Headon cum Upton
St Peter

Bells

A ladder leads up to the bell tower which contains one bell. There used to be two bells here; the brass bearings for the second bell are still in the bell-frame, and there is written evidence that there were two bells in 1740 and in 1809, but only one by 1858.

Drawing of the
inscription on the bell

The remaining bell has a Latin inscription, “CUM VOCO VENETI” or “Come when I call” (the last word is misspelt and should read “Venite”) and is quite difficult to make out because some of the letters are sideways and some are upside down. This bell is thought to be 16th Century, and is held in a two bay bell-frame. Inscribed on the wheel is “W.P. 1871. March 1st.”

Dendrochronologists from Nottingham University estimate that the timbers in the bell-frame were felled between AD1408-1428. This does not tell us when the frame was built, but since the timbers do not seem to have been re-used, it is reasonable to assume that it was built in the early 15th Century.