A HISTORY OF BERKSHIRE 



he lived at Harmondsworth in that county, stamp (Fig. 14.). He was succeeded in 1592 

 and was buried there April 1782,* and with by Richard Eldridge, presumably a son, and 



His 



him this foundry came to an end. 

 grandmother was probably Barbara, a daugh- 



one or other of them sent a bell to Great 

 Marlow (Bucks) in that year. Several ex- 



ter of William Eldridge, bel] founder of amples by Richard exist. From 1610, or 



FIGS. 12 AND 13. STAMPS USED BY T. SWAIN. 



Chertsey (Surrey), to be mentioned again 

 directly. 



About seventy years after the ancient bell- 

 founding business above mentioned had been 

 removed from Wokingham to Reading, the 

 third Berks bellfoundry was established in the 

 former place by Thomas Eldridge, who sent 

 bells thence in 1565 to two towers in the 

 county Bray and Winkfield. This business 



Fie. 14. STAMP AND INITIALS OF THOMAS 

 ELDRIDGE. 



was in all probability an offshoot from one of 

 the Reading foundries. The two bells just 

 mentioned have long since disappeared, but 

 the saunce bell at Quainton (Bucks) appears 

 to be a specimen of his work ; the inscription 

 consists merely of his initials in small black- 

 letter preceded by an extremely indistinct 



1 Belli of Herts. 



earlier, until 1622, he had a branch establish- 

 ment at Horsham (Sussex), evidently a very 

 small concern. It is probable that he took 

 over a small business already established there 

 and did not originate it. He seems to have 

 died in 1624. 



He was succeeded at Wokingham by Bryan 

 Eldridge, who was doubtless his son. Another 

 son, John, was a weaver in the same town. 

 Bells by Bryan are known from 1618, during 

 his father's lifetime. Mr. Stahlschmidt con- 

 jectured that this earliest bell was cast at 

 Horsham, and that he set up a business at 

 Chertsey (Surrey) in the following year. He 

 died August 1640, leaving two sons, Bryan 

 (II.) and William, the elder of whom succeeded 

 him and died in November, 1661. The 

 business at Chertsey was carried on by his 

 younger brother, William, who had previously 

 been associated with it, until his death at the 

 end of 1716. With his death this foundry 

 came to an end, though his two sons, William 

 II. and Thomas II., had both assisted their 

 father. William II. subsequently moved to 

 West Drayton (Midd.), and recast some bells 

 there, though he was apparently not in 

 business as a founder. 



422 



