© Maggie Kilbey & Marcel Glover 2021-2022
St Mary, Stanstead St Margaret (Hertfordshire)
Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches
Barrel & finger organ, originally a chamber organ. A brass nameplate reads: ‘Guliemus Allen Fecit London’. In 1837 the chaplain Canon
Joseph Stephen Pratt restored the church and paid John Gray to convert the instrument to a barrel & finger organ.
The organ is located in the west gallery, which has folding seats. The barrel mechanism is operated from the rear, with the crank handle
on the right-hand side. The mahogany case has four panels of gold painted dummy pipes. An electric blower was installed in 1956.
Restored in 1989 by Saxon Aldred of Redbourn, and over the following two years Donald Simmonds restored the barrels.
Four green carriage-mounted barrels x 8 tunes. There are no tunelists. The knife mechanism is not operational, so the keyframe has to
be lifted off the barrel manually.
References: Cadbury Research Library, John Gray accounts; Boston & Langwill
(1967); Kilbey (2020); NPOR, N14170.
BARREL 1
GREEN
Tune
Metre
1.1
[unplayable]
1.2
LM
1.3
CM
1.4
LM
1.5
104th
1.6
LM
1.7
CM
1.8
87.87.47.
BARREL 2
GREEN
Tune
Metre
2.1
[unplayable]
2.2
LM
2.3
77.77.
2.4
CM
2.5
CM
2.6
LM
2.7
77.77.77.
2.8
CM
BARREL 4
GREEN
Tune
Metre
3.1
[unplayable]
3.2
LM
3.3
CM
3.4
CM
3.5
LM
3.6
SM
3.7
87.87.D
3.8
CM
BARREL 3
GREEN
Tune
Metre
4.1
[unplayable]
4.2
SM
4.3
CM
4.4
CM
4.5
LM
4.6
CM
4.7
886.D
4.8
PM
© Maggie Kilbey & Marcel Glover 2021-2022
Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches
St Mary, Stanstead St Margaret (Hertfordshire)
Barrel & finger organ, originally
a chamber organ. A brass
nameplate reads: ‘Guliemus
Allen Fecit London’. In 1837 the
chaplain Canon Joseph Stephen
Pratt restored the church and
paid John Gray to convert the
instrument to a barrel & finger
organ.
The organ is located in the west
gallery, which has folding seats.
The barrel mechanism is operated from the rear, with the crank handle
on the right-hand side. The mahogany case has four panels of gold
painted dummy pipes. An electric blower was installed in 1956.
Restored in 1989 by Saxon Aldred of Redbourn, and over the following
two years Donald Simmonds restored the barrels.
Four green carriage-mounted barrels x 8 tunes. There are no tunelists.
The knife mechanism is not operational, so the keyframe has to be lifted
off the barrel manually.
References: Cadbury Research Library, John Gray accounts; Boston &
Langwill (1967); Kilbey (2020); NPOR, N14170.
BARREL 1
GREEN
Tune
Metre
1.1
[unplayable]
1.2
LM
1.3
CM
1.4
LM
1.5
104th
1.6
LM
1.7
CM
1.8
87.87.47.
BARREL 2
GREEN
Tune
Metre
2.1
[unplayable]
2.2
LM
2.3
77.77.
2.4
CM
2.5
CM
2.6
LM
2.7
77.77.77.
2.8
CM
BARREL 3
GREEN
Tune
Metre
4.1
[unplayable]
4.2
SM
4.3
CM
4.4
CM
4.5
LM
4.6
CM
4.7
886.D
4.8
PM
BARREL 4
GREEN
Tune
Metre
3.1
[unplayable]
3.2
LM
3.3
CM
3.4
CM
3.5
LM
3.6
SM
3.7
87.87.D
3.8
CM
