The inscription around the haunch of the second bell is of singular importance. This is the only one of a number of similar bells occurring in Leicestershire which bear the founder's name; it has thus been possible to identify John of York as the founder of the whole group. The other bells in the group have been identified as John of York's as they share the same initial cross and floral stops as those found upon the dedications of Sproxton's first and second bells. These other bells are at St John the Baptist's church, Billesdon; St James the Greater's, Birstall; St Mary's, Brentingby (recently removed), St Mary's, Cotesbach; St John the Baptist's, Hungarton; St Remigius', Long Clawson and St Peter's, Witherley. The church of Our Lady and St Nicholas at Wanlip, has a bell with the same initial cross, but which differs from the others in having beautiful figures of seated angels in place of the floral stops. T. North proposed that John of York may have briefly relocated his foundry to Leicester at some point in the late C14, thus explaining the occurrence of so many of his bells in Leicestershire. North ascribes a late C 14 dating for all these bells on the basis of the style of the gothic lettering upon them. The fact that one of John of York's bells was made to hang in Brentingby church is significant, as the manor of Brentingby was, like Sproxton, a Woodford possession at this time, Brentingby being the family's original seat. Brentingby church was made redundant in 1978, and has since been converted to residential use, but John of York's bell was given by Melton Parish (of which combined benefice Brentingby now forms a part) in 1986 to hang in Melton's new shopping mall, which is named the 'Bell Centre' for this reason. Unfortunately, the bell has been hung in such a manner that the initial cross, and the beginning and end of the inscription, are facing the wall and are not visible. But it does mean that one of John of York's bells can be otherwise seen without difficulty. North's late C14 dating for all of John of York's Leicestershire bells is significant in Sproxton's context, for North's dating of the bells coincides with Pevsner's dating of the Sproxton belfry. The two bells of John of York's which hang in Sproxton church tower must surely have been commissioned specially by John de Woodford and Mabille née Folville his wife to hang in the splendid new belfry they had built. John of York's bells are of singular beauty among Leicestershire church bells, and Sproxton's 2nd must be without doubt the most beautiful medieval bell in the county. November 1996. Revised 1999. Additional material contributed by Raymond Taylor.