The tower
of St Mary the Virgin would originally have been a timber structure,
but the lower stone work dates from around the 13th century.
The tower
was remodelled in the 15th century when the upper levels and the external
staircase to the ringing chamber were added.
At what
stage the first bells were hung is not recorded, but the vestry records
for 1617 have entries referring to bell ropes and moneys paid to three
ringers, Messrs Templar, Symons and Duvan, for ringing on three days.
There
are various references in the vestry records for bell ringing on significant
occasions, including about September 24th 1714 when ye King landed
- this would have been George I, and again on October 20th for the
coronation. There was ringing to celebrate the anniversary of the
crownation for several years. Another date which crops up regularly
is November 5th, ye gunpowder treason.
The first
record of there being a clock on the church tower appears in the accounts
of 1707: pd for oyle for the clock 1s. 6d. The present clock
was installed in 1877, and inside St Mary the Virgin there is a memorial
plaque with this inscription:
The
clock in this church was erected as a memorial to James Wilsdon
for many years Church Warden who died Mar. 30 1875
The ground
floor of the church tower houses the vestry, the screen was constructed
in 1899 at which time a gallery in the west end was removed.
On the
outside of the tower, in the south face near to the door to the staircase
is a very early arch, and over it an early opening above the first
string course. It is conjectured that this may well have associations
with an early separate building, the abode of an anchorite, referred
to in a document of 1262.
