EASTRY, St Mary the Virgin |
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DETAILS OF THE BELLS |
Bell Weight Weight
(as supplied)Diameter Cast Founder 1
5-1-4
5-1-4
28.7"
2007
Whitechapel
2
5-1-17
5-1-17
291/4"
2007
Whitechapel
3
6-1-15
6-1-15
311/2"
2007
Whitechapel
4
7-0-7
7-0-22 355/8"
1902
John Taylor & Co.
5
7-1-9
363/16"
1609
John Clarke
6
9-1-1
9-2-2 373/8"
1975
John Taylor & Co.
7
13-1-24
4315/16"
1734
Richard Phelps
8
16-3-20
471/4"
1740
Robert Catlin
Stored
10½ cwt approx.
397/8"
1629
Henry Wilnar
Sanctus
0-2-14
149/16"
c.1375
?John Rufford, Toddington
The stored bell is the former 3rd (of 5) which is cracked.
INSCRIPTIONS |
| The inscriptions on the new front 3 are yet to be obtained. |
| 4. |
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| RECAST BY JOHN
TAYLOR & CO. LOUGHBOROUGH IN THE YEAR THAT ED VII WAS CROWNED * 1902 * A. DUDLEY LAMPEN * VICAR |
[2½"
Coronation Medallion of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra] |
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| 5. | [on shoulder] WILLIAM IDLEY Z THOMAS WHITFYLDE CHURCHWAR | |||||||||||||
| K Iohannes Clarke Hanc Fecit Campanam I 609 | ||||||||||||||
| DENS | ||||||||||||||
| 6. | ||||||||||||||
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| 7. | MR: THOMAS RAMMELL CHURCH WARDEN RICHARD PHELPS MADE ME J734 | |||||||||||||
| 8. | a ¢¢¢ a ¢ a v THOMAS KITE WILLIAM FILPOTT CHURCH WARDENS v ROBERT CATLIN FECIT 1740 | |||||||||||||
| The old inscription on the treble is not in facsimile. All the lettering is in an art-deco Gothic favoured by John Taylor & Co at the time. The 'J's on the 3rd are elongated. The stored bell is inscribed as follows: |
| 3. | HENRY à WILNAR à MADE à ME à 1629 à |
| The sanctus bell is inscribed as follow. The Royal Heads were used by the Worcester Foundry and by John Rufford, whose cross appears on the bell: |
| S. | + AVE [King's Head] MARIA [Queen's Head]
  ACIA |
HISTORY |
c. 1375 "Sanctus" (ex-school) bell cast probably by John Rufford of Toddington for an unknown destination. 1584 Former treble cast by Robert Mot of Whitechapel. 1609 Present 2nd cast by John Clarke, an itinerant founder. 1629 3rd (of 5) cast by Henry Wilnar of Borden. 1734 Present 4th cast by Richard Phelps of Whitechapel. 1740 Present tenor cast and bells rehung in a new timber frame thought to be by Robert Catlin of Holborn. 1859 Eastry School was built at which time a small bell by Rufford is thought to have been hung (although there was an earlier school in 1840). It is not thought that this bell came from the church, although it later went to the church after the school closed down. 1902 Treble recast by John Taylor. 1909 Tenor rehung by Alfred Bowell. 1913 2nd, 3rd & 4th rehung by Alfred Bowell with steel headstocks.
1913 22 Nov:
To quarter turning and rehanging the 2nd, 3rd & 4th bells £40. To strengthening the frame with long bolts £5.1914 1 Jan:
Two best bell ropes @ 13/- £1-6-0. Total £46-6-0. Paid cq. 20 Jan 1914.1934 In a routine report, Taylors state that the 3rd is cracked in the crown. 1967 Bells rehung with new gudgeons, bearings and frictional parts by John Taylor. 1975 After lengthy negotiations, the cracked 3rd was retired to the ringing chamber, being one of only four bells known to have been cast by Henry Wilnar. Taylor's, who described the bell as "deficient in thickness and weight", cast a new bell 2½" smaller! 1995 Estimates obtained for extensive restoration of the bellframe, overhaul of fittings, welding and replacing the original 3rd bell of 1629 and possible augmentation to eight. 1997 The 3 bells from the redundant All Saints, Hawkhurst were removed and put into storage. The tenor went to Eastry, although a mistake was made and at the time this was believed to be the 2nd. 2005 The fact that Eastry was actually in possession of the Hawkhurst tenor rather than the 2nd as previously thought was discovered when the tuning figures were measured: it was the same note as the current treble. It was deemed unsuitable for augmentation. 2007 Three trebles were cast and the remaining bells were retuned. 2008 The new ring of 8 was hung in the tower.
