Reference
X586/21
Title
Notebooks and papers of Charles W Clarke (b. 1864 - d 1942) of Bedford.
Date free text
1884-1930s
Production date
From: 1884 To: 1942
Admin/biog history
Charles William Clarke was born at Oundle on 8 May 1864. He remained a bachelor throughout his life. He died in St.Peter’s Hospital in Bedford on 9 January 1942, aged 77, and his body was interred at his native Oundle on January 12th. He became a ringer at Oundle at the age of 11, moving to Bedford in 1882 to work as an engineering blacksmith at Howard’s works. He conducted the first ever peal for the Bedfordshire Association at Biddenham in 1884 and went on to become the County’s leading ringer and conductor. He conducted 430 of his final total of 720 peals. Apart from a short spell in Derby in the early years of the C20 - the Association made a generous presentation to him on his departure in 1906 - he lived in Bedford most of his life, latterly at 19 Kempston Road. The Beds. Times published an article “A Bellringer for Sixty Years - Mr. C. Clarke’s interesting record” on 13 January 1939 (there is a copy in X 586/7/3 p.253). About the same time, the Ringing World of 9 December 1938 (p.797) featured Clarke in the “Leading Conductors” series to which Harry Gayton of Harrold subsequently contributed additional information headed “Mr C.W. Clarke’s achievements in Bedfordshire Ringing” in Ringing World 6 January 1939 (p.7). There are copies in Gayton’s notebook (X 586/7/3 p.255). Clarke’s obituary appeared in the Ringing World of 23 January 1942 (p.39). These article all contain similar biographical information - and the same portrait photograph. A word picture of Clarke, mentioning his loud voice and distinctive mannerisms, appeared in one of the articles by Ernest Morris on “Those I remember” in Ringing World 11 October 1957 (p.658)
Archival history
This small collection of papers was discovered in the library of the Worcestershire & Districts Association of Church Bell Ringers. There is no obvious explanation of how they came to be there. In 2019 they were passed over to the Bedfordshire Association for future safe-keeping.
Editorial note: In the lists of performances given in the catalogue, some uncertain details have been confirmed or supplied from the Felstead online database which gives complete lists of all recorded peals rung at each individual tower
Level of description
sub-fonds
Persons/institution keyword
Keywords