A HISTORY OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 



His second son George succeeded to the bell- 

 founding business, but died in October of the 

 following year (1578). He had married in 

 February, and his young widow evidently only 

 survived him a few days. The wills of both 

 John and George are given in extenso in Church 

 Bells of Bucks., and many other details con- 

 cerning the family, including mention of several 

 persons of the same surname living at Thame, 

 and glimpses of founders of the same (or very 

 similar) name working in London. Probably 

 two generations of John Appowell appear in the 

 Churchwardens' Accounts of St. Lawrence's, 

 Reading, from 1516, and one or two other un- 

 important points combine to make it likely that 

 John Appowell came from Reading, and had 

 learnt his trade at the old-established foundry 

 there. No bells can be with certainty assigned 

 to him, though it is probable that bells bearing 

 a portion of the alphabet, or a string of letters 

 of which the interpretation, if one existed, is 

 lost, in one or other of two sets of lettering 

 or a mixture of both, may be the produce 

 of this foundry. They are at Croughton 

 (Northamptonshire), Twyford, Ickford, Em- 



was closed, or whether another Appowell or some 

 one else whose name has not come to light 

 carried it on during the next few years, is un- 

 known; but before long two young men who had 

 learnt the craft in the celebrated Leicester foun- 

 dry settled at Buckingham, and soon got together 

 a good business. On 7 February 15 80 Thomas 

 Newcombe II of the Leicester Foundry was 

 buried at that town, leaving three sons and a 

 daughter, and also an apprentice named Bar- 

 tholomew Atton, ' Tanner and Bellfounder ' (like 

 his master), who was admitted to the Merchants' 

 Gild of Leicester in 1582-3. Robert New- 

 combe, the eldest of Thomas's children, and 

 Bartholomew Atton, evidently realizing that 

 other members of the Newcombe family had the 

 entire trade at Leicester, migrated to Buckingham 

 as partners, and set up for themselves. The Wing 

 Churchwardens' Accounts for 1586 show that a 

 bell was cast for that parish at Buckingham, 

 some time apparently between June and No- 

 vember 1585, but the name of the founder is 

 not mentioned. At Passenham, Northampton- 

 shire, but only 6 miles from Buckingham, is a 

 bell inscribed in the large florid letters associated 



Lr 



FIG. i 



mington (Oxfordshire), Hulcott, Bloxham (Ox- 

 fordshire), Little Brickhill, Tadley (Hampshire), 

 Milcombe (Oxfordshire), 16 and doubtfully a few 

 others. One of the sets of lettering is no doubt 

 much older than John Appowell, and the initials 

 of the original owner are R.K. 



The following 16th-century bells in neigh- 

 bouring counties want founders, and are probably 

 ' locals ' : The treble at Finmere (Oxfordshire), 

 4 miles from Buckingham, and with the same 

 lettering the treble at Midgham (Berkshire), 1 1 

 miles south-west of Reading ; the saunce at 

 Streatley (Berkshire), 10 miles from Reading; 

 also the second at Aston Tirrold, and the third 

 at Padworth ; the last two (both in Berkshire) 

 have the same lettering. 



The oldest dated bell in Buckinghamshire is 

 the single at Horsenden, bearing four illegible 

 letters, ornamented, but apparently completely 

 worn out (fig. i), and the date 1582, in ex- 

 tremely distinct evenly-formed figures. It is 

 probably of ' local ' manufacture. 



What happened to the Buckingham foundry 

 on the death of George Appowell, whether it 



16 Rubbing kindly lent by Mr. A. D. Tyssen, D.C.L. 



subsequently with the Buckingham foundry 

 exclusively : 



+ A + TRVSTY + FRENDE + YS + HARDE 

 + TO + FYNDE + 1585 + +++++ 



and at Hoggeston (about 9 miles from Bucking- 

 ham) is a bell similarly inscribed, except that 

 being smaller there was not room in a single line 

 for the whole inscription, so the last word was 

 omitted, the inscription ending with TO and the 

 date, the latter for the same reason is stamped 

 (as to its first three figures) above the final orna- 

 ment, and the unit is indistinct, and may possi- 

 bly be 3 instead of 5. This inscription points 

 to the partnership, and the lettering came from 

 Leicester, so there is no reason to doubt that 

 these partners began work at Buckingham not 

 later than 1585. 



At Seaton, Rutland, 17 is an undated bell in- 

 scribed in the same lettering, but all set back- 

 wards : 



+ RYECHARDE BENETLYE 

 BELLFOVNDDER 



17 North, Ch. Bells of Rutland, and his Ch. Bells of 



Northants. 



120 



