Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent

Maidstone, All Saints

Photo: Michael Birkbeck, Jun 2001

10 bells hung for full circle ringing
Tenor: 32-0-20 in C♯.
Grid Ref: TQ759554
Kent's largest Parish Church and First Ring of Eight? There are records of 6 bells here in 1887 & 8 bells in 1719. The tenor was recast and the bells were rehung in 1678, so this is a plausible date for their augmentation to 8.
Rung from: Upstairs Ringing Room
Frame: 1957 John Taylor & Co.
Denomination: Church of England
Diocese (Anglican): Canterbury
Archdeaconry (Anglican): Maidstone
Kent County Association of Change Ringers District: Maidstone
Building Listed Grade: I Click for Heritage details.
Peals rung at the tower

♫ Sound clip of the ring of bells.(c. 1979)

Details of the Bells

	Bell	Weight (most recent)	Diameter	Note	Date	Founder	Canons	Retuned
®	Treble	5-0-26	29"	E♯	1957	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Flat	Never
®	2	5-3-4	30"	D♯	1957	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Flat	Never
®	3	6-0-24	31"	C♯	1957	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Flat	Never
®	4	6-2-18	32½"	B♯	1957	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Flat	Never
®	5	7-3-17	35½"	A♯	1957	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Flat	Never
®	6	9-1-22	38"	G♯	1957	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Flat	Never
®	7	12-2-27	42"	F♯	1957	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Flat	Never
®	8	15-3-4	45"	E♯	1957	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Flat	Never
®	9	23-0-12	50½"	D♯	1957	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Flat	Never
®	Tenor	32-0-20	56"	C♯	1957	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Flat	Never

® - Hung for full circle ringing

Bellframes

Frame

Bells

Year

Maker

Material

Truss(es)

Local
Layout

All bells

1957

John Taylor & Co., Loughborough

Cast iron, Steel

10.4

Inscriptions

The 1783/4 ring of ten

Bell	Weight (most recent)	Diameter	Date	Founder	Retuned	Fate
Treble	6-1-20	30"	1784	Chapman & Mears	Never	Recast 1957
2nd	6-3-15	31¾"	1783	Chapman & Mears	Never	Recast 1957
3rd	7-0-12	32¾"	1784	Chapman & Mears	Never	Recast 1957
4th			1784	Chapman & Mears	Never	Recast 1829
5th			1784	Chapman & Mears	Never	Recast 1957
6th	10-2-24	40⅜"	1784	Chapman & Mears	Never	Recast 1957
7th			1784	Chapman & Mears	Never	Recast 1786
8th	16-1-18	46⅝"	1784	Chapman & Mears	Never	Recast 1957
9th	20-2-8	51"	1784	Chapman & Mears	Never	Recast 1957
Tenor	28-2-13		1784	Chapman & Mears	Never	Recast 1840

Bells subsequently recast

Bell	Weight (most recent)	*(Supplied weight)*	Diameter	Date	Founder	Retuned	Fate
4th	7-1-18		34⅛"	1829	Thomas Mears II	Never	Recast 1957
7th	13-0-20		43¼"	1786	William Mears	Never	Recast 1957
Tenor	29-2-13	31-3-2	56⅝"	1840	Thomas Mears II	Never	Recast 1957
5th	8-1-15		36½"	1889	Mears & Stainbank	Never	Recast 1957

Bells prior to 1783

Bell		Date	Founder	Retuned	Fate
Tenor		1678	John & Christopher Hodson	Never	Recast 1784

History

	1395		Tower built.
c	1450		Tower thought to possess 4 bells.
	1509		The Will of John Leche, 25 August 1509 (proved 10th October 1509 by Alice relict, Thomas Polyll, Wm. Ade and John Plomer) suggests a bell was cast in 1508 or 1509. The "Thomas Hatwiche" could be Thomas Hatch, a hitherto unknown earlier bellfounder, or a church official. [1]
	1604		The 2nd and tenor (probably of 4) were recast.
	1667		Record of 6 bells in the tower.
	1678		Tenor recast by John and/or Christopher Hodson and bells rehung.
	1719		7th stated to have been repaired - therefore the tower possessed 8 bells.
	1721		Some of the bells recast by Richard Phelps.
	1730		Spire struck by lighning and burnt down.
	1762		Tenor repaired at the cost of 10 guineas.
	1783	-4	Bells (totalling 6 tons) recast into a ring of 10 by Chapman & Mears and hung in an anticlockwise frame.
	1784		The new ring of bells was opened by the Leeds ringers on 3 September. On the 3rd December the local band rang a peal on the new bells (the 4th on the bells). [2]
	1786		7th recast by William Mears.
	1798		Record of 8 bells in the tower. [3]
	1829		4th recast by Thomas Mears.
	1840		Tenor recast by Thomas Mears.
	1889		The 5th was recast by Mears & Stainbank. [4]
	1898		Bells rehung by John Warner.
	1899		Clock purchased from Gillett & Johnston.
	1921		Bells rehung by Mears & Stainbank.
	1945		Old barrel chime on the clock went out of action.
	1957		Bells recast by John Taylor.
	1958		The new bells were hung in a new clockwise frame by John Taylor.
	2000		All clappers, bearings and 3 headstocks were refurbished by John Taylor.

