© Maggie Kilbey & Marcel Glover 2024
St Margaret, Witton (Norfolk)
Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches
Improved barrel & finger organ by an unknown builder. Originally a chamber organ housed in Witton vicarage, the instrument was
moved to the church by the vicar Rev. Francis Procter. In 1857 £140 raised by subscription was paid to Corps of Norwich, presumably
to add the barrel mechanism. These alterations resulted in an unusual internal arrangement and the need for the person operating
the mechanism to stand on a box.
The barrel mechanism is operated from the front, with the crank handle on the right-hand side. The original blowing lever is to the
rear of the instrument – and projects some 10 feet from the back of case into the tower – but the organ is now blown electrically. The
grained softwood case has three flats of gold painted pipes (6-7-6) which are functional.
Stop list: Open Diapason 8’, Stopped Bass 8’, Clarabella 8’, Dulciana 8’, Principal 4’, Flute 4’, Sesquialtera.
Pre-1991: Open Diapason 8’, Salicional 8’, Bass Flute 8’, Hohlflute 8’, Principal 4’, Flautina 4’, Fifteenth 2’.
Restored in 1973 by Ralph Bootman, and in 1991 by R.A.J. Bower & Co. Tunes recorded in 1999.
Three green barrels x 10 tunes in a wooden frame. The barrels are painted green and weighted to help them fall into position. The
tune ‘Austria’ misses out a repeat, making the metre an unexpected 87.87.87.
References: Norfolk Record Office, PD70/18/1 List of subscribers (1857); PD70/18/2 Organ account (1857); MacDermott (1948); Boston
(1959); Boston & Langwill (1967); Turner (2002); NPOR, N06790.
BARREL 1
GREEN
Tune
Metre
1.1
SM
1.2
CM
1.3
CM
1.4
CM
1.5
LM
1.6
LM
1.7
LM
1.8
1.9
87.87.87.
1.10
Hanover
[unplayable]
104th
BARREL 2
GREEN
Tune
Metre
2.1
Carlisle
[unplayable]
SM
2.2
CM
2.3
CM
2.4
CM
2.5
LM
2.6
LM
2.7
87.D
2.8
77.77.
2.9
87.D
2.10
87.87.87.
BARREL 3
GREEN
Tune
Metre
3.1
SM
3.2
CM
3.3
CM
3.4
SM
3.5
LM
3.6
LM
3.7
87.87.87.
3.8
87.87.47.
3.9
77.77.D
3.10
112th