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Petham
 

Petham, All Saints


Photo: Richard Offen

  • 6 bells hung for full circle ringing and a clock bell
  • Tenor: 6-1-0 in B♭.
  • Grid Ref: TR130512
  • Complete ring cast at the same time
  • Rung from: Ground Floor
  • Frame: 1923 made locally from timber
  • Denomination: Church of England
    Diocese (Anglican): Canterbury
    Archdeaconry (Anglican): Canterbury
  • Kent County Association of Change Ringers District: Canterbury
  • Building Listed Grade: I Click for Heritage details.
  • Peals rung at the tower

Details of the Bells

Bell Weight
(most recent)
Diameter Note Date Founder Canons Retuned
® Treble 3-1-524" G 1923 Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel Doncaster Never
® 2 3-3-025½" F 1923 Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel Doncaster Never
® 3 4-1-027½" E♭ 1923 Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel Doncaster Never
® 4 4-1-1628" D 1923 Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel Doncaster Never
® 5 5-2-630¼" C 1923 Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel Doncaster Never
® Tenor 6-1-033" B♭ 1923 Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel Flat Never
Clock 3 cwt approx.24" 1907 Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel Never

®  - Hung for full circle ringing
 - Hung dead

Bellframes

Position
Frame Bells Year Maker Material Truss(es) Local
Layout
Main tier 1 Ring of 6 1923 Local Timber
6.A
6.1
Belfry ceiling 2 Clock bell

Inscriptions

How the bells are tuned

The 1760 ring of six

Bell Weight
(most recent)
DiameterDateFounderRetunedFate
Treble3-3-125"1760Lester & Pack"Up a little"Destroyed 1922
24-1-626¼"1760Lester & Pack"Up ¼"Destroyed 1922
34-2-1628"1760Lester & Pack"Maiden bell"Destroyed 1922
44-3-1129"1760Lester & Pack"Up a little"Destroyed 1922
55-3-231"1760Lester & Pack"Maiden bell"Destroyed 1922
Tenor6-3-633½"1760Lester & Pack"Maiden bell"Destroyed 1922

The earlier ring of three

Bell DateFounderRetunedFate
Treble (of 3)1706Richard PhelpsNeverRecast 1760
2nd (of 3)1617Joseph HatchNeverRecast 1760
Tenor (of 3)UnknownUnknownNeverLombardic. Recast 1760.

History

c 1350 Bell cast, later forming the tenor of a ring of 3.
1617 Middle bell (of 3) cast by Joseph Hatch.
1706 Treble (of 3) cast by Richard Phelps.
1756 Record of 3 bells in the tower. [1]
1760 The 3 bells were recast into a peal of 6 by Lester & Pack.
1907 A bell was cast for Kenfield Hall. This was destined to become the clock bell after the 1922 fire.
1922 Fire virtually destroyed the church and melted the bells.
1923 A new ring of 6 was cast by Mears & Stainbank and hung in a new locally made wooden frame.
1967 Whitechapel tightened the frame and fittings and recharged the bearings with lubricant.
1979 Curtains were made to shroud the ground floor ringing room from the rest of the church, by Mrs Cynthia Andrews.
1994 Bells rehung with partly new fittings by the Kent C.A.
[1] In ye *Tower, wch. Is low, and much decay’d, hang 3 Bells, with ye following Inscriptions. 1. Richard Phelps Fecit Me. 1706. Thomas Halke. C.W. 2. Josephus Hatch Feset 1617. 3, Vocor Campana Johannis. (Added in blacker ink). *A.D. 1760. This Tower was taken down about half Way, and rebuilt; And at ye same Time, ye Old Bells were disposed of, and a very pretty Peal (‘tho a light one) of 6, were placed in ye Room of them. They are thus inscribed. 4. Lester and Pack, of London, fecit 1760. Georgins III Rex. Weight: C03. Q03. L01. 5. Lester and Pack, of London, fecit 1760. Weight: C04. Q01. L06. 6. Lester and Pack, of London, fecit 1760. Weight C04. Q02. L16. 7. LESTER and PACK, of London, fecit 1760. Thomas Halke. Weight C04. Q03. L11. 8. Lester and Pack, of London, fecit 1760. John Potter, Bell Hanger. Weight C05. Q03. L02. 9. Lester and Pack, of London, fecit 1760. Bryan Fausett, Curate. W. FORD. Ch. Warden. Weight C06. Q03. L06. In pulling down ye Tower, a Stone Cross, such as one as is often seen upon gable Heads of ancient Churches, was found work’d up in the very Heart of the Wall; and, must have been very ancient, as ye Tower itself had an Appearance of great Antiquity & was extreamly decay’d. The following Inscription was engraved on it in very ancient Characters PREY FOR THE SOLL OF WILLEM BYN thinking it would be Pitty to have it lost, I got ye Workmen to fix it outwards on ye West Ends of ye Tower; but they have placed it so high, that it cannot be read, from ye Ground (added in browner ink) (Rev’d Bryan Faussett, 1756)

Gallery


In the belfry.
Photo:

The clock bell hanging from the belfry ceiling.
Photo: Dickon Love, c. 1986


Photo: Dickon Love, c. 1986

The intermediate chamber and clock mechanism.
Photo: Dickon Love, 2013

The ground floor ringing room is opened on two sides.
Photo: Dickon Love, 2013


Photo: Dickon Love, 2013


Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent Page updated: 1 April 2016