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THE CATHEDRAL BELLS - THE MAIDEN BELLS
Anyone approaching the Roman Catholic Cathedral (now Basilica) in St. John’s during this week in January, 1906 might be curious enough to approach the steps of the church to take a close look at the Joy Bells, three in number that sat on the steps the Cathedral awaiting shipment to Dublin. They were being sent to the famous Murphy foundry on James Street, where they were originally cast.
They were made by Murphy, the celebrated Bell maker at Dublin in 1854.
The name of the maker is inscribed on the bells as follows: “Murphy, Founder, Dublin, in 1854 on another portion of the bells is the following: “F.R. Joan, T. Mullock, C.P.U.S., T.N., S. Patrick, O.P.N.
The bells were beautifully decorated with some of the following devises. A lady sitting holding in her hands a harp, a wolf crouches beside her, and a tree in fill bloom stands near an inscription of St. Patrick underneath with a wreath of Shamrocks; two hands clasped; a heart through which is a spear; a lighthouse, which crouches beside it the Irish wolf dog.
Murphy who cast the bells wrote: “I have great pleasure of informing your Lordship that they are a pair as beautifully toned bells as ever I cast. I have cast them in their precise notes, D and E natural, without a chip being cut from them for tuning. They are what is technically known in bell music as Maiden Bells “
The former is called St. Mary and the latter St. Patrick.
In 1863, the third bell of the peal of F sharp was added. Murphy again writes “that G, A, B, C, sharp and D (octave) would complete the peal.
MAKING THE JOY BELLS COMPLETE
It was on June 25, 1906 that Archbishop Michael F. Howley in full pontifical’s added the five wanting bells and christened St’s. Michael, Matthew, Anthony, Francis and James making the Joy Bells complete.
These three bells were being sent to the Murphy foundry in Ireland where they were to be joined by the five new bells that were being cast .
The bells are eight in number forming a complete octave in the key of D and have a very sweet sound. The largest bell, the tenor D is 27cwt and the smallest octave D is 7 cwt. The whole weight of the chime – is 5 tons 7cwt.
The great St. John bell, the lone bell in the Eastern Tower is now rung fro masses and the Angelus.
For more information on this and other related subjects contact the Archives of the R.C. Archdiocese. www.stjohnsarchdiocese.nf.ca
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Larry Dohey
Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John’s
P.O. Box 1363
St. John’s, NL
A1C 5M3
709-726-3660
E-mail: archives@nf.aibn.com
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