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KINGSNORTH, St Michael

6 bells
Tenor 8-1-6 in A
Grid Ref. TR006393
Ashford District
Frame: 1900 Mears & Stainbank, formerly from St John the Baptist, Tunstall
Retuning: Whitechapel 1976
Glazed Gallery
Remodelled in 1976 using the bells from St Nicholas, Rochester
PEALS
¯ SOUND CLIP
(Recording by Mark Chittenden-Pile, 158kB, 7.33s)
& "The Bells of Kingsnorth" by Alan P. S. Berry

DETAILS OF THE BELLS
Bell Weight Diameter Cast Founder

1

2-3-13

233/4"

1976

Whitechapel

2

3-1-1

253/8"

1695

James Bartlett

3

3-3-17

273/4"

1728

Samuel Knight

4

4-1-6

293/8"

1914

Mears & Stainbank

5

6-1-25

323/4"

1976

Whitechapel

6

8-1-6

361/2"

1654

William Hatch

INSCRIPTIONS
1.   

IN MEMORY
HARRY PARKES
1900-1975
RINGER AND BELLHANGER
KCACR.gif (926 bytes)
INVICTA
19

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76
WHITECHAPEL
2. IOHN BVRGES THOMAS SYMONS CIIVRCHWARDENS 1695
I

Fig44.jpg (1423 bytes)

B
3. PRAIS THE LORD YOUR KING 1728
4.
R. E. VALE, J. W. MARTIN. C. W. 1914.

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THIS BELL WAS GIVEN BY
MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION		 IN MEMORIAM
D : D : H. F. COOPER, R. M. L. I.
AND J. P. OF THIS CITY
OBIIT OCT. 13. 1913
5.       

RESTORED BY THE PEOPLE OF
KINGSNORTH
1976
W. E. MICHAEL LENNOX M. A. RECTOR
19

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76
WHITECHAPEL
6.
WILLIAM HATCH MADE ME MC IH CW

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 1654

DETAILS OF THE FORMER RING OF FIVE

Bell

Weight

Diameter

Note

Cast

Founder

1

4-1-21

2713/16"

D

1728

Samuel Knight

2

4-2-21

2813/16"

C sharp

1727

Samuel Knight

3

5-0-21

3011/16"

B

1727

Samuel Knight

4

6-2-6

337/8"

A

1727/8

Samuel Knight

5

10-0-0

383/16"

G

1728

Samuel Knight
1. PRAIS THE LORD YOUR KING 1728
   
2. SAMUELL KNIGHT FECIT 1727
   
3. ANTHONY IARUIS C W  S K  FECIT 1727
   
4. IOHN TAYLOR ¢ C W ¢ SAMUELL ¢ KNIGHT FECIT 1727
   
5. THOMAS READER RECTOR S K MADE ME 1728
   

HISTORY

1552

Record of 3 bells in the tower.

1654

Tenor bell cast for St Nicholas, Rochester by Joseph Hatch.

1695

Treble bell cast for St Nicholas, Rochester by James Bartlett.

1727-8

Ring of 5 cast by Samuel Knight.

1887

Bell fittings reported by Stahlschmidt to be in bad order, with 2 of the bells unusable.

1900

Bell frame made for the six bells at Tunstall.

1914

Middle bell added to St Nicholas, Rochester by Mears & Stainbank.

1969

The 5 bells were made ringable for short periods of time after work by Mr B. Johnson of Smarden.

1976

The 3 bells from St Nicholas, Rochester were incorporated as bells 2, 4, 6 of a new ring of 6. The treble of the old 5 became the 3rd. The other bells were recast into bells 1 and 5 by Whitechapel. The bells at Tunstall were rehung in a new frame a year earlier. The parish gave their old frame to Kingsnorth for their bells. The frame was designed by the KCACR (Alan Berry), built at Ashford Railway Works and all the work in the tower (including building the ringing gallery with the old clappers in the balustrade) was carried out by Alan Berry, Nick Davies, Keith Davis, David Joyce, Dawn Petts and Richard Offen.

PHOTOGRAPHS
Photo RCO 1976.

Work during the 1976 restoration.
Photo RCO 1976. Photo RCO 1976.
The 5th in 1976. The tenor in 1976.
Photo RCO Photo RCO
The tenor being hoisted up.
Photo RCO Photo RCO
The treble bell before hanging. The tenor on its way up.