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Selling, St Mary the Virgin

Photo: Richard Offen, 2005

  • 8 bells hung for full circle ringing
  • Tenor: 5-3-26 in C.
  • Grid Ref: TR038568
  • Complete ring cast at the same time
  • Rung from: Upstairs Ringing Room
  • Frame: 1899 Mears & Stainbank
  • Denomination: Church of England
    Diocese (Anglican): Canterbury
    Archdeaconry (Anglican): Maidstone
  • 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 2-0-2420" C 1980 Whitechapel Bell Foundry Flat Never
® 2 2-1-020½" B 1980 Whitechapel Bell Foundry Flat Never
® 3 2-1-1621¼" A 1980 Whitechapel Bell Foundry Flat Never
® 4 2-2-822¼" G 1980 Whitechapel Bell Foundry Flat Never
® 5 3-0-1224¼" F 1980 Whitechapel Bell Foundry Flat Never
® 6 3-2-025⅜" E 1980 Whitechapel Bell Foundry Flat Never
® 7 4-2-1628" D 1980 Whitechapel Bell Foundry Flat Never
® Tenor 5-3-2631" C 1980 Whitechapel Bell Foundry Flat Never

®  - Hung for full circle ringing

Bellframes
Frame Bells Year Maker Material Truss(es) Local
Layout
1 All bells 1899 Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel Cast iron

Inscriptions

How the bells are tuned

Prior to 1980 (scrapping weights)
Bell Weight
(most recent)
(Supplied weight)		DiameterNoteDateFounderRetunedFate
Treble (of 8)3-3-123-3-1725¼"A1899Mears & StainbankNeverRecast 1980
2nd (of 8)4-0-204-0-2326¼"G♯1899Mears & StainbankNeverRecast 1980
3rd (of 8)5-0-85-0-1228⅛"F♯1766Lester & PackNeverRecast 1980
4th (of 8)5-2-125-3-430"E1766Lester & PackNeverRecast 1980
5th (of 8)5-3-85-3-1131⁹⁄₁₆"D1899Mears & StainbankNeverRecast 1980
6th (of 8)6-3-46-3-632¹⁵⁄₁₆"C♯1766Lester & PackNeverRecast 1980
7th (of 8)7-1-87-1-634⅞"B1899Mears & StainbankNeverRecast 1980
Tenor (of 8)9-3-29-3-538⅛"A1766Lester & PackNeverRecast 1980

Prior to 1899 (scrapping weights)
Bell Weight
(most recent)
(Supplied in 1766)		DiameterNoteDateFounderRetunedFate
3rd (of 6)6-0-246-0-2432½"D1766Lester & PackNeverRecast 1899
5th (of 6)7-2-77-2-735"B1766Lester & PackNeverRecast 1899

Prior to 1766 (supplied weights)
Bell DateFounderRetunedFate
Treble (of 4)MediaevalUnknownRecast 1766
2nd (of 4)MediaevalUnknownTransferred to Boughton as 4 of 6. Recast 1775.
3rd (of 4)MediaevalUnknownRecast 1766
Tenor (of 4)1657William HatchNeverRecast 1766

History
1638 This is the date on the old 4-bell frame. (The dated part was preserved when the bells were rehung in 1899.) There were 4 bells in the frame, at least 3 of which were mediaeval.
1657 Tenor (of 4) recast by William Hatch.
1760 Faussett records 4 bells in the tower: 3 pre-reformation bells with the William Hatch bell as the tenor. [1]
1766 Bells recast into a ring of 6 by Lester & Pack. The old second was swapped with the 4th (of 6) at Boughton under Blean as it was a better match. This bell was finally recast in 1775.
1793 Zechariah Cozens noted the inscriptions on the 6 bells as well as an inscription on the bell frame "T. C. x E. W. C. W. / N. E.". [2]
1899 The 3rd and the 5th which were cracked were recast and 2 trebles were added to make 8 bells by Mears & Stainbank. The bells retained their canons, those of the 1899 bells being of the Doncaster type. The remaining 1766 bells were tuned and all rehung in a new cast iron frame on a timber foundation. Ellacombe chiming apparatus was also installed.
1980 Bells recast into a lighter octave and rehung by Whitechapel. The frame was overhauled and the Ellacombe chiming apparatus was discarded.
[1] This Church consists of the Great, and 2 Side Chancells; the Body, and 2 Side Isles. The Tower stands in the Middle, between the Great Chancell, and the Body. In it hang 4 Bells thus inscribed: 1. Sancte Roberte, ora pro Nobis. 2. Sit Nomen Domini benedictum. 3. In multis Annis, vocor Campana Johannis. 4. William Hatch made Me - Mary - 1567. (Rev’d Bryan Faussett, 1760)
[2] (A Tour the the Isle of Thanet and Some other Parts of East Kent, Cozens, Zechariah, 1793)

