There is, in addition to the information here, a website for Irton's bells at http://www.eperrott.eclipse.co.uk/bells.htm that you may be interested to visit. It contains a recording of our bells ringing and contact details of our tower captain who should be approached if you wish to visit the tower to ring. Our bells are considered more challenging to ring well than most others along the west coast of Cumbria, but we believe that just means they require us to riing propperly!
The known history of the bells begins with the inventory of 1552 when the church had “ii porch belles”. Two further bells were given to the church in 1715 to commemorate the Jacobean surrender.
A gift of eight bells was made by Sir Thomas Brocklebank in memory of his wife Ann who had died four years previously.
These bells were first rung on the occasion of the Church’s re-dedication by the Bishop of Carlisle in May 1888 by a visiting band as there were no local ringers.
The bells are tuned to the key of F and the note of the tenor is E natural. The bells are inscribed in Latin, as written below:
|
treble |
29.5" |
6-1-5* |
|
Suscito voce pios. Tu Jesu dirige mentes. (With my voice I arouse the pious. O Jesus direct their minds) |
||
|
2nd |
30.5" |
6-2-25* |
|
Nomen sanctum Jesu serva nos mortis ab esu. (Holy name of Jesus, keep us from the bite of death) |
||
|
3rd |
32" |
7-0-1* |
|
Sit Nomem Domini benedictum. Laudate illum cymbalis sonoris. (Blessed be the name of the Lord. Praise Him on the loud cymbals) |
||
|
4th |
34" |
7-1-23* |
|
Morabor in domo domini in longitudinem dierum. (I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever) |
||
|
5th |
36" |
8-0-25* |
|
Sancta Trinitas unus Deus miserere nobis (Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy upon us) |
||
|
6th |
38" |
10-1-1* |
|
Omnia fiant ad gloriam Dei (Let everything be done to the glory of God) |
||
|
7th |
41" |
12-0-6* |
|
Vivos voco. Mortuos plango. Fulgura Frango. (I call the living. I toll the dead. I break the lightnings) |
||
|
tenor |
46" |
16-1-25* |
|
In honorem Dei et in piam memoriam Ann Brocklebamk. (To the honour of God and in loving memory of Ann Brocklebank) |
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* The weights of the bells are given in hundredweights, quarters and pounds
As a tower, we are members of the Varlisle Diocesan Guild or Church Bellringers. You might like to visit theiir website ( http://carlisle-dgcbr.org.uk/ )which has details of all the towers in Cumbria. We, unsurprisingly, are in the Western branch and some of our ringers, ring with the Old Codgers.