History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

308 HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTON. [1760.
town, tlioiigli requested by tlie county to make tliem, refused
an appropriation for that purpose.
Vote to Procure a One reasou for this economy of the town
New Bell. fuuds may be found in the fact that a new
bell seemed to be an absolute necessity.
For seventy-eight years the old one had been on duty, and
it was no longer powerful enough to be heard throughout
the central portion of the settlement. In March, 1760, the
town voted to procure a new bell, as soon as convenient,
" to hang in the Meeting House in the Town of so large a
size as shall effectually serve and answer the ends & pur-
pose of a Meeting House bell to this Town & Society."
The matter was placed in the hands of a committee with
power to act. In June of the following year a " Great
Bell," which weighed 7 cwt. 3 qrs. 15 lbs. was shipped
from Boston on board the sloop Nancy. It was imported
from England and cost in that country £6 sterling
per cwt. Col. Seth Pomeroy and Timothy Dwight
negotiated the purchase through Joseph Scott, in Boston,
whose bill for everything connected with the bell, including
customs fees, freight, insurance, wharfage, etc., was
£63. 13.7 sterling. On this he charged a commission of 5 per
cent., amounting to £3.3.8. To this sum of £66.17.3 it was
necessary to add 33^ per cent, in order to find its equivalent
in lawful money, which brought the amount up to £89.3.
A small additional charge for wharfage and truckage in
Boston, made the cost of the bell in lawful money, when
shipped on board the sloop, £89.9.8. The bell was to be
delivered either at Hartford or Rocky Hill, and the freight
was £1.13.4.1 Within a year, probably on account of overzealous
ringing by irresponsible persons, and possibly also
because of incomplete machinery, the bell was broken. In
August, 1761, the town was called together to decide about
replacing it, as well as about "prosecuting those persons
who were instrumental in breaking it." An order was
adopted which provided for sending the bell to the founder
at Fairfield, to be recast or mended. If it should be recast
1 Similar bells were in use in the towns of Hatfield, Springfield and Loupmeadow.
All of them were cast in.England and had this inscription: —
" To the church, the living I call,
To the grave I summon all."