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New ring at Hackthorn

Lincolnshire's newest ring of bells � St Michael's Church Hackthorn

Hackthorn Church

It is unusual these days for a ring of bells hung for full-circle ringing to be installed in a church tower where no such ring has existed before. In Lincolnshire the ring of eight bells from the demolished church of St Peter at Arches Lincoln was installed in the recently built church of St Giles Lincoln in 1938. A porch tower was added to Holy Trinity church Martin by Timberland in 1911 but it was not until 1946 that a ring of five bells was installed. A treble was added in 1947. Fifty-nine years later a ring of six has been hung at Hackthorn.

In 1844-9 the church of St Michael Hackthorn was rebuilt except for the lower part of the tower. This was extended and it would appear that it had eventually been the intention to install a ring of bells which never happened. The parish had to make do with a bell from the previous church details of which are as follows :

[121] ora pro nobis beate edmunde [119] [Trans : St Edmund pray for us] [Founder 'R C' Nottingham mid-fifteenth century] Dia. 30"

It would appear that this bell was one of three bells from the medieval church as the following faculty dated 30 March 1764 suggests :

'These bells belonging the said church one whereof is broke and one other thereby become useless that the said two bells weigh about ten hundred weight and are not worth more than thirty two pounds ten shillings at the most ... permission to or licence to sell and dispose of ... two bells ...' towards the repair of the church.

The fifteenth century bell became cracked and when the neighbouring church of Cold Hanworth was declared redundant in 1983 the bell from that church was transferred to Hackthorn.

In 1999 the Hackthorn Church Millennium Project Committee, which had been formed in 1997 with the specific purpose of installing a ring of bells, approached the Diocesan Furnishings Officer and asked, if Aisthorpe church became redundant and the five bells were no longer required, if it would be possible for them to be transferred to their tower which had never contained bells hung for ringing full circle. I was until recently Bells Adviser to the Diocesan Furnishings Officer and a member of the Redundant Churches Uses Committee and I came to realise that the future use of Aisthorpe church and bells was going to take a very long time to resolve. I therefore suggested that I approach the Keltek Trust to see if a suitable ring of bells was likely to be available for transfer. This was agreed and by good luck the timing was just right as the PCC of Milton Oxfordshire had a few days earlier decided to replace their existing six bells with a completely new ring of eight! And so in 2001 bells 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 became available with the second bell being retained at Milton. Four of the Milton bells were purchased with the tenor being donated by the Keltek Trust. After retuning the Milton bells with a new treble a ring of six bells has been hung at Hackthorn and dedicated by the Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Revd Dr John Saxbee on Sunday 23 April 2006.

The dedication service was attended by many of those who had contributed by fund-raising, teaching the local band of ringers or in any way contributing towards the success of this project. Colin Turner and his wife from Milton were present and David Kelly represented the Keltek Trust. The Master and Secretary of the Lincoln Diocesan Guild were also present and it was good that Brian Smith, Jim Sutherland, Margaret Parker and Mike Day who had worked hard to make sure that a local band was able to ring the bells for the first time after their dedication were present.

The Bishop of Lincoln Rt Revd Dr John Saxbee dedicating the new ring in the presence of William Cracroft-Eley Chairman of the Millennium Committee and Hackthorn bellringers Cathy Andrews (left) and Bridget Cracroft-Eley

The service itself was memorable � the Cabra Singers made a superb choir and I was particularly impressed with Longfellow's Carol "Christmas Bells" which was illustrated by young Tim Shaw playing eight very unusual "bells". Even the youngsters from Hackthorn Primary School joined in with their recently acquired Belleplates.

It really was a remarkable and most enjoyable service and I was pleased and privileged to be present with my wife. Everyone present agreed that Taylors, Eayre & Smith had made an extremely good job of tuning the Milton bells and Hayward Mills Associates of hanging this new ring of six. Congratulations to everyone concerned!

Details of the new ring are as follows :

  1. [Inscription Band] TAYLORS EAYRE & SMITH
    [Waist] MILLENNIUM 2006
    [Lower Waist] HAYWARD MILLS ASSOCIATES NOTTINGHAM
    Dia. 25" weight 3 cwt 1 qr 6 lbs Note E
  2. [Inscription Band] MEARS & STAINBANK, FOUNDERS, LONDON, 1906
    [Waist] "COME TO THY GOD IN TIME / COME TO THY GOD AT LAST."
    Dia 25.80" weight 3 cwt 0 qrs 21 lbs Note D
  3. 1682 [Founder : R. Keene Woodstock] Dia 28" weight 3 cwt 7 lbs Note C
  4. JOSIAH LAMBALL & RICHARD HALLAM. * CHURCH : WARDENS. *
    ROBT. WELLS. ALBOURN * 1787
    Dia 30.80" weight 5 cwt 0 qr 21 lbs. Note B
  5. RICHARD KEENE CAST THIS RINGE 1682
    Dia 33.40" weight 6 cwt 0 qr 2 lbs. Note A
  6. FFRANCIS YATEMAN ROBERT KEANE C. W. 1682. [Founder : R. Keene
    Woodstock 1682] Dia 37.40" weight 8 cwt 0 qr 8 lbs. Note G

The quotation reproduced on the second bell is taken from a poem by Revd R. S. Hawker, Vicar of Morwestowe, entitled "The Silent Tower of Borttreaux".

Bells 2 � 6 have been hung by Hayward Mills Associates in a locally made galvanised steel 'A' frame to their design from canon retaining headstocks. The new treble is hung above. The original fifteenth century bell has been repaired by Soundweld and hung from two metal beams across the old frame for use as a Sanctus/Priest's bell. The Humphrey Wilkinson bell is unhung, resting on the metal grillage which has been placed above the new frame and under the old frame which has been left in situ.