There had been a tradition of bell casting in Gloucester since before the 14th century. The family business was founded by Abraham Rudhall who developed a method of tuning bells by turning on a lathe rather than the traditional chipping method with a chisel. One of the earliest ring of bells he cast was for St Nicholas' Church, Oddington in 1684. He came to be described as the greatest bell-founder of his age. The business was continued by his eldest son, also called Abraham, his son Abel, and three of Abel's sons, Thomas, Charles and John. In 1815 John Rudhall was declared bankrupt and the bell foundry bought by Mears & Stainbank who owned the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The business formally closed in 1828 but bells bearing John's name have been found with dates up to 1835.
Selected bells
Five bells, cast in 1702 by Abraham Rudhall of Gloucester, hang in St. James the Great, West Hanney, Oxfordshire: a sixth was recast in 1856. Three of the bells at Great Malvern Priory were cast by Rudhalls in 1706 and 1707. In 2012 two redundant bells from St Michael and St Wulfad's church inStone were relocated to St Michael's Tower, Gloucester, close to the site where they were made. Adlestrop where 4 bells cast by Abraham Rudhall in 1711 hang - unfortunately the bells are classified as unringable due to the poor state of the bell supports. Six bells, cast in 1714 by Abraham Rudhall, still hang at the Church of St Leonard, Middleton, Greater Manchester. Six of the bells in Pershore Abbey were cast in 1729 by Abraham Rudhall II: a seventh was recast in 1897. Six bells by Abel Rudhall hang in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. Eight change ringing bells at Old North Church in Boston were cast by Rudhalls in 1744 and hung in 1745. One bell has the inscription: "We are the first ring of bells cast for the British Empire in North America, A.R. 1744." All eight bells from the Church of St Anne, Shandon, an iconic symbol of Cork, Ireland, were cast by Rudhall in 1750, although they were recast twice in 1865 and 1906. Five bells cast by Abel Rudhall in 1757 still hang in Wells Cathedral.
