SHERBORNE ABBEY AND SCHOOL. 169 



never been recast, so far as I know. It looks to be, and I believe 

 really is, an untouched pre-Reformation bell. 



We learn from the account for 1591 that in 1540 the parish 

 paid ^17 175. 6d., part payment, for the bells of the Abbey; 

 the parish had therefore now more than five bells, and Al- 

 haiows is now abandoned for the Abbey Church. 



In 1542 the parish had a ring of at least six bells, for in that 

 year is. 2d. was paid for trussing the 6th bell (present 8th bell). 



The parish sold a bell in 1553 for 4.0 ; that must have been 

 a large bell, for bell metal was worth on an average 4d. a Ib. at 

 that time, therefore the bell was over a ton in weight i.e., nearly 

 as heavy as the present 6th bell of the peal. I think this was the 

 great bell of the Monastery, on which the hours were struck by 

 the horologium or clocka which we know the Monastery possessed. 



From the account of 1557 we learn that John Poole, of 

 Yetminster, was paid ^63 for a new 5th bell and 10 for recast- 

 ing the 6th bell. The parish itself possessed a certain amount 

 of metal, to which it added that of the ist and 3rd bells ; the 

 first bell weighed ycwt. 34lb., the 3rd bell weighed i3cwt. 7zlb. 

 The ist and 3rd bells were therefore sacrificed. Is it too 

 unlikely a guess that the place of the 3rd bell had been supplied 

 by a bell belonging once to the Abbey, which the parish bought 

 in 1540? A special collection was made for the 5th and 

 6th bells in 1557, and among the subscribers we find the 

 names of John Chetmyll, the Vicar ; Thomas Coke, the Head- 

 master ; John Barnstable, Rector of Stalbridge and ex-Abbott ; 

 and John Dunster, ex-Prior of Sherborne. It is quite certain 

 from the accounts for 1577 tnat tne bells here called the 5th and 

 6th are the present 7th and 8th of the peal. It seems to follow 

 that the present 7th or Lady Bell dates from 1557, when it 

 replaced a bell then condemned. Of course, it may be argued 

 that the bell sold in 1553 was the 5th bell, the then Lady Bell. 

 If so, the peal was without a 5th for four years. Perhaps it also 

 had no ist bell during this period. 



In 1558 John Poole was paid 36 145. 4d. for the 4th bell 

 i.e., the present 6th bell. 



