Radcliffe on Trent
St Mary

Bells

According to G.A. Dawson’s definitive survey of church bells in Nottinghamshire, Radcliffe church had a bell as early as c1370. In 1519 Richard Bayley left 3s 4d for the repair of an unspecified number of ‘bells’ and 3d for bread and ale for the ringers. By 1552 there were two hand bells (a sacring bell and a sanctus bell with a broken crown) and three bells in the steeple. Some recasting or replacement, as well as the addition of a fourth bell occurred from 1612 onwards, so that in the eighteenth century the bells and their inscriptions were recorded as follows:

Treble
   JHESUS BE OUR SPEDE 1612 (in Lombardic script)
Second
   VIRGO : EST : ELECTUS : JOHES (in Lombardic script)
Third
   I sweetly toling men do call to taste on meate that feeds the soole 1625
Tenor
   all men that heare my mournfull sounde repent before you ly in ground 1625

The last two were the work of George I Oldfield of Nottingham, the treble was by his father, Henry II, and the second bell from c. 1370 was by John de Stafford of Leicester.

From the time of the church rebuilding in 1879 the belfry has been reached by a staircase outside the west door. Between 1879 and 1886 the old bells were recast and two new ones were supplied by Taylor and Co. of Loughborough. The completed peal was first rung on Easter day 1886, and a plaque commemorating the efforts of the fund-raisers was put up in the baptistry.

Provision was also made at this time for the hanging of two further bells. These were added after the Second World War and dedicated by the Bishop of Southwell on 3 December 1947. At that time the eight bells were hung in a new steel and cast iron frame by Taylors. All bells are now on metal headstocks and have ball bearings. The inscriptions and dimensions of the eight bells are now as follows:

  Inscription Size Weight
Treble

JOHN TAYLOR & CO. * FOUNDERS * LOUGHBOROUGH *

IN MEMORY OF
ALBERT ERNEST ALLEN AND EDWIN ALLEN
A.D. 1947

 26" 4.0.26
2

JOHN TAYLOR & CO. * FOUNDERS * LOUGHBOROUGH *

TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND
IN MEMORY OF
HENRY HALL SANDS AND HIS SON CYRIL HARRY SANDS
A.D. 1947

 27" 4.3.2
3

1886

AD GLORIAM DEI

RECAST A.D. 1947

 28½” 4.3.14
4

1886

RING IN THE THOUSAND YEARS OF PEACE

RECAST A.D. 1947

 30" 5.3.20
5

J. TAYLOR & CO. BELLFOUNDERS LOUGHBOROUGH 1882

LAUDO DEUM VERUM

 33½” 7.0.20
6

J. TAYLOR & CO. BELLFOUNDERS LOUGHBOROUGH 1882

COME WHEN THE MUSIC CALLETH
OF THE CHURCH BELLS’ SILVERY SOUND

 34¾” 8.1.20
7

J. TAYLOR & CO. BELLFOUNDERS LOUGHBOROUGH 1879

JESUS BE OUR SPEED
1879

 38" 10.3.17
Tenor

J. TAYLOR & CO. BELLFOUNDERS LOUGHBOROUGH 1879

ALL MEN THAT HEAR MY MOURNFUL SOUND
REPENT BEFORE YOU LIE IN GROUND
1879

 43¾ 14.2.5

The last two inscriptions were taken from earlier bells.

Structural repairs to the tower in 2001-2 necessitated the lowering of the bells by 5 metres into the former clock chamber.