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LyndenleaWotton-under-Edge Branch
Coaley (St Bartholomew)
Name or Dedication: St Bartholomew
Location: Coaley, Gloucestershire
Grid Reference: SO771017
This is possibly the last complete ring cast by Charles & George Mears at their Gloucester foundry. The bells were originally hung with elm headstocks on plain bearings, with short iron stays and latchet sliders, in an oak frame made by John Jacques in 1845. The bells fell silent around the early 1950s but were made ringable again in 1971, the frame being wedged against the wall in various places, presumably to prevent it from shaking itself apart.
The bells were rehung with new fittings in a new frame by Eayre & Smith of Kegworth in 2003. The second was found to be cracked when it was removed from the tower, and was repaired at Soundweld.
Bells hung for full-circle ringing
| Bell | Weight | Diameter | Note | Founder | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4-1-20 | 26¾ in | E | Charles & George Mears | 1845 |
| 2 | 3-3-23 | 27¼ in | D | Charles & George Mears | 1845 |
| 3 | 5-2-01 | 31 in | C | Charles & George Mears | 1845 |
| 4 | 6-1-25 | 32 in | B | Charles & George Mears | 1845 |
| 5 | 7-3-24 | 35 in | A | Charles & George Mears | 1845 |
| 6 | 11-2-02 | 40 in | G | Charles & George Mears | 1845 |
Source: Weights and diameters from Eayre & Smith. All other bell data and information from "Church Bells of Gloucestershire" (Mary Bliss & Frederick Sharpe, 1986). Further information from Bob Hallam.
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.