176 SHERBORNE ABBEY AND SCHOOL. 



In 1567 John Poole was paid 6d. "earnest" for a new bell. 

 Note that the term ** recasting " is never used in these earlier 

 accounts. Next year he was paid for casting the new bell, 

 weighing izcwt. 33lb., 3 175. 8d. This, therefore, was the ist 

 bell (the present 3rd bell). 



In 1572 William Purdey, of Closeworth, was paid 10 for 

 casting a bell, and he was also paid 11 135. 4d. for new metal 

 put into it. The bell, when cast, weighed 3cwt. i81b. less than 

 the estimate ; therefore, William Purdey must allow 2 75. sd. 

 for this. This bell, I think, was the jrd bell, the present 5th 

 bell, of the peal. It will interest you to learn that, according to 

 Mr. L. H. Chambers, of Rickmansworth, the " William Purdey 

 above mentioned has never been mentioned in any bell books 

 yet published." Thus, by the aid of our parish accounts, we 

 have been able to recover from oblivion for the famous Purdey 

 or Purdue family another of the many bell founders it has 

 produced. 



In 1577 the same W T illiam Purdey recast the 4th bell, the 

 present 6th bell, and the Lady Bell. The 4th bell weighed 

 when it was returned 23cwt. 3olb. ; the Lady Bell weighed 

 3ocwt. 69lb. 



In 1579 William Purdey was paid for iScwt. 47 Jib. of bell 

 metal in exchange for the .... (there is a blank in the 

 account) bell at 55. 8d. the cwt. i.e., he took this bell in 

 exchange for that amount of metal. To this he added i i3lb. of 

 new bell metal at $d. the lb., and there was delivered to him 

 " for an increase towards the making of the bell 681b. of bell 

 metal of the hewing of the Lady Bell." The new bell, there- 

 fore, which he then cast, weighed just over 2ocwt. It is the 

 3rd bell of the old peal, the 5th bell of the present peal. 



In 1586 Cole, of Mudford, was paid 6 33. 5d. "for casting 

 waste and overplus of 3rd bell," and the following remark is 

 added : " Memo. : the weight of the bell delivered to Cole was 

 i7cwt. Sglb. ; the weight of the bell received from Cole was 

 iScwt. 32lb." This, I imagine, was the 2nd bell of the old peal, 

 the 4th bell of the present peal. 



