Call bell
Category
Metalwork
Date
circa 1400 - circa 1625
Materials
Metal, Rope, Wood
Measurements
1 x 1.6 x 0.75 m; 65 kg (weight); 17.31 in (Diameter)
Place of origin
King's Lynn
Order this imageCollection
Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk
NT 1210112
Summary
Uninscribed bell, evidently mediaeval, and possibly cast at Kings Lynn c.1400 (and certainly no later than the early C16th), note B flat. Mounted in a wooden frame and hung for swing-chiming in a cote in the courtyard with hanging neck, lever and rope. Raised number '10' on clapper. The shape and mouldings - especially the square shoulder with mouldings immediately below, and the splayed canons - suggest a date of around 1400. The diameter is 440mm (17.31"), the note B flat (1873.5hz or Bb+8 cents), and weight 65kg (1.25 cwt). The mouldings (from crown to lip) are 0:4:1:2. It is hung for swing-chiming in a wooden framework in the inner courtyard directly above a doorway used by members of the public when visiting the nearby toilets. For completeness, the other leading dimensions of the bell are tangent (lip to shoulder) 346mm (13.625”), shoulder circumference 845mm (33.25”), vertical height to seat of canons 356mm (14”), and height of canons about 89mm (3.5”). The argent is concealed by the stock and cannot be measured. The partial tones of the bell are i) hum 443.5hz (A(1)+13), ii) Prime 939 (Bb(2)+12), iii) Tierce 1121 (Db(3)+19), iv) Quint 1380 (F(3)-21) and v) Nominal 1873.5 (Bb(3)+8). The tonal structure is very good, and surprisingly close to “true-harmonic” for a bell of its age. The bell is older that the property (1482) and may have been obtained from elsewhere second-hand. However, there seems to be no definite information on this.
Provenance
Mediaeval, and possibly cast at Kings Lynn c.1400, and certainly no later than the early 16th century. Part of the Bedingfeld Collection. The house was given to the National Trust in 1952 by Sybil, Lady Bedingfeld (1883-1985), her daughter Mrs Greathead, and her niece Violet Hartcup