Original Singles at Sevenhampton, Gloucestershire

An extract from a peal (yes, really!) on this Gloucestershire 3 - comprising extents 44-53 of 840. The peal was arranged and rung half-muffled in memoriam HM Queen Elizabeth II.

Sevenhampton is a tiny village of some 300 residents sited just outside Cheltenham. Its church is a handsome building, dating from the 12th century in places. The central tower was built in the 1400s, likely as the bequest of John Camber, a wool merchant of Worcester.

The three bells here are all of differing ages and founders; I suspect the second, cast at the Bristol foundry sometime in the 15th century, is concurrent with the tower. The treble (1650) is a John I Pennington of Monmouth creation. The most modern bell, the tenor, is ironically, the worst sounding of the three. It dates from 1718, and was cast by Abraham I Rudhall of Gloucester. The bells are hang in a substantial wooden frame, and are in a minor key, the tuning being the front three of a four. They are rung from the chancel crossing; the treble falls very close to the pulpit, necessitating some tight handling. The handling is reasonable enough, but we definitely felt the last hour when the oil ran out!...

Tenor ~7cwt in A

https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/view.ph...