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BOXLEY, St Mary the Virgin and All Saints

Photo RCO 2006

 
6 bells
Tenor 10-3-10 in F sharp
Grid Ref. TQ775590
Maidstone District
Retuning: Whitechapel 1971 (R C Offen)
Upstairs Ringing Room
PEALS

DETAILS OF THE BELLS
Bell Cast Weight Weight
(before retuning)		 Weight
(after retuning)		 Diameter Cast Founder

1

 5-2-2 5-1-6

5-0-13

29¾"

1803

Thomas Mears I

2

 5-2-22 5-1-27

5-1-12

30⅞"

1803

Thomas Mears I

3

 6-2-8 6-1-12

6-0-20

33¼"

1804

Thomas Mears I

4

 7-2-18 7-1-8

7-0-13

35"

1804

Thomas Mears I

5

 9-2-17 9-1-2

8-3-21

38⅜"

1804

Thomas Mears I

6

 11-3-3 11-1-0

10-3-10

41¾"

1803

Thomas Mears I
1. THOMAS MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1803
 
2. THOMAS MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1803
 
3. THOMAS MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1804
 
4. THOMAS MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1804
 
5. THOMAS MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1804
 
6. THOMAS MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1803
 

The bells are close to Equal Temperament in scale. All have rather (but consistently) flat primes.

1803/4 TUNING

The tuning books suggest the bells were tuned (or otherwise) as follows:
Bell Tuning

1

 Maiden bell

2

 Maiden bell

3

 Opened

4

 Maiden bell

5

 Maiden bell

6

 Skirted
Frequencies of main partials (Hertz)
Red = flat of true harmonic tuning; blue = sharp; green = optimum
 Figures provided by Richard Offen (who measured the bells before he tuned them)

Bell

Hum

Prime

Tierce

Quint

Nominal

S'quint

O'nom.

6

203

356

448

580

748

 

 

5

230

402

509

657

849

 

 

4

256

437

573

726

958

 

 

3

274

476

612

768

1008

 

 

2

304

502

676

856

1134

 

 

1

344

548

760

980

1276

 

 

Frequencies in terms of note

Bell

Hum

Prime

Tierce

Quint

Nominal

Superquint

OctNom
6 Ab(0)-39 F(1)+33 A(1)+31 D(2)-22 F#(2)+19
5 Bb(0)-23 G(1)+44 C(2)-48 E(2)-6 Ab(2)+38
4 C(1)-38 A(1)-12 D(2)-43 F#(2)-33 Bb(2)+47
3 C#(1)-20 Bb(1)+36 Eb(2)-29 G(2)-36 B(2)+35
2 Eb(1)-40 B(1)+28 E(2)+43 A(2)-48 C#(3)+39
1 F(1)-26 C#(2)-20 F#(2)+46 B(2)-14 Eb(3)+43
Frequencies in terms of relative intervals from the tenor nominal (cents)

Bell

Hum

Prime

Tierce

Quint

Nominal

Superquint

OctNom
6 -2258 -1285 -887 -440 0
5 -2261 -1294 -886 -444 219
4 -2285 -1359 -890 -480 428
3 -2255 -1299 -864 -471 516
2 -2279 -1411 -896 -487 720
1 -2269 -1463 -897 -457 925
Variations from established scales
Bell Cents from mean   Cents from tenor
 

Equal Temp.

Just Tuned

 

Equal Temp.

Just Tuned
6

-10

-9

 

0

0
5

6

1

 

19

15
4

12

23

 

28

42
3

-3

-7

 

16

18
2

-3

-12

 

20

18
1

-2

5

 

25

41

HISTORY

1652

4 bells cast by Michael Darbie.

1803-4

Bells recast into ring of six by Thomas Mears.

1872-7

Bells rehung at some point in this period.

1912

 Bells rehung by Aldred Bowell.
1912 11th Nov:
To rehanging the bells £75. To refixing clock hammer and new spring to same 10/-. Total £75-10s. Paid cq. 20th Nov. 1912.

1971

 Bells retuned and rehung by Whitechapel.