Durham Cathedral

Durham Cathedral has ten bells, with the tenor (the heaviest bell) weighing in at 28cwt - that's just under 1.5 tonnes. See below for details of all the bells.

The bells are hung right at the top of the central tower. This wasn't the case until the late 1600s, when the bells were moved from the north-west tower into the main tower. Until 1980 there were only 8 bells, when two more bells were added to augment them to a ten.

They are a 28-0-6 (28cwt, 0qt, 6lbs) ring of 10, in the key of D

Bell Weight Note Inscription
1 6-1-2 F♯ CAMPANA CHRISTI ET BEATAE MARIAE VIRGINIS WHITECHAPEL 1980
("Bell of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary cast in Whitechapel, 1980")
2 7-0-8 E CAMPANA SANCTAE HILDAE EX DONO PULSATORUM CAMPANARUM HUIUS ECCLESIAE CATHEDRALI WHITECHAPEL 1980
("Bell of St Hild, given as a gift by the Bellringers of this Cathedral Church")
3 7-3-10 D PACK & CHAPMAN OF LONDON FECERUNT Wm. DIGBY L.L.D., DEAN OF DURHAM 1780
("Made by Pack and Chapman of London, 1780 William Digby, Dean of Durham 1780")
4 7-5-14 C OLIM CAMPANA S. MARGARETA DEC. ET CAP. DVNELM.REFEC. A.D.MDCXCIII
("Once St Margaret's Bell, renewed by the Dean and Chapter of Durham, 1693")
5 9-3-25 B DIGBY L.L.D. DEAN OF DURHAM, CHAPMAN OF LONDON FECIT 1781
("Chapman of London made it in 1781 for William Digby, Dean of Durham.")
6 11-0-8 A MEARS & STAINBANK, LONDINI ME FECERVNT SIT. NOMEN DOMINI BENEDICTUM: ME OLIM CAMPANAM S. BENEDICTI (1693) REFECERUNT D. ET CAP. DVNELM A:D: MDCCCXCVI
("Mears & Stainbank of London made me in 1896. May the Lord's Name be Blessed. Once the Bell of St Benedict. Renewed by the Dean & Chapter in 1693")
7 12-2-8 G OLIM CAMPANA S. MICHAELIS DECANVS ET CAP REFECERVNT A.D. MDCXCIII
("Once the bell of St Michael, renewed by Dean and Chapter in 1693")
8 15-3-1 F♯ OLIM CAMPANA BONI BEDÆ. CHRISTOPHER HODSON REFEC. A.D. MDCXCIII I.H. DEC. ET CAP. DVNELM
("Once the bell of the Goodly Bede, Christopher Hodson, renewed by the Dean and Chapter of Durham, 1693.")
9 21-2-0 E OLIM CAMP. S. OSWALDI QVAM FIERI FECIT R. DE DVNELM. DEC. ET CAP. DVNELM. REFECERUNT A.D.MDCXCIII CHR. HODSON ARTIFICE
("Once the bell of St Oswald which R(obert) of Durham had made. The Dean & Chapter renewed the bell in 1693, work done by Christopher Hodson.")
10 28-0-6 D CAMP. S. CVTHBERTI OLIM GALALEA DEC. ET CAP. T. COMBER S.T.P. DEC S. EYRE S.T.P. THE SAVR. DVNELM REFECERVNT A.D. MDCXCIII CHR. HODSON ARTIFICE
("The Bell of St Cuthbert, once called the Galilee Bell, renewed by Dean & Chapter of Durham in 1693 when Thomas Comber, D.D. was Dean, Samuel Eyre (D.D.) was treasurer and Christopher Hodson was the craftsman.")

History of the Durham Cathedral Bells

1104-1130

The Central Tower and the two Western Towers were constructed.

1210-1300
A Belfry was added on to the Central Tower and three bells were hung here. These bells were used to call the monks to prayer at Midnight Mattins. The four in the North Western Tower, named Galilee, Long Bell, St Bede and St Oswald were used at special occasions such as the Feast of St Cuthbert, Christmas and Easter. The bells were chimed individually not as a group at this period.

1429-1459
There were fires in the Central Tower, leading to the reconstruction between 1464 and 1500. This included the rebuilding of the lantern stage of the tower. Portions of the roof structure of this rebuild survive in the present ringing room. Thus the vault we can see today is unusually high, at 155 ft. The top of the tower is 218 ft above the ground. The belfry containing the bells was a slightly later addition. Three goodly bells named, St Benedict, St Margaret and The Benedictus Bell. were hung in this tower.

1631-1690
The "English" method of change ringing was being developed at this time. Three bells from the North Western Tower were moved into the central Lantern Tower and the Chapter asked Umfrye Kene and quickly following him Thomas Bartlet, a London bellfounder, to recast the ring of six. They used the metal of the six lighter bells and one of the larger medieval bells, probably the Long Bell because there is an entry for Thomas Bartlet recasting the Galilee Bell, which had been chipped during a retuning process. Unfortunately some of Bartlet's bells had to be recast at various times.

1693
The final expert recasting of the bells by Christopher Hodson. He agreed to melt down the bells and add a new Treble, while at the same time fixing wheels and installing proper ringing machinery. Five of our present ring of ten (the current 4th, 7th, 8th 9th and Tenor Bells) date back to his casting.

1765-1766
The 3rd bell of the Hodson 8 was recast by George Dalton of York, while Francis Ellis of York made a new frame and rehung the bells.

1780-1781
Bellfounders Pack & Chapman of Whitechapel Foundry recast the Hodson Treble bell and 3rd bell cast by Dalton.

1896
Mears & Stainbank of the Whitechapel Foundry of London recast the 4th Hodson bell.

1913-1922
Various additions were made to the tower structure to strengthen it.

1980
Whitechapel Bellfoundry in London removed the ring of eight bells for retuning and cast two new bells to make a ring of ten. They replaced the 1766 wooden frame with a steel frame and installed all new fittings. The dated part of the old Francis Ellis frame, the eight old wheels and clappers hang in the ringing room as decorations.