© Maggie Kilbey & Marcel Glover 2024
St Peter, Mattishall Burgh (Norfolk)
Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches
Improved barrel organ. Builder’s nameplate reads: ‘J. W. Walker & Sons of London’. The organ was originally installed in the Postern
Chapel, Aldermanbury, London in May 1852. In 1854 it was returned to J.W. Walker & Sons, and in 1855 purchased for £50 by Rev. Thomas
Berney, Rector of Hockering with Mattishall Burgh, for use at Hockering. In 1874 the rector and churchwardens agreed to lend the organ to
Mattishall Burgh on condition that it would be returned when requested, ‘in fair repair and decent condition’, six months prior notice
being given, and £6 was paid to William Corps of Norwich ‘for removing repairing cleaning erecting and tuning organ from Hockering now
in Mattishall Burgh Church’. In 1977 Hockering church agreed to give the organ to Mattishall Burgh on the understanding that it would not
be sold.
The organ is operated from the rear. The stained softwood Gothic case has three flats of gold painted dummy pipes (3-7-3) backed with
patterned cloth.
Stop list: Double Diapason Bass 16’, Open Diapason 8’, Stopped Diapason 8’, Principal 4’, Fifteenth 2’.
Restored in 1976 by J.W. Walker of Brandon. Tunes recorded in 1995. BIOS Historic Organ Certificate awarded 2013 (Grade I).
Three green barrels x 10 tunes in a frame corresponding with the original handwritten tunelist pasted to the case. The machine ends of
the barrels are of brass rather than wood, to make them more durable.
References: Norfolk Record Office, PD670/26 churchwardens’ accounts; Boston (1959); Boston & Langwill (1967); Turner (2002); NPOR, D05444.
BARREL 1
GREEN
Tune
Metre
1.1
LM
1.2
LM
1.3
LM
1.4
CM
1.5
CM
1.6
SM
1.7
87.87.D
1.8
87.87.47.
1.9
SM
1.10
BARREL 2
GREEN
Tune
Metre
2.1
LM
2.2
LM
2.3
LM
2.4
CM
2.5
CM
2.6
CM
2.7
SM
2.8
SM
2.9
77.77.
2.10
BARREL 3
GREEN
Tune
Metre
3.1
LM
3.2
LM
3.3
LM
3.4
LM
3.5
CM
3.6
CM
3.7
CM
3.8
SM
3.9
LM
3.10
886.D