Skip to: 
LyndenleaWotton-under-Edge Branch
Dursley (St James the Great)
Name or Dedication: St James the Great
Location: Dursley, Gloucestershire
Grid Reference: ST756981
These bells were recast from an earlier ring of six originally cast by Roger Purdue I in 1639. Purdue's treble was destroyed when the tower fell in 1699, and a new one was purchased from the Rudhall foundry in 1711.
They were recast into the heavier present ring of eight in E by John Taylor & Co. in 1904.
Bells previously hung for full-circle ringing
| Bell | Weight | Diameter | Note | Founder | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4-3-12 | 27¼ in | G | Thomas Mears II | 1824 |
| 2 | 5-0-04 | 29¾ in | F# | Thomas Mears II | 1824 |
| 3 | 5-3-16 | 30¼ in | E | Thomas Mears II | 1824 |
| 4 | 6-1-00 | 31¼ in | D | Thomas Mears II | 1824 |
| 5 | 7-0-00 | 33¼ in | C | Thomas Mears II | 1824 |
| 6 | 7-3-14 | 34¾ in | B | Thomas Mears II | 1824 |
| 7 | 9-2-00 | 37¾ in | A | Thomas Mears II | 1824 |
| 8 | 12-3-14 | 42¼ in | G | Thomas Mears II | 1824 |
Source: Bell data from a document in Dursley Ringing Room including weights as recorded by John Taylor & Co. prior to recasting in 1904. Further information from "Church Bells of Gloucestershire" (Mary Bliss & Frederick Sharpe, 1986) and "Dursley and its Neighbourhood" (Revd John Henry Blunt, 1877).
Where the exact weight of a bell is known, it is given in the traditional way using the British imperial units of Hundredweight, Quarters and Pounds (cwt-qtr-lb) in which there are 28 pounds in a quarter, four quarters in a hundredweight, and 20 hundredweight in a ton (one hundredweight is equal to approximately 50.8 kilograms). However, if only an approximate or calculated weight is known, it is given to the nearest quarter of a hundredweight.
A bell's diameter is measured across its mouth (open end) at the widest point and is given in inches (to the nearest quarter of an inch), one inch being equal to approximately 2.54 centimetres.