Isle Abbots

St Mary the Virgin, Isle Abbots (Somerset)

Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches

Barrel organ, engraved on the keyframe: ‘H. BRYCESON, 5 Tottenham Court New Road, LONDON’, which dates the instrument to 1829-56. The organ is operated from the rear and blown by the winding handle, therefore the repinned chants would have been impossible to lead without losing wind pressure. Oak case, the dummy front is missing. Restored c.1980 by John Budgen. Tunes recorded in 2000. Four yellow carriage-mounted barrels x 10 tunes. The three original tunelists pasted inside the casework door are partly illegible. Barrel 4 was a later purchase from Jones & Company, Harmonium Manufacturers, Bristol. Unfortunately the handwritten tunelist for barrel 4 was pasted over the original printed operating instructions. Several of the tunes have been repinned and the tunelist amended accordingly.

References: W.G. Willis Watson, Letter, Notes & Queries, 12th series, X (22 Apr. 1922) p.316 ; Boston (1959) p.119; Boston & Langwill (1967); Turner (2002); NPOR, M00065.

BARREL 1 YELLOW

Tune

Metre

1.1

Old 100th

1.2

St Olave, New Sabbath Single Chant: Battishill

1.3

Portuguese Hymn [Portugal New]

1.4

Easter Hymn

77.77.D

1.5

Luther’s Hymn Montgomery

1.6

Devizes

1.7

Wareham

1.8

Mount Pleasant

1.9

Single Chant: Tallis

1.10

Eaton

BARREL 2 YELLOW

Tune

Metre

2.1

Hanover Single Chant: Jones

2.2

Sanctuary

77.77.

2.3

St Barnabas (Bromsgrove)

2.4

Trinity

2.5

Job

2.6

Redford

2.7

Surrey (Carey’s)

2.8

Truro

2.9

Lebanon Galway

2.10

Oxford [New]

BARREL 3 YELLOW

Tune

Metre

3.1

Bethpage

3.2

St Anne

3.3

Oldham

3.4

University Single Chant: Woodward

3.5

Sicilian Mariners

87.D

3.6

Warwick

3.7

Shirland

3.8

Mount Ephraim

3.9

Peckham

3.10

Evening Hymn

BARREL 4 YELLOW

Tune

Metre

4.1

Irish

4.2

Portsmouth Martyrdom

4.3

Charmouth St Stephen

4.4

Weston Favel Single Chant: Farrant

4.5

Rockingham

4.6

Abingdon German Hymn

77.77.

4.7

Islington

4.8

Acton

4.9

Froome

4.10

Bradley Church

Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches

St Mary the Virgin, Isle Abbots (Somerset)

References: W.G. Willis Watson, Letter, Notes & Queries, 12th series, X (22 Apr. 1922) p.316 ; Boston (1959) p.119; Boston & Langwill (1967); Turner (2002); NPOR, M00065.