Articles

  • "The Seal Mystery", Love, Dickon R (Lovesguide) 1 January 2000
    		•

    Peal Boards
    Timber Performance Board dated approx. 2011
    12 Feb 2011: 1260 Plain Bob Doubles (In memory of Avril Elvy.)

    Photo: Andrew Hills, 6 July 2019

    Timber Performance Board dated approx. 1989
    08 Oct 1989: 5152 Yorkshire S Major (In memory of William (Bill) Epps.)

    Photo: Andrew Hills, 6 July 2019

    Framed card Performance Board dated 1995
    01 Jan 1995: 5056 LondonS Major

    Photo: Andrew Hills, 6 July 2019

    Recent Peals
    The most recent performances, according to BellBoard.
    2019-10-215024 Spliced Surprise Major
    2019-05-255070 Spliced Major (2m)
    2019-03-115024 Turramurra Surprise Major
    2019-01-025088 Lessness Surprise Major
    2018-09-135184 Selling Surprise Major
    2018-02-225058 Glasgow Surprise Major
    2009-10-215056 Welford Surprise Major
    2005-03-085058 Lincolnshire Surprise Major
    2004-05-295152 Lessness Surprise Major
    2004-01-025088 Belfast Surprise Major
    2002-08-315024 Whalley Surprise Major
    1998-11-195040 Plain Bob Major
    1996-11-175058 Yorkshire Surprise Major
    1996-11-165088 Spliced Surprise Major
    1994-09-015058 Yorkshire Surprise Major
    1988-04-065056 London Surprise Major
    1987-05-105152 Pudsey Surprise Major
    Recent Quarter Peals
    The most recent performances, according to BellBoard.
    2023-07-141260 Doubles (2m)
    2022-12-091344 Plain Bob Major
    2021-10-291260 Oxford Bob Triples
    2020-03-131290 Spliced Triples and Major (2m)
    2020-02-151260 Grandsire Triples
    2019-12-131312 Perrywood Delight Major
    2019-08-081260 Plain Bob Doubles
    2019-07-061280 Lessness Surprise Major
    2019-05-111376 Turramurra Surprise Major
    2019-04-221344 Spliced Surprise Major (3m)
    2019-02-271250 Vikingtun Delight Major
    2018-09-111280 Kent Surprise Major
    2018-08-251344 Spliced Surprise Major (6m)
    2018-08-071264 Plain Bob Major
    2018-07-161260 Doubles (1p/2m)
    2018-06-291376 Superlative Surprise Major
    2018-04-281250 Spliced Surprise Major (3m)
    2017-10-121280 Ealing Surprise Major
    2017-08-091280 Bristol Surprise Major
    2017-08-051260 Plain Bob Doubles
    2017-08-031280 Yorkshire Surprise Major
    2017-07-151250 Lincolnshire Surprise Major
    2017-04-201376 Worcestershire Surprise Major
    2017-03-181280 Yorkshire Surprise Major
    2016-05-281280 Spliced Surprise Major (3m: Rutland, Yorkshire, Cambridge)
    Full list of peals on Bellboard here
    		 Full list of quarters on Bellboard here

    Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent Page updated: 6 November 2020