Bilbie
The members of the Bilbie family were bell founders and clockmakers who worked in Chew Stoke , Somerset and later in Cullompton , Devon in south-west England between the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 19th century .
In Chew Stoke, Bilbie Road is a reminder of the importance of the family to the local economy and local history.
Bell caster
The Bilbies made more than 1,350 bells that were hung in churches across the West Country . The oldest of these bells was cast in 1698 and still serves its purpose in St Andrews Church in Chew Stoke.
The supplies of tin and copper needed to make the brass probably came from foundries in Kelston and Bristol . The metal was heated and melted above 1500 ° C in a wood-burning furnace and then poured into a mold made of mud or river clay from the River Chew .
According to legend, the Bilbies were wild-looking men with long hair who could barely read or write and only rang a bell when the full moon was midnight and it was completely silent. It is said that the streets in Chew Stoke criss-cross the town so that travelers on horseback or carriages who passed the foundry would not disturb the quiet while the bells were being cast.
Works
Bells cast by the bilbies hang or hung in the following churches:
- St. Nicholas, Abbotsbury
- Church of St John, Axbridge
- St Michael and All Angels, Bampton
- St Andrews, Banwell
- St. George's, Beckington
- St Mary Redcliffe , Bristol
- St Andrews Church , Chew Stoke
- St John the Baptist, Keynsham
- All Saints Church, Corston
- St Andrews, Cullompton
- St John the Baptist Parish Church, Glastonbury
- St Giles Church, Leigh-on-Mendip .
- Church of St. John the Baptist, Lustleigh
- Parish Church of Marwood , North Devon
- St Margaret's, Northam , Devon
- Sherborne Abbey
- Old Church, Uphill , Somerset
- All Saints, Wraxall
- All Saints, Wrington
- St John the Baptist, Yeovil
- Church of St Peter, Zeal Monachorum
Watchmaker
It is believed that Edward Bilbie learned how to make clocks from Edward Webb, who died in 1694. Bilbie began casting bells in 1698, and most likely he was already making clocks by then.
At about this time, Bristol was one of the most important centers of watchmaking in England outside of London . This was in part the result of the strong brass casting industry, which developed in the west of England due to strong export demand and the abundant deposits of the raw materials copper and zinc. At the end of the 17th century, watchmaking flourished in the Chew Valley Somersets, mainly due to the Thomas Veale, Edward Webb and Edward Bilbie. This concentration led to an independent local style of floor clocks .
These clockmakers mainly produced floor clocks, the simple ones of which had to be wound every eight hours. But they also made clocks that ran for up to eight days and indicated the high tide in Bristol Harbor .
family members
Several generations of the family were involved in the family business.
Edward Bilbie I (1666-1724)
It is not known how Edward Bilbie learned the bell-making trade, but it is known that he cast his first bell for St Andrews Church in Chew Stoke in 1698. Between 1698 and 1723, Edward Bilbie cast 67 bells for churches across Somerset .
Edward Bilbie II (1694-1726)
Edward I's eldest son, learned the trade from his father, but died a few months after his father's death and had no opportunity to produce his own work.
Thomas Bilbie (1702–1778)
Thomas was the younger son of Edward I and took over the business in 1725. He took over the contracts that had already been negotiated and made further trips than his predecessors to get new orders. One of his biggest orders was the "Great Bell" in Yeovil , which originally weighed 2042 kg and was re-cast by Bilibie with a mass of 2264 kg. In 1742 he was given the job of casting bells for the church in Cullompton , Devon . In 1746 he set up a branch, the West of England Church Bellfoundry, to expand the business further south and west of Somerset and to alleviate the transportation problems that affected the original bell foundry. Between 1725 and 1768 he cast 350 church bells in Somerset, Devon, Bristol, Dorset and Gloucestershire and one in Caernarfon , Wales .
Edward Bilbie (1716–1786)
Edward Bilbie continued the bell-making tradition in the family. His works included the bell for the Church of St Peter in Catcott, Somerset.
Thomas Bilbie II of Cullompton (1727–1780)
Thomas II, or Thomas Bilbie Junion, continued the production of bells at the second location in Cullompton, and most of his bells, cast between 1754 and 1780, were intended for churches in Devon.
Abraham Bilbie (1729–1773)
Abraham took over the Chew Stoke business from his father Thomas and cast 35 bells for five years, including six-bell rings for South Wraxall , Winscombe and Portishead .
William Bilbie (1730–1789)
William was the third son of Thomas Bilbie and was in charge of the bell foundry in Chew Stoke from 1775 to 1790: cast 79 bells.
John Bilbie of Axbridge (1736–1767)
John Bilbie had a workshop in Axbridge where he made grandfather clocks. One of his clocks is in the King John's Hunting Lodge Museum.
Edward Bilbie IV (1766-1796)
Edward Bilbie made grandfather clocks known for the engraved decorations in the center of the dial.
Thomas Webb Bilbie (1758–1829) and James Fear Bilbie (1763–1819)
Thomas and James were unable to adapt the business to the increasing competition and production at Chew Stoke declined; only 25 bells were made between 1791 and 1811.
Thomas Castleman Bilbie from Cullompton (1758–1813)
Thomas Castleman Bilbie belonged to the fourth generation of bell founders in the family and continued the business in Cullompton between 1871 and 1814, where he cast 198 bells.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k A. James Moore, Roy W. Rice, Ernest Hucker: Bilbie and the Chew Valley clockmakers: the story of the renowned family of Somerset bellfounder / clockmakers. The authors, o. O. 1995, ISBN 0-9526702-0-8 .
- ↑ Bailey, Jil (December 31, 2007).
- ↑ "Abbotsbury (St.)" ( Memento of the original from August 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ "Axbridge Church Tower & Bell Ringing" .
- ↑ a b c "Bilbie - Bell founders and clockmakers" ( Memento of the original from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ "Activities at St.
- ↑ "The Bells" ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ "All Saints Church" .
- ↑ a b “St Andrews Church Bells” ( Memento from July 15, 2007 in the Internet Archive ).
- ↑ "Bells at St John the Baptist Parish Church" ( Memento of the original from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ^ "St Giles Church" .
- ↑ "Bells" .
- ^ "The Parish Church of Northam" .
- ↑ "The Bells" ( Memento of the original from July 3, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ^ "Churches" ( Memento of July 2, 2007 in the Internet Archive ).
- ↑ "Bellringing at All Saints Wraxall" ( Memento of the original dated August 6, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ^ "A History of the Church" .
- ↑ "Yeovil, Somerset, St John the Baptist," .
- ↑ "Zeal Monachorum Bell Appeal" ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ "lot no 422" ( memento of the original from October 9, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ^ Robert Dunning (Editor): Catcott (2004).
- ^ "William Bedell's Pictures of King John's Hunting Lodge" .
- ↑ "Edward Bilbie" .
