Tintinnabulation!

Tower Captain Colin Adams heads up a an active team of call-change ringers comprising both men and women.  The ringers strive to achieve a high standard of striking and regularly enter striking competitions which is seen as means towards both achieving and maintaining levels of skill.

Recruitment and teaching people how to ring is also seen as essential.  Currently the team has an influx of young people who demonstrate great commitment and who are progressing well.  Anyone wishing simply to ‘give ringing a try’ will always be welcome.

Practice nights are on Thursday evenings from 7.30 until 9.00 p.m.  For further information feel free to contact the Tower Captain, Colin Adams on 01626 890152.

The bells of Saint Martin of Tours, Exminster, Devon.

In the tower there are eight bells which are in the key of E flat. The largest bell, the tenor, weighs just over 17 hundredweight, which is roughly the weight of an average family car. Five of the bells, namely the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and tenor were all cast in 1758 by the famous local bellfounder, Thomas Bilbie junior of Cullompton, Devon.

In 1855 a further bell (the third in the present peal) was cast by Mears of London, making the ring into a peal of six. In 1877 the fifth bell was removed from the tower, melted down and recast by Blews of Birmingham, presumably as a result of a fault within the original casting.

These six bells were removed from the tower in 1924 and transported to the workshop of John Taylor & Co., the famous bellfounders situated in Loghborough, Leicestershire. There the bells were cleaned, re-tuned and quarter turned. The bells returned to the church with new fittings and were re-installed in a new cast iron ‘H’ section frame, where provision had been made for two further bells to be added. The task of removing the bells from the tower and eventual replacement, as well as the work undertaken in the foundry, was entirely carried out by Taylor’s workforce.

To facilitate removal of the bells from the tower the South window of the Bell-chamber was removed.

In 1948 two new treble bells were added making the peal into a ring of 8. These two bells were donated by Alderman John Baker a local farmer who farmed at the lower end of the village, near the Royal Oak. Inscriptions on the bells convey that they were donated in memory of his parents. The bells were cast and installed by Taylor’s of Loughborough and dedicated on 4th June 1948.

Inscriptions on the bells…

Treble – William John Baker 1876-1946. In grateful memory Taylor Loughborough 1948

Second – Constance Mary Baker 1883-1947. In grateful memory Taylor Loughborough 1948

Third – C & G Mears, Founders: London. 1855. John Philip Hugo, Vicar. James Baker : John Soper: Churchwardens 1845

Fourth – T.B. Fecit. W : C : H : C : Wardens

Fifth – Recast, William Blews and Sons. Birmingham 1877. Thomas Bilbie Jnr. Cullompton. Cast us all.

Sixth – William Coombes Gent and Henry Chown, Churchwardens 1758

Seventh – Mr. W. M. Churchill, Vicar. William Coombes Gent and Henry Chown Jnr. Churchwardens Thomas Bilbie Jnr., Fecit 1758

Tenor – The honourable Sir William Courtney Barn. John Hippisley Cox, Esq., Hugh Downman Esq. William Coombes Gent and Henry Chown, Churchwardens. Religion, death and pleasure causes me to ring. Thomas Bilbie Jnr. Fecit 1758