Arthur Wright, in his Church Bells of Monmouthshire (1919), writes that "The Tenor bell at Caldicot is perhaps the most notable bell in the County from its early date, beautiful lettering and its size (432 mouth diameter). One of the stops in the inscription is a circular medallion and has so far not been found elsewhere, through a variant exists at Long Aston, Somerset."
"The bell...should be preserved at all costs."
The Tenor, the largest and oldest of our eight bells, is probably by a founder named William Warwick of Bristol, 1450. It is similar to the no. 7 bell at Yatton in Somerset, cast in 1451. The large and gracefully formed lettering, 2" high, reads. + IN HO + NORE + SANCTA + MARINE (which should read 'Mariae', In honour of Saint Mary')John Bryme, Clerk, in his will dated February 27th, 1525, stated"That my executors shall provide or cause to be provided at my cost and charge one other bell to the three bells that be now in the parish Church of our Lady at Calecot in the diocese of Llandaff to the effect and purpose to make four bells all in acconcorde and ringing as shortly after my decease as conveniently maybe." It is not known whether or where he was a priest, nor whether his will was executed, but if it was, it would nevertheless appear that the number of bells was reduced from these four mentioned to one (the Tenor) before No. 7 was installed in 1627. No. 7 is inscribed LAVDATE DEUM IN SIMBALLIS SONORIS 1627, and was probably cast by John Palmer who had a foundry at Gloucester from 1621 to 1638. Bell No. 6 was installed in 1699 by Mary Kemys whose family had acquired the Priory Manor and had the advowson of the church. It was made by Evan Evans of Chepstow. There is confusion at this point, because Fr Clarke, writing in the Deanery Magazines of 1913, states thatBefore the Restoration of the Church in 1858, there hung 4 Bells in the Tower [yet there must have been but three by our calculations], 2 of them broken, the wheels almost useless, part of the Frame in which the ponderous pieces of metal revolved rotten and consequently dangerous, the iron work weakened by rust, shreds of antiquated rope hung from the broken wheels, the Clappers were worn out and heaped upon the floor. Nearly, reaching the sound bow (i.e. the rim) of the Bells was an accumulation of sticks, straws, feathers, bits of cloth and other rubbish, the patient and laborious work of indefatigable jackdaws and starlings...." (August). "At the Restoration of the Church in 1858 the Parishioners resolved to have their Bells put in order. Accordingly, the two broken ones were sent to Messrs Mears and Co.'s Foundry in London, and were recast. These two Bells are now the 6th and 7th of the Peal of eight. An order was also given at the same time for an addition Bell, thus making (at that period) a Peal of five. This (then) new Bell is the present 4th. It should be mentioned that the expense was met by a Church Rate, made for that purpose...""An additional Bell having been added, a Peal of six Bells was rung for the first time on Thursday, September 14th, 1882. Two more were added later, and for the first time a Muffled Peal of eight Bells was rung on Good Friday, March 25th, a joyous Peal of eight was rung at intervals" (October). Given the known dates of casting (and recasting) of all the Bells, therefore, Fr Clarke's account cannot be correct. In 1913 the Bells were returned to the modern 'Simpson' five-tone principle by Gillett and Johnston of Croyden. At the same time, they installed the present bellframe, a cast-iron H-type, designed and installed on newly fitted rolled steel joists. The Bells were fitted with new cast steel headstocks, plain type bearings (ball bearings not being available), new clappers, wheels and pulleys.
Again in 1981, a major overhaul of the Bells was conducted, the eight clappers being rebushed, and the Bells annealed. All eight pulleys were replaced on ball bearings, four new bolts were fitted to each Bell to hold the crown of the Bell to the headstock from which it swings, a complete set of ropes was fitted. The engineering work was entrusted to the capable foundry of John Taylor in Loughborough, while volunteers from the congregation saved an estimated £2,000 in labour and transport costs!
