Holy Sepulchre

Sheep Street, Northampton

Tower Details
Number of bells	8
Tenor weight	14cwt 3qr 7lb in F#
Tower Captain	Colin Sampson
Telephone	01604 471088
Address	47 Falcutt Way Kingsthorpe Northampton NN2 8NR
Recording	See Recordings

Recordings

This video is a recording of part of a quarter peal.

History

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, known locally as Seps or St Seps, comprises a Norman round church with a fourteenth century tower and a thirteenth century chancel. Alterations were carried out by Sir George Gilbert Scott between1860 and 1864. Extensive repairs have been carried out to the fabric in recent years.

Information about the bells

Thomas North in The Church Bells of Northamptonshire published in 1878 records that there was a peal of six bells in the tower at the time, and probably had been since 1739. The inscriptions on these bells and their diameters which are given below, give an indication of the mixed nature of the peal. The tenor bell of the peal weighed approximately 18cwt.

Treble: THOMAS RVSSELL MADE ME ROBERT MORRIS AND WILLIAM BVTLING CHVRCHWARDENS IN 1739
2: EDWARD WARD AND JOSEPH DOBSON CHURCHWARDENS 1681
3: REVD W BUTLIN VICAR TAYLOR & SON OF LOUGHBORO FOUNDER JOSEPH COLLEDGE AND CHARLES IRESON JUNR CHURCHWARDENS 1857
4: HENRY BAGLEY MADE MEE 1681
5: THE REVD THOS WATTS VICAR † THOS ARMFIELD & J HARRIS C. WARDENS JOHN BRIANT HEERTFORD FECIT 1805
Tenor: I TO THE CHVRCH THE LIVING CALL AND TO THE GRAVE DO SVMMON ALL. THOMAS RVSSELL OF WOOTTON ME MADE JAMES HACKLETON AND WILLIAM CHAMBERLIN LATE JOHN SMITH AND WILLIAM BVTLIN PRESENT CHURCHWARDENS IN 1733.

In 1898 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria's reign the bells were rehung and two trebles added to make a peal of eight. The work was carried out by Mears and Stainbank of Whitechapel, London. The inscriptions on the two new bells are given below:

Treble: TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN COMMEMORATION OF QUEEN VICTORIA'S DIAMOND JUBILEE 1897. PARISHIONERS AND FRIENDS OF ST SEPULCHRE'S GAVE ME. CHARLES BROOKES VICAR CHARLES GREEN AND GEORGE HARRIS CHURCHWARDENS.
2: TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN COMMEMORATION OF QUEEN VICTORIA'S DIAMOND JUBILEE 1897. R J KILBURN LATE CHURCHWARDEN GAVE ME.

Major remodelling of the bells took place in 1926 when Gillett & Johnston of Croydon cast seven new bells, numbers 1 to 6 and 8 of the present peal, incorporating an existing bell (the 6th of the old eight) cast by Henry Bagley II of Chacombe in 1681 as the seventh bell of the new peal. All the bells were hung in a new metal "H" frame. An inscription on the headstock of No. 3 bell says "RECAST AND REHUNG IN MEMORY OF JOHN DAVID DOUGLAS BY GEORGE J MAROTT, INDIANAPOLIS USA 1927.

The bearings were replaced and alterations made to the rope guides by Hayward Mills of Nottingham in 2001.

Up until the end of 2011, 73 peals had been rung in the tower.

Bell Weights and Casting Information
Bell	Weight (cwt-qr-lb)	Note	Date Cast	Cast By
1	3-3-17	F#	1926	Gillett & Johnston, Croydon
2	4-2-7	E#	1926	Gillett & Johnston, Croydon
3	4-2-7	D#	1926	Gillett & Johnston, Croydon
4	5-1-4	C#	1926	Gillett & Johnston, Croydon
5	6-3-14	B	1926	Gillett & Johnston, Croydon
6	7-2-0	A#	1926	Gillett & Johnston, Croydon
7	10-0-19	G#	1681	Henry Bagley II, Chacombe
8	14-3-7	F#	1926	Gillett & Johnston, Croydon