By Amherst D. Tyssen, D.C.L., M.A. 367 



the letters, cross, and colon being all of the Chitterne type ; and 

 the 4th at East Morden, described on p. 116 with a reference to 

 fig. 43 for the cross and colon, bearing : — 



+ SAVNC:TVS:PE:TRA and a coin ; 

 and the 3rd at Yetminster, on p. 101 of the same book, with another 

 reference to fig. 43 for letters, cross, and colon, bearing : — 

 + 0:RA:MEN":TE:PI:A:PEO:NO:BIS:VIE:GO:MA:RI:A 



It will be seen that the position and style of the bells above- 

 mentioned are such that they may with reasonable probability be 

 ascribed to John Barbor, the founder of the Chitterne Bell. 



John Barbor's letters and some of his stamps are also found on 

 other bells, but it is not easy to decide on the origin of all such 

 bells, because it is clear that some of his stamps were used after 

 his death at Bristol, Worcester, and London. 



The Chitterne wheel occurs on a bell at Stoke Gilford, in 

 Gloucestershire, and on another at Dowlish Wake, in Somerset, 

 which can be attributed to one Thomas Geoffreys, who carried on 

 business as a bellfounder at Bristol during the reign of Henry VIII. 

 He was Sheriff of Bristol in 1525 ; and his will is preserved at 

 Somerset House, dated November 20th, 1545, and proved July 10th, 

 1546. 



About forty bells have been found near Worcester inscribed with 

 the Chitterne letters, with the initials only crowned, and the 

 Chitterne cross, and may fairly be attributed to a Worcester 

 foundry in the middle of the 15th century, the lateness of their 

 date being shown by the fact that the stamps are somewhat worn. 

 At the close of that century the same letters are found in company 

 with Gothic minuscules {alias black letter) on some bells in Essex 

 and Northants, and Lillington in Warwickshire, which can be 

 attributed to one Thomas Harris, of London. 



Furthermore a pumber of bells are found in Somersetshire and 

 other parts readily accessible from Bristol inscribed in crowned 

 letters, and with a cross and crowned colon so closely resembling 

 John Barbor's that they may easily be mistaken for them. As 

 these are found inter alia on the 2nd bell at Cheriton, in South 

 Pembrokeshire, we will call them for convenience theCheriton cross 



