The Steyning Bells in 1895

A main source for this article is the ‘Bell News And Ringers’ Record’ subtitled a ‘Weekly Journal of the Ringing Exercise; and Compendium of Information for the Clergy and Churchwardens.’

This national paper was priced at a penny. Its pages advertised the country’s bell founders, bell hangers and chime rope manufacturers. These advertisements featured illustrations of church towers with the names listed of the churches and cathedrals that various long established firms had cast and hung bells for. Other advertisements featured foundries that cast hand bells as well as composers of hand bell music, along with the hand bell music they had already composed. The weekly journal also featured notices, written compositions and listed the bell ringers at various churches in the county as well as the associations they belonged to. The church services and any special events that bell ringers had attended were also listed. The paper carried a list of the vacancies for where new members were wanted to keep the church bells ringing, so was also the publication, which anyone interested in becoming a bell ringer would read.

‘Bell News No. 665.Vol.13’ dated Saturday the 5th of January 1895, featured the news that the Sussex County Association, Steyning Branch had met at the parish church of St Andrew and St Cuthman on Thursday the 27th of December 1894. In two hours and fifty-three minutes, the bell ringers had rung a peal of Stedman Triples as a birthday compliment to their colleague George Gatland to wish him many happy returns.

Charles Smart conducted the session that was attended by guests William J Allis and Charles Tyler from the Henfield branch. The other ringers, all local men from Steyning, were Edwin Rapley, John Smart, William Woolgar and Arthur Gatland. Charles Smart lived in Church Street and John Smart, the High Street, Steyning. It is not known if they are related to Alfred Smart, the High Street chemist and Frederick Smart who ran the pharmacy from 1902. Frederick was a keen photographer and offered by a postal film processing service from the pharmacy. The price of Bell News had increased to two pence when No. 669 was distributed on the 2nd of February 1895. The Sussex County Association, Steyning Branch was reported to have held its annual supper on Tuesday the 15th of January at the Norfolk Arms, Church Street, Steyning. It was estimated there were up to forty guests present at the meal including the Reverend Arthur Pridgeon, the vicar of the church of St Andrew and St Cuthman, Steyning from 1882 to 1907. His wife was Jessie Sarah Congreve-Pridgeon and they had married in Hove on the 19th of April 1882.

Arthur Pridgeon was born in 1855 in Sleaford, Lincolnshire. Arthur Pridgeon died in Steyning in 1918 aged 63. The stained glass artist Christopher Whall (1849-1924) made a twolight stained glass window in the church in memory of Arthur. Whall was a leader of the Arts and Craft movement and a key figure in the history of stained glass. Jessie CongrevePridgeon’s birth date is unknown she was born in Peckham, London. Jessie died on the 15th of February 1944 and was buried in the