Seckington

All Saints 4: 5-3-24 in Bb (GF)

Grid Reference 140/260074 Seckington. Source: St Martins Guild
Postcode B79 0LD
Recording None Available
Affiliation St Martin’s Guild
Peals Felstead Database
Sunday None
Practice None

History

The church consists of a chancel, nave, south porch, and west tower with a spire. The chancel is probably of late-13th-century origin, although its east and south windows date from about 1330, when it was remodelled and the nave, tower, and porch were rebuilt. The tower and spire were rebuilt in 1883 with the re-use of much of the original material, and there were other very drastic restorations in the 19th century, when the east window is said to have been widened. Most of the tracery of the other windows is modern and whether always of the original designs is not certain.

Tilley & Walters list the bells in the wrong order – probably because they rearranged them in ascending order of weight. The third is heavier than the tenor and their inscriptions should be transposed. They do give the correct inscriptions, however:

Seckington Inscriptions

The frame was built for the two existing bells, now the treble and tenor in 1883, at the time that the tower was rebuilt from the ground, as a faithful copy of the previous one. It is of rather unusual plan and construction and it was probably installed by the contractor when rebuilding the tower. The frame was extended in 1886 when the middle two bells were added, at a cost of £130. It now has three parallel pits on the east side of the tower that contain, north to south, the tenor, third and treble bells, . The second bell hangs in a long pit to the west of the others .

The fittings, which still are those installed in 1886. were overhauled by Gordon Lane of Kingsbury in 1970. These are elm headstocks, plate gudgeons, plain brass bearings in iron housings with hinged lids, clappers suspended from independent crown staples and traditional wheels, stays and sliders. The fittings were provided by Taylors.

The treble and tenor have had their canons removed, the middle bells retain their canons.

Details of the Bells

1 Robert Mellours, Nottingham.    c1520  3-1-24  26.25″  1232.5Hz (Eb-17c)
2 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough   1886  4-2-24  28.25″  1159.5Hz (D-22c)
3 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough   1886  6-2-27  32.25″  1034.5Hz (C-20c)
4 Hugh Watts II, Leicester         1640  5-3-24  32.00″   921.0Hz (Bb-21c)
Note that the third is heavier than the tenor.

Photo Gallery

Seckington East. Source: A MacRae Thomson Seckington West. Source: A MacRae Thomson
The Church – Looking East The Church – Looking West
Seckington Plan. Source: British History Online
Plan of the Church