well wide of a proper diatonic scale. We may assume that they would have been hung on wooden headstocks and if not hung well, may have been difficult to ring as precisely as would have been wished. Unusually, and only five years later, the whole peal was recast by the Croydon Bellfoundry of Gillett & Johnstone. They were harmonically tuned and hung in the still new and satisfactory frame of 1908. The inscriptions from the old bells including those of 1908 were reproduced on the new bells but unfortunately not in facsimile. They also record the date and founder, and display some attractive decorative mouldings around their crowns, in the manner typical of this founder.

Recent History

 By the 1980's, the bells had become difficult to ring and it was evident that considerable work was necessary to restore them to good order. The iron frame was still in good condition, as cast iron is not prone to corrosion as is steel. The fittings however were in need of much work, and this was undertaken by Arthur Fidler of Rame near Saltash, with the help of Claude Nicholls in 1989. The bells were provided with many new fittings, and ball bearings to replace the old plain bearings, and the whole installation put into good order.

The band of ringers was reformed and the bells now continue to be rung regularly for services and festivals of Church and State. The band are regular contestants in bell ringing festivals throughout Devon and have achieved some notable successes. The highest achievement so far, was a fifth place in the all-Devon finals.

The Bells

Vital statistics are as follows: -

 

Bell          Diameter (inches)          Note        Weight (cwt-qrs-lbs)

Treble           24                                   F                      2-3-6

Second        25.5                                Eb                   3-0-14

Third             27.5                                Db                   3-2-21

Fourth           29                                   C                      4-0-21

Fifth               32                                   Bb                    5-2-14

Tenor            36                                   Ab                    8-1-17

 

It may also be of interest to the reader, to note that two neighbouring parishes still retain medieval bells in their current rings of bells. Both Abbotsham and Alwington have two pre-reformation bells each. The oldest at Abbotsham is an early bell from a London founder named Dawe, and was probably cast around 1385. The earliest bell at Alwington is from the Bristol foundry and is thought to date from around 1390. These are some of the earliest bells still in regular use in The Diocese of Exeter.