Our original 5 bells were bought by the parish at the reformation. They were cast by Thomas Hey who had his foundry in the village at Smith’s row. Some of his bells still remain, one at Wraxhall near Cattistock in Dorset, another, recast by Taylors, at West Chinnock and one at Pitney near Somerton, The latter two bear the inscription “Sancte Katerina de Monte Acuto”. After Thomas Hey came the Wiseman family who were casting bells in the village from about 1585 to the mid 1600’s.
Their foundry was on the western side of Bishopston, approximately opposite the Working Men’s Club. In the last century a large quantity of black moulding sand was unearthed in the garden of the local chimney sweep, who it is said, mixed it with soot and sold it to the locals to put on their gardens. It is also rumoured that he followed the seam under the next door garden which eventually collapsed, which lead to an embarrassing neighbourly confrontation.
Details of the bells are as follows:- No.1 is modern, cast in 1901 by Mears & Stainbank, London; No.2 cast by Wiseman. “First I call to wake you all Anno Domini 1619 T.E.G.C.” No.3 cast by Wiseman “Geeve thankes to God Anno Domini 1610.” No. 4 cast by Wiseman “Hee that heareth mee to sound let him alwaies praise the Lord 1614.” No. 5 Recast in 1810 by Thomas Mears of London Probably originally a Wiseman bell.
No. 6 “Anno Domini 1733 William Knight bellfounder” of Closworth. The ring is in the key of “D” and the Tenor weighs 24cwt approx. (1.2 tonnes) The Treble is in memory of Queen Victoria and the 6 bells were hung in 1901 in an oak frame by Harry Stokes of Woodbury, Devon and re-hung again in 1948 on roller bearings in the same frame, by Mears & Stainbank of Whitechapel, London.
St Catherine's Montacute Parish Church 