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A historic piece of New Brunswick’s church history has been partially recovered, but it’s not in good condition.
Part of a large and heavy bell from St. Peter’s Anglican Church was found destroyed in a ditch by Fredericton police on Friday following a tip from the public, according to a Facebook post from the force that same day.
The bell, which was chained up at ground level, was stolen in the early hours of the morning on Dec. 29, police previously announced. The bell’s roots date back to England and it was stamped in 1825.
Ross Hebb, the church’s former minister, said police called him Friday to inform him that the recovered portion of the bell was being taken into custody for examination.
He hopes that the police will be able to find the outstanding parts of the bell in better shape.
“It’s just, you know, at first we were hoping for the return of the bell, and now, I guess it’s a matter of dealing with the consequences of human behavior,” Hebb told CBC.
“I think it’s all just a very large, sad, and bewildering episode of the life of the parish, and of the state of our society that someone would pilferage an old historic church bell,” said Hebb.
Ross Hebb said the bell was several hundred pounds and was likely mostly made from brass. (Submitted by Ross Hebb)
Hebb has not seen the recovered part of the bell, but says he has seen a picture of it on social media.
He hopes that the police will be able to find the outstanding parts of the bell in better shape. If so, it might be salvageable with the help of experts and financial resources.
However, that future will depend on any cost estimates and the decision of where to display it, if ever restored, Hebb says.
“Do you put it back in the same sort of place it was, with a big sign [reading] ‘well, has been stolen before. Found to be of no monetary value. Please leave in place.'”
St. Peter’s Anglican Church on Woodstock Road in Fredericton was the victim of theft when a historical church bell displayed outside was stolen on Dec. 29. (Sam Farley/CBC)
His wish is that those responsible for the theft will also be found and held answerable for their actions, he added.
The investigation remains ongoing.