In the inner southern wall of this tower, rather low down, is fixed a curious old Clock made by Peter Lightfoot, a Glastonbury monk, in the early part of the fourteenth century. The earth is represented by a globe in the centre, the sun by a disc which travels round it once in twenty-four hours, showing the time of day; the moon by a globe so fastened to a blue disc that it revolves once during a lunar month; half of this is painted black, the other half is gilt, and the age of the moon is indicated by the amount of the gilded portion visible—when the moon is full the whole of the gilt hemisphere is shown, when new the whole of the black. This clock still goes, the works being in a room in the tower above. It requires winding once a day. The same clock also causes the Jack outside the tower to strike the quarters.
In the Belfry is a peal of eight bells. The tenor weighs about 36 cwts., the treble 7 cwts.
The tenor bears this inscription:
Mr Wilhemus Loringe me primo fecit,
in honorem stæ cutbergæ.
renovabar sumptu parochali per ab,
anno domini 1629.
The seventh bell is dated 1798.
The sixth bell 1600, and is thus inscribed: "Sound out the Bells, in God regoyce."
The fifth 1698, "Praise the Lord."
The fourth 1686, "Pulsata rosamundi maria vocata. SMV."
The third was originally the smallest bell of the peal, and bears the Latin hexameter: "Sum minima hic campana, at inest, sua gratia parvis," and the words, "This Bell was added to ye five in 1686, Samuel Knight." The two smaller bells are of recent date.