CARDINAL WOLSEY'S BELL

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 76, 31 March 1934, Page 17

CARDINAL WOLSEY'S BELL

All tin- little town ot Sherboinc, iii Dorset, was out a few weeks ago to see Cardinal Wolscy's bell, the tenor of the great abbey peal, brought back to its towei after being recast in London.

It wus a triumphal piocession for ;i bell highly pii/,cd because of its histoiy, says Percy W. D. Izzard, in the "Daily JVlail." It. reached Shorborrio htution from tho old Whitcchapcl Bell Foundry, and with it a low, fourwheeled trolley made specially to carry it.

Boys and old boys ot" Sherbomo School had. borne.most of the cost of the recasting of the bell. To the boys now fell the exciting task of hauling it the half-mile to the- Abbey 's, west door. The Seven other bolls ;whieh had ,been returned had preceded; it. ■ A long, strong pull of 70-boy power, an uphill pull, cheered on by several hundred-boy power, brought tho 24-ton bell back to its. home.. ■; . .: . .' , ■ ' ■ ■'■■

The ten seniorljiqys from each of the seven houses were the official"pullers on the two double cables, attached to tho trolley, but tho whole., .school of morb thafi 400 took.,part in .the' escort^a'tid many "unofficial"; hands were laid, on tho ropes for the sake.of the glory.;of tho adventure.. ■■ . -' ~..,:

Mr. Trelawney Tloss, om; of the liouso masters, superintended .the hauling of

the bell and maintained the steadiness or. his long term splendidly, and the heavy load was taken through the close to the west door, without tho slightest mishup. ' ._ ' :■". ~ , '•• :.

■At two ..or 'thi-co'-'yarcls.irom the Abbey door th,6 trolley came to rest for a few.minutes'.while tho tacklo Svas prepared to let it safely down- a, sloping way on to the floor of the chur:cii, which is below the surrounding ground. Hero the boll was resting on a spot which for some thirty years before the Reformation had been its home. - This was the site of the ancient parish'church of All Hallows,, which .adjoined the west.em .end of the Abbey,'- and relics of which still, remain.■'. Tho bell was first hung. ; in this .church. . ,

.Major, J. : H.;:B. Hesse,, an' old Sherbon)ian,:"who:;i^a change ringer, made, a short,.speech ion;.the" history of the bell.-'.;- He .tola how • Cardinal, Wolsey, who had taken' it.-from Tourhai, Belgium, -presented.it■• f,o Sherbprne, and all that had happened to it between that. day. and th_is :that saw ,the town give it so enthusiastic a welcome home. It ,was-a great flcCasipn-iorSherborne. The rededicatioii -by the' bishop, Dr. G.- B. Allen^ took place on March 3. And -now -the tumult- of -this; tho^heaviest peal or! eight that the country possesses, flows but once- more' over Shor-' borne's red roofs. ' ■ ■