Replies: Mysterious bell ringing at Chesterfield.
Nothing further having appeared in Local Notes and Queries in elucidation of this subject, I give according to promise the extracts relating to it from Bealings Bells, 1841.
Mr W. Felkin, of Nottingham, writing to the editor on 27th March 1834, says: – “In the Chesterfield case, all the bells in the house rang at one time or another; but never before five in the morning, nor after eleven at night. The cutting of the wires made no difference, and oscillation was like that of a pendulum; not a decreasing one. A bell was put up one Saturday evening, unattached to any wire, and rang in half an hour. The movable shutter bells on the parlour window inside shutters, when the rooms were locked, and no person within such rooms, rang. A bell taken down, and laid in a closet, rang as it lay.
The house is so substantial that the highest winds could not be felt: its foundations are very large; and walls, both outer and inner, of stone cased with brick; of great thickness and quite solid. The bells are hung quite out of reach, and no examination resulted in detecting the least tampering with them.
I heard of one very laughable incident. The bell hanger was engaged in re-attaching the wires, after a long silence, when one of the bells began to ring in his face. Upon this he dropped down the ladder, and, without waiting to gather up his tools &c., ran as fast as his legs would carry him, crying that Satan was in the bells, and he would have no more to do with them.
As the matter remains enveloped in the same mystery, and the particulars have been carefully and fully noted down when they occurred by Mr J. Ashwell, I shall refer you to him at 196 and 197 near Queenhithe, Upper Thames St.; an din his absence, if you enquire there for his private residence, in either case he or Mrs A. would, I am sure, let you hear the whole detail with great pleasure… The work people are soon to repair, and make Rose-Hill House into two residences, when perhaps some cause may be brought to light to clear the mystery.”
The author (Major Moor, F.R.S.) accordingly visited Mr Ashwell at the end of March 1834, and had many conversations respecting these bell ringings at Rose Hill, an d received a promise of being supplied with a detailed written account. However, in 1841, when Major Moor applied for the promised particulars in order to print them in Bealing’s Bells, Mr Ashwell demurred, saying, “as a consequence of their relation to a literary friend, I am under an engagement to supply the facts for publication. You will perceive (however unwilling) tha tI am thereby precluded from the gratification of your wishes.”
Major Moor then proceeds to tax his recollection for some of the particulars that had been communicated to him in 1834. “The house was large and old, and with some had the reputation of being haunted. I forget the date of the occurrences; but believe ten or twelve years ago – say 1830 – the ringings from first to last continued about eighteen months. They differed from mine at Bealings, among others in this particular: – that instead of ringing in peals of four or five by sudden starts and instant quietude, his rang continually; many seconds in violent oscillations, and clatter.
Inasmuch, that while one was in such violent vibration, he would seize it between his hands, and compel cessation. But on being liberated, it would resume its vibration and ringing. This operation was several times performed with uniform results. His servants were much alarmed, and some left their places. A public foot-path passed near his front door. Many passengers made a circuit rather than pass close to it. The events were much talked of in the neighbourhood; and reasons existed to render it desirable that the matter should be less discussed and notorious.
Mr Ashwell is a literary and scientific gentleman: and tried various experiments with electrometers and other tests; but could discern nothing, especially present or absent, giving any clue to the discovery of the cause of the strange effects witnessed. To that day – and I dare say to this – he was, and is, altogether at a loss as to such cause. He took the wires off. The bells continued their ringings. he took one and stuck it between a wooden hat-peg batten and the wall on which the batten was nailed, and the bell began to ring immediately.
If I erred, my Derbyshire friend had opportunities of exhibiting his – what he, I believe, also deems – preternaturalities to men of science, who were equally baffled. He, as well as I, have discoursed with men of science thereon without any explanatory results.”
In conclusion, I would venture again to hope that some other correspondent will throw a little light on these bell ringings, which seem to have created no little stir in Chesterfield society only forty years ago. F.H.S.
Derbyshire Times, 28th September 1872.
Mysterious Bell-ringing at Chesterfield.
Some months ago inquiries were made for particulars of the mysterious bell-ringing which occurred in the house of the late Mr James Ashwell, at Chesterfield. I beg to supply you with a brief statement of facts, which were first communicated to me verbally by Mr Ashwell (my great-uncle) himself, but which are mentioned also in memoranda belonging to the family, and in a small book, entitled “Bealings Bells,” published in 1841.
Mr Ashwell took up his residence at Rosehill, Chesterfield, about the year 1830. It was an old commodious house, standing in its own grounds. When he had been there some months the bells began to ring in an unaccountable manner – generally in the evening. At first it was thought to be a trick of the servants, so they were all locked up in the library, but still the bells rang. The ringing was always violent, caused by rapid oscillations of the clappers, and lasted for some seconds at a time. New bells were substituted, but without effect, even when the wires were cut.
Movable bells hung on the inside shutters of empty rooms rang loudly. One bell was taken down and laid for some time on a shelf, where it remained quiescent, but as soon as it was rehung the ringing recommenced. Occasionally the bells behaved in a perfectly normal manner for weeks, or even months, but always resumed their activity sooner or later.
The house was so substantially built, and upon such solid foundations, that no wind could affect it; nor could the presence of electric currents be detected, although many experiments were made for the purpose. Mr Ashwell was himself a man of scientific attainments (not in the remotest degree superstitious), and devoted much time to the investigation of the mystery, besides bringing several friends, who were well-known scientific men of that day, from London to help him, but no clue was ever discovered.
After a few years, this state of affairs became so troublesome that Mr Ashwell reluctantly left the house. It never let again as a single residence, and was converted later into several smaller houses. At this distant date it is not likely that any additional light will be thrown upon the matter, but it would be interesting to learn if any old inhabitants of the district can add to the facts I have given.
Harriet J. Hutchinson, Nottingham.
Nottinghamshire Guardian, 15th January 1898.