Duncton and the Oldest Working Bell in the Country

This is the third in a series of videos on the history of Duncton, a small rural village near Petworth in West Sussex.
In today's episode I am at the Holy Trinity Church with Ruth Aitchison and John Robyns. Ruth is the Churchwarden and tells me a little about the church and one of the celebrities from the Woman Suffragettes Movement, Florence Gertrude de Fonblanque, who is at rest there.
John has agreed to show me the oldest working church bell in the country that just happens to be house in Holy Trinity Church.
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[@hazelb7218]

Lovely video......thanks to John and Ruth and others like them who keep these little rural churches going!! x

[@RichardVobes]

Oh yes - they are amazing people!

[@annosborne7365]

Well done Richard Ruth and John,, lovely to hear the bell ringing.

[@RichardVobes]

It was a bit scary going up the ladder ! :)

[@geraldgreshamcooke8605]

Another lovely video, Richard. Well done to both Ruith & John - most atriculate & heartening.

[@lindakane7771]

Lovely You had great guides in Ruth and John, I love his accent. These bell tower climbs are getting steeper!

[@RichardVobes]

Yes, that was a steep climb!

[@chrisperry7963]

That was wonderful, thank you Richard (and Ruth and John as well)!

[@RichardVobes]

Our pleasure, Chris.

[@timspooner59]

You are a brave man to go up those stairs. Made me dizzy just watching.

[@RichardVobes]

I was a bit dizzy myself going up there with camera and microphone in hand!

[@Red_____________]

Beautiful walk !

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks Tom

[@kennethgoodman3230]

Thank you Richard and your two guides for an interesting tour, always a pleasure to watch your videos.

[@RichardVobes]

You are so kind. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@jdickens8852]

What an exquisite church. Made all the more so by lovely, caring people and a personal tour of the bell tower! Loved the windows looking out...(felt like I was there.) Such wonderful architectural detail. Good stuff. Thank you.

[@RichardVobes]

I am so pleased you enjoyed the video and felt like you were there. It's a lovely place.

[@oliverjh1281]

Great video Richard especially liked the fuzzy tree hair at the start 😃 hints of vicar of dibbley very charming though 👍

[@RichardVobes]

Oh yes - it's all the rage now you know - fuzzy tree hair!

[@mickyjb2003]

Another Great vlog Richard.Thankyou.

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks Micky!

[@johnfranklin3001]

An interesting and well recorded video Richard. You are very good at interviewing. You make it all feel quite natural, and allow the interviewee time and space to express themselves in both speech and character; quite unlike most interviews I see and hear on the TV and radio these days.

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks so much John - when you don't know much, it is always better, I find, to let the other person do the talking!

[@wallykimball8829]

I spent a good part of the interview trying to figure out if that thing on his head was a fly or not. I'm glad to say that it was a fly. Thanks for the informative and entertaining video.

[@roadpanzir]

I very much enjoyed this, thank you!

[@RichardVobes]

Great Stuff

[@realgreendress2330]

How delightful to meet the people and see the bell!

[@RichardVobes]

I am a lucky man at times!

[@MrGreatplum]

Very interesting - I’m wondering if the accent that John has is the Sussex one - very rare to hear these days!

[@RichardVobes]

I think it is

[@geraldgreshamcooke8605]

Oh yes, John is a Sussex man through & through.

[@georgetimperley8906]

That is very fascinating that bell, and that was a great video well done.

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks very much George.

[@MinorKeyDancing]

1369 in Normandy they believe the bell was cast, the sound is amazing

[@MrNas42]

Ruth and John are excellent guides. For someone who doesn't like heights, you are getting good practice at climbing church towers! Roll on for more from Duncton.

[@RichardVobes]

I am getting a taste for dizzy heights after our walk to Bidborough!

[@advancedadam.7699]

Good one

[@irenec4876]

You should hear the bells at Pulborough when they are ringing, a very nice eight and sound glorious.

[@RichardVobes]

I bet they are lovely -thanks Irene

[@shaunlaverick5793]

nice little church,,and excellent video

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks very much Shaun.

[@carolcordell5881]

I must get a copy of a map of Sussex so I can see where all these places, like Duncton are on the map of Sussex. Am a bit of geography nut, and can become absorbed in a map. Seems I am learning more about Sussex than another county. Recently looked at my notes of my genealogy, and seems some of family came from Essex. Still have not heard from my English cousins, but would sure love to know and learn something about the county they live in. Am guessing that Sussex, and Essex have some similar geography. Really love your walks into the woods, away from all modern-day hussel and busses. Is comforting.

[@RichardVobes]

You can beat the OS maps - Bing Maps have them. Plus Side by Side Maps.

[@hodakalover]

I think John from this video, Mr.Vobes and Matthew H. Would be delightful colleagues for an evening at a pub with darts and fish and chips.

[@RichardVobes]

Oh yes, what a splendid idea. :)

[@vestafairie]

thank you, Ruth, John, and Richard. what a wonderful tour! how do you get us some wonderful tour guides?

[@RichardVobes]

Aren't they lovely - people are very kind.

[@vestafairie]

@@RichardVobes it's also your channel, full of such kind people, that, if they checked it out, they would have no concern. you have created a nice channel, and i appreciate that!

[@MauveStingerStings]

Problem is tho, there are a few older bells in the UK that are working, for example, Coombes church, Chilworth St Denys and St Botolph in Hardham. All have 12th century bells.

[@denisegresl1762]

Richard, you seem to have grown "tree hair" on your head in the very beginning of this video. Creative!

[@RichardVobes]

Tree hair - that's a new one on me! :)

[@Wildlifesupernannyfan]

How much does this beautiful historic bell weigh?

[@MUSIC4TRUTH....]

I thought the oldest working bell in all of England was Boris Johnson, then I realised he never worked.

[@vintagesimplexfirealarmsof6440]

I like this ones better than the speakers

[@lutzderlurch7877]

=:26...he's got HAIR!

[@colcester]

What date is the bell?

[@GTO2710]

Good video but i still dont know how old the bell is

[@Steve264511]

". . . thought to have been cast in Normandy in 1369." Source: historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1449791

[@cogidubnus1953]

A swift google reveals on the Historic England site: " one of the very earliest dated swung chimed bells in Britain, thought to have been cast in Normandy in 1369"...

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks Steve

[@RichardVobes]

1369

[@mauriceoreilly9955]

​@Steve264511 the Duncton bell does not appear to be hung for 'full circle' ringing. What is the oldest bell in Britain (or anywhere) hung for full circle ringing?

[@vintagesimplexfirealarmsof6440]

Does it ring every hour like counts hours because of the clock on it

[@RichardVobes]

I am not sure.

[@user-kf3iw5hr5e]

See

[@user-kf3iw5hr5e]

Eyes

[@penelopebellis2926]

Did you tell us how old the bell was?

[@RichardVobes]

I seem to recall it was from 1350s or something like that.

[@davidbooth3285]

I see they have a lady vicar and a character in John! All they need is a dippy verger and someone going No No No and you have Dibly all over again!! Take a walk through the Graveyard at night and come across that cutout woman,after reading the Woman in Black!?!

[@RichardVobes]

Well, actually Ruth is the Churchwarden, but I am splitting hairs. :)

[@user-kf3iw5hr5e]

Digging Bbbb

[@liviu5554321]

LOOK A TREBLE BELL ENGLAND

[@lewisbenfield3966]

How old is the bell?

[@RichardVobes]

I think it dates from 1300s

[@lewisbenfield3966]

@@RichardVobes thanks

[@williamhuband7913]

If you are going to make the claim "oldest" may we at least know the date of the founding of the bell, if only to test your claim against others please ?

[@irenec4876]

The note is a G.

[@SidBonkers51]

F# on my tuner Irene, but not quite concert pitch.

[@irenec4876]

Sid Bonkers It does sound a bit nearer to F# than G.

[@RichardVobes]

Oh how clever to know that!

[@irenec4876]

But it still sounds like a G in A440 pitch, possibly an F# in concert pitch

[@ramibu239]

I have to agree w/ Irene on this one!!! As a Music Major I had to get in on this debate, so I quickly ran over over to the ol' pianno. Sure enough, G. F# was flat (not trying to be funny w/ that one😄).

[@user-kf3iw5hr5e]

Xcros

[@fartwell2000]

This bell is NOT the oldest working bell in the Country.

[@RichardVobes]

How do you know?

[@fartwell2000]

@@RichardVobes As a bell ringer, we have something called "Dove's Guide to the Church bells of Britain) which lists rings and chimes of bells, including single bells. There is also something called The National bell register. The smallest of the three bells at West Tytherly, Hampshire, is dated 1260. Lisset, East Yorkshire has bells dated 1254. There are quite a few earlier bells that the Duncton bell, which are in working condition and some of them are in "Full circle" rings of bells. Including the Duncton bell, cast circa 1369, there are 423 bells in Church of England Churches that were cast in 1369 or earlier and a handfull are on display or not used.

[@fartwell2000]

@@RichardVobes The World famous John Taylor & Co, Bellfounders, bellhangers and engineers of Loughborough, have recently restored a bell at Auckland Castle gatehouse, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, and that bell dates from 1180. That project is listed under projects on thier website, but you need to look under projects in alphabetical order to find it.

[@Steven_Rowe]

@@fartwell2000 as far as ringing peal Smithfield is a 5 and they date to 1510 so pre reformation bells indeed? Obviously bells much older than that around. How old is the bell in this video??

[@fartwell2000]

@@Steven_Rowe The bell at Duncton is from 1369.