[1]	John Leche of Maydeston [Maidstone], draper, 25th August 1509. To be buried in churchyarde of the parishe church of Alhalowen in Maydeston - I bequeth to Thomas Hatwiche 5 marc of my stuff. Toward the costs of the new bell late bought for the said church 6s. 8d. (Will of John Leche, 25 August 1509)
[2]	Kentish Gazette (28 August 1784): RINGiNG at MAIDSTONE. On Friday next the 3d of September, 1784, be opened an entire new Peal of Ten Bells at Maidstone, cast by Chapman and Mears, of London, which will be rung Five Thousand Oxford T Bob, by the Leeds Youths. To begin at [ ] o’Clock in the Morning. N. B. There will be an Ordinary at the Q[ueen’s?] Head, at One o’Clock. Kentish Gazette (8 Dec 1784): ON Friday, December 3, 1784, the Maidstone Society of Ringers, at Maidstone, in the county of Kent, rang a true and compleat Peal of Five Thousand Four Hundred Bob-Minor, being the first Peal ever rang on the new Bells, by any Company of Men, of one Parish.- The Time three Hours and Fifty Minutes. - By the following Persons: Treble, Mr. James Brislee, 1.- Mr Robert Tassell, 2.— Mr. Thomas Cutbush, 3.—Mr. Joseph Moore, 4.— Mr. Edw. Jury, 5.— Mr. Thomas King, 6.— Mr. Daniel Whetstone, 7. Mr. John Harper, 8.- Mr. George Hyland, 9.— Mr. Daniel Kingsnorth, 10.— Mr. Thomas King called the Peal. This new Peal Bells were cast by Chapman and Mears, Bell-founders, in Whitechapel, and hung by Mr. Sweetlove, Leeds; and for Melody, being C sharp, are allowed to be one of the noblest and compleat Peal Bells In the Kingdom. Tenor, 30 Cwt. (Kentish Gazette reports)
[3]	In the tower were eight bells, a clock, and chimes; the bells, in 1784, were new cast into ten, by Chapman and Mears of London. ('The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent. Vol 4', Edward Hasted)
[4]	SIR.- Last year the fifth bell in the peal of All Saints' Church became cracked and useless, and ever since, the ringing of the peal has been quite marred by the inability of No. 5 to take part in the proceedings. The Vicar has obtained an estimate for re-casting the bell, which amounts to the sum of £30, and I have no doubt but that many will gladly give towards that sum, which will again enable the No. 5 to unite with the rest in ringing on the occasions on which campanological expression is given by the parish peal. The bells of All Saints' Church are, indeed, not the bells of the parish only but of the whole town; there it is to the town and neighbourhood we should appeal when any member of the peal requires a little restoration. I shall be pleased to receive and acknowledge any subsriptions for the object in view, and hope ere long to be able to announce that the whole sum has been subscribed, and that the peal has been restored to harmonic completeness. FRE. M. CUTBUSH, The College, Maidstone, Feb., 1889. (Maidstone Journal and Kentish Advertiser - Tues 26 Feb 1889)

Pictures of the Belfry

The tenor bell. Photo: Dickon Love, 24 Jul 2004	The seventh in the foreground. Photo: Dickon Love, 24 Jul 2004	Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017
Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017	Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017	Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017
Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017	Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017	Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017
Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017	Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017	Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017
Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017	Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017	Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017
Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017	Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017	Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017
Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017	Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017	Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017
Photo: Alexander Runting, 1 Jun 2017

Peal Boards

Framed card Performance Board dated approx. 1958
09 May 1958: 5058 Stedman Caters (1st peal on the bells.)