The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1893-03-15
THE BELLS OF ST. SEPULCHRE.

THE BELLS OF ST. SEPULCHRE.
They Peal for Royalty and Ooce Tolled
for Ten Going to the GalIOws.
In the cable dispatches that told of
the hanging of Thomas Nell Cream,
the %poisoner, the reader was informed
that the bell of st. Sepulchre tolled as
the doomed man walked to the gallows.
This was a mistake. St Sepulchre has
not tolled for doomed men in two years
St Sepulchre is an ancient and inter
esting church in Holborn Viaduct.
Opposite it is the old prison where SO
many executions took place. A Mr..
Lovett is the cheerful custodian of the
stceple and guardian of the bells. He
has had charge of this magnificent peal
of ten bells that hang in the tower for
more than twelve years, n during
that time has on many occasions dis
charged a duty, in fulfillment Of an
ancient custom, of tolling the great
bell on the occasion of an execution at
the prison over the way.
In the tower is an ancient blackboard
in carved oaken frame, which has an
inscription in gilt letters of that large
Roman type SO common in inscriptions,
monumental and ecclesiastical, from
two to three centuries back. Under
date of 1905 the inscription tells how
one Robert Dove gave ESQ for ringing
the greatest bell when condemned
prisoners are executed" "91 6s Sd" in
the margin is the sum annually to be
produced by aforesaid ESQ. The money
has now, by the charity commissioners,
been diverted to the more useful pur-
poses Of the Discharged Prisoners Aid
society; but until the 27th of August,
1890, the said greatest bell, " or at least
it's modern successor by Mears, date
1880, was duly tolled whenever a poor
wretch parted with his life on the New
gate scaffold.
A miIdle-aged man getting On for
elderly is presently introduced as Mr..
helms, one Of tn greatest composers of
peals and masters Of the complicated
science or art of change ringing now
living. He it was who called the peals
Jung at ST. Clements on Jubilee day,
the birthday of the prince of Wales, by
the society of Cumberland Youths, of
which both Mr.. Lovett and Mr.. Nelms
are such prominent and eminent mem
bers. The jubilee peal lasted from 40
in the morning till we'll ON in the fore
noon. The still ~undaunted youths
wound up by ringing for two hours the
beautiful bells of St. Sepulchre, but
were too exhausted to complete a sec
Ond peal, as indeed they might we'll be,
when the shortest possible complete
peal consists of something like 5000
changes.
It's the name, the name and the
honor we ring for" declares the worthy
Mr.. helms; and the large and elabor-
ately painted boards, records of former
exploits of the ancient society, that
han around the walls of the case of
the tower, peal witness to the enthusi-
asm and devotion to their hobby of
those who ring. Up a further flight Of
stone steps n must go to see the bells,
that beside the ten that constitute the
peal include q saints bell dating from
the latter end of the seventeenth cen-
fury. Most of the bells, it could be
seen by the list shown, which was q
IA c-Similc of a heel-ball rubbing taken
from an engraved brass tablet hanging
under the tower of the church, were
made by Samuel Knight in the year
1879, and were hung by one Thomas
Catlin. 1t may also be noticed thai no
bells of the date of Doves request re-
main, Or if they do they have no been
recast. st. Louis Globe-Democrat. i