St Cuthberts, Shustoke |
St Cuthberts Shustoke from the SW
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Ringing timesCurrently ringing is only by arrangement and usually for weddings and special services. Sunday Ringing times
First Sunday St Johns Lea Marston 9.15 for 9.30am Second Sunday St Cuthberts Shustoke 9.00 for 9.30am Third Sunday St Leonards Over Whitacre 10.45 for 11am Fourth Sunday St Giles Nether Whitacre 10.30 for 11am Fifth Sunday St Giles Nether Whitacre 9.30 for 10am joint service However ringing is only regular at St Giles Church - please check for all other services Bell details1 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1950 3-2-3 25.50" 1377.5Hz (E#-24c)
2 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1887 4-2-0 27.25" 1233.5Hz (D#-15c) 3 William Bagley, Chacombe 1698 4¾cwt 28.75" 1093.0Hz (C#-25c) 4 William Bagley, Chacombe 1698 5¼cwt 30.75" 964.0Hz (B-42c) 5 Lester and Pack, Whitechapel 1768 7½cwt 34.00" 920.5Hz (A#-22c) 6 Lester and Pack, Whitechapel 1768 10½cwt 39.125" 811.5Hz (G#-40c) These bells sound different - the locals think inside they are not too nice but outside are very pretty. The bells are classed as a minor six but ring as a 2 to 7 of a ring of eight. The frame is dated from 1769 and bells were last properly rehung by Taylors in 1924. The treble was added in 1950 and has a headstock welded by Gordon Lane. The church suffered a lightning strike in 1880's and was rebuilt in 1887 after the nave being roofless for a number of years. |
St Cuthbert’s Church Bells, Shustoke
The original church was erected in the time of Edward II, 1284-1327, evidenced by a figure in a north window of John, Lord Mowbray, who was probably a benefactor of the new church. This information is chronicled by the Warwickshire historian William Dugdale, 1605-1686. The top stage of the tower and spire were added in the second half of the 15th century.
There were bells in the church before 1698 as testified by Tilley and Walters (Church Bells of Warwickshire) where an inscription on the second bell of Bagley’s recast ring of five records:
OF * FORE * HE * CAST * US * INTO * FIVE * 1698
This is definite proof that there were at least four bells in the church prior to Bagley’s five, hung in 1698.
The third* of Bagley’s bears the words * REPAIRD * OUR * CHURCH * AND
* BELFREE * HERE *1698 *
Inscriptions on later replacement bells are as follows.
The fourth* recast at Whitechapel in 1768: LESTER & PACK OF LONDON FECIT 1768
The fifth* recording the name of the Church Warden, also cast at Whitechapel bears the words:
JOS GIBSON Ch WARDEN
LESTER &PACK OF LONDON FECIT 1768
The first* bell of Bagley’s ring of five was replaced in 1736 with its successor by William Brooke, bearing the inscription:
+Mr ROBERT MALLERON VICAR AS I DO TELL
AND JOSIAS ALLEN CHURCHWARDEN WHEN I WAS MADE A BELL
W B: BROMSGROVE 1736
This bell, too, was replaced by yet another after a fire caused by a lightning strike in 1886 which destroyed much of the church roof and damaged the lower levels of the bell tower. The replacement, by Taylors of Loughborough bears the poetic message:
UNTUNED BY LIGHTNING FLAMES &FIRE 1886
AGAIN I LEAD THE STEEPLE CHOIR 1887
The most recent bell, cast by Taylors of Loughborough was installed in 1950 in honour of those who gave their lives during WW2 and is the treble, the lightest bell, which moves all of the bell numbers* up a place.
The timber bell frame is the oldest part of the installation as it has carved on it:
Los.GIBSON CW 1769
1552 SAUSTOKE V BELLS
1750 SHUSTOCK 5 BELLS
Was the frame carrying the bells that preceded Bagley’s ring carrying a previous five bells in place from 1552? We will never know.
The back four were rehung in 1883 by Robert Summers, a millwright of Tamworth in Arden at a cost of £85/10/-.
Taylors of Loughborough later rehung the back five on ball bearings in 1924 one hundred years ago. This is the last time any work of note was carried out prior to the installation of the 1950 treble.
The bells are still hung on their original straight timber headstocks which renders them difficult to ring. They are now rung occasionally for Sunday services, weddings and other special occasions, and are checked on a weekly basis by the clock winding team who ring two or three of the six after winding the clock.
A survey by Taylors was carried out in 2018 and recommendations were made to rehang the bells on cranked metal headstocks and new bearings which will make them easier and safer to ring. The cost of the necessary works which included wheel and rope replacement was estimated at £37,459.00
The work was not carried out.
The original church was erected in the time of Edward II, 1284-1327, evidenced by a figure in a north window of John, Lord Mowbray, who was probably a benefactor of the new church. This information is chronicled by the Warwickshire historian William Dugdale, 1605-1686. The top stage of the tower and spire were added in the second half of the 15th century.
There were bells in the church before 1698 as testified by Tilley and Walters (Church Bells of Warwickshire) where an inscription on the second bell of Bagley’s recast ring of five records:
OF * FORE * HE * CAST * US * INTO * FIVE * 1698
This is definite proof that there were at least four bells in the church prior to Bagley’s five, hung in 1698.
The third* of Bagley’s bears the words * REPAIRD * OUR * CHURCH * AND
* BELFREE * HERE *1698 *
Inscriptions on later replacement bells are as follows.
The fourth* recast at Whitechapel in 1768: LESTER & PACK OF LONDON FECIT 1768
The fifth* recording the name of the Church Warden, also cast at Whitechapel bears the words:
JOS GIBSON Ch WARDEN
LESTER &PACK OF LONDON FECIT 1768
The first* bell of Bagley’s ring of five was replaced in 1736 with its successor by William Brooke, bearing the inscription:
+Mr ROBERT MALLERON VICAR AS I DO TELL
AND JOSIAS ALLEN CHURCHWARDEN WHEN I WAS MADE A BELL
W B: BROMSGROVE 1736
This bell, too, was replaced by yet another after a fire caused by a lightning strike in 1886 which destroyed much of the church roof and damaged the lower levels of the bell tower. The replacement, by Taylors of Loughborough bears the poetic message:
UNTUNED BY LIGHTNING FLAMES &FIRE 1886
AGAIN I LEAD THE STEEPLE CHOIR 1887
The most recent bell, cast by Taylors of Loughborough was installed in 1950 in honour of those who gave their lives during WW2 and is the treble, the lightest bell, which moves all of the bell numbers* up a place.
The timber bell frame is the oldest part of the installation as it has carved on it:
Los.GIBSON CW 1769
1552 SAUSTOKE V BELLS
1750 SHUSTOCK 5 BELLS
Was the frame carrying the bells that preceded Bagley’s ring carrying a previous five bells in place from 1552? We will never know.
The back four were rehung in 1883 by Robert Summers, a millwright of Tamworth in Arden at a cost of £85/10/-.
Taylors of Loughborough later rehung the back five on ball bearings in 1924 one hundred years ago. This is the last time any work of note was carried out prior to the installation of the 1950 treble.
The bells are still hung on their original straight timber headstocks which renders them difficult to ring. They are now rung occasionally for Sunday services, weddings and other special occasions, and are checked on a weekly basis by the clock winding team who ring two or three of the six after winding the clock.
A survey by Taylors was carried out in 2018 and recommendations were made to rehang the bells on cranked metal headstocks and new bearings which will make them easier and safer to ring. The cost of the necessary works which included wheel and rope replacement was estimated at £37,459.00
The work was not carried out.
The second bell with the inscription ‘untuned by lightning flames and fire, now I lead the steeple choir’ - Mike Miller Easter 2024
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Shustoke Belfry - Mike Miller Easter 2024
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For more bell details and images please link here
