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Sheldwich, St James
 Photo: Richard Offen, 2011
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Details of the Bells |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Canons | Retuned | ||
| ® | Treble | 2-2-6 | 22" | A | 1998 | Whitechapel Bell Foundry | Flat | Never | |
| ® | 2 | 2-2-24 | 22½" | G♯ | 1998 | Whitechapel Bell Foundry | Flat | Never | |
| ® | 3 | 2-3-23 | 23⅝" | F♯ | 1998 | Whitechapel Bell Foundry | Flat | Never | |
| ® | 4 | 3-0-23 | 24¾" | E | 1998 | Whitechapel Bell Foundry | Flat | Never | |
| ® | 5 | 3-2-17 | 26⅝" | D | 1998 | Whitechapel Bell Foundry | Flat | Never | |
| ® | 6 | 4-1-19 | 28" | C♯ | 1998 | Whitechapel Bell Foundry | Flat | Never | |
| ® | 7 | 5-2-19 | 31" | B | 1998 | Whitechapel Bell Foundry | Flat | Never | |
| ® | Tenor | 7-0-26 | 34" | A | 1998 | Whitechapel Bell Foundry | Flat | Never |
Bellframes |
| Frame | Bells | Year | Maker | Material | Truss(es) | Local Layout | |||
| 1 | All bells | 1998 | Whitechapel Bell Foundry | Cast iron |
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8.3 |
Inscriptions |
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Ring of four prior to 1801 |
| Bell | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Treble (of 4) | Mediaeval | Unknown | Never | Recast 1801 | |
| 2 (of 4) | Mediaeval | Unknown | Never | Recast 1801 | |
| 3 (of 4) | 1606 | Joseph Hatch | Never | Recast 1801 | |
| Tenor (of 4) | 1624 | John Wilnar | Never | Recast 1801 |
The new ring 1801 ring of six |
| Bell | Weight (most recent)* | Diameter | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Treble | 5-1-5 | 29¼" | 1801 | Thomas Mears II | Never | Recast 1865 | |
| 2nd | 5-3-18 | 30½" | 1801 | Thomas Mears II | Never | Recast 1867 | |
| 3rd | 6-3-18 | 32¾" | 1801 | Thomas Mears II | Never | Maiden bell. Recast 1998. | |
| 4th | 7-2-8 | 34" | 1801 | Thomas Mears II | Never | Maiden bell. Recast 1998. | |
| 5th | 8-3-11 | 37½" | 1801 | Thomas Mears II | Never | Recast 1998 | |
| Tenor | 12-3-15 | 42" | 1801 | Thomas Mears II | Never | Maiden bell. Recast 1998. |
Bells recast from the 1801 ring |
| Bell | