 A Cullompton man called Chubb travelled widely to repair bells during the reign of James I. In 1745 a vestry meeting determined that in order to reduce the cost of having the church bells repaired , the bells should be cast in some part of the almshouses , and a bell founder be found to work there . In 1746 Thomas Bilbie , from Chew Stoke in Somerset , created a new bell foundry ( The West of England Church Bellfoundry ) in the town , paying an annual rent of £ 1 / 13 / 4 ( £ 1 @.@ 67 ) for premises in the Almshouse building . He recast the six bells of Cullompton church as eight new ones . In 1754 Thomas 's eldest son also called Thomas moved to Cullompton to take over the bell foundry . Over a period of 26 years he cast 239 bells , the majority for churches in Devon . When he died , aged 53 in 1780 , his son Thomas Castleman Bilbie took over the business and cast 197 bells from 1780 to 1813 . The business was then sold to Pannel and co. who moved it to Exeter in 1850 . St Michael 's and All Angel 's in Alphington has a peal of 8 bells cast by Bilbie in Cullompton , at a cost of £ 108 12 shillings and 8 pence ( £ 1 @.@ 63 ) in 1749 . 
