Page 43 - BR September 2023 (1)

September 2023 September 2023
The Clock
The current clock of 1878 strikes quarters (when it is working) and hours on the 1st,
2nd, 3rd and 6th bells. There are NO clock faces. Previous clock made in 1719 is
now in Dorchester Museum and churchwarden's records indicate expenditure on
yet an older clock before this in the late 1600s. Few people had watches and
rather than having to look at a sundial on the church wall they could at least
hear the clock over most of the village. It was wound by hand DAILY up to 1977
when some Silver Jubilee money was available and Geoffrey Booth and Tony
Bates refurbished the works and put in the electrical winding mechanism. The
Winding Key is still here and the table on which the winder had to climb was
made (put together in the ringing chamber) in 1725. "Paid for a forme to stand on
to wind up the Church Clock, 1s 0d"

The Structure
Local stone and flints, many pieces obviously reused, possibly from the
demolished former tower, some shaped, patterned and one depicting a worn
face. The doorframe is probably original. The floor, including the trap door
through which the bells were installed, ceiling panels and clock weight case are
all of 1875 vintage.

Items to see
List of bell details of 1920, first touch (720 changes), and peal rung in 1943 (after
victory at Alamein) including Sgt Philip Tocock still ringing at Upwey Church.

When are the bells rung?
When learning, before church services, weddings, occasionally at funerals ( can
be muffled with leather pads on the clapper), special events eg Millennium,
Golden Jubilee, visiting tower ringers and branch practices.
Records show that from as early as 1610 and up to WW II, the CURFEW was rung
at 8 o'clock in the winter evenings and 4 o'clock in the morning indicating the
time between which help for putting out house fires could not be expected. (St
Luke's Day till a fortnight before Lady Day - 18th October to 11th March).
In WW I ringing was not allowed after dark and in WW ll the ringing of bells was
stopped other than to indicate the landing of the enemy from aircraft in the local
area rather than a general invasion. The bells were obviously maintained with this
in mind and the ability to ring the peal in 1943 when general ringing was at last
allowed .
Change Ringing - In order to stop the boredom of ringing just ROUNDS, 123456,
123456, change ringing was first reported in the late 1600's when methods of
changing the order of the bells were devised.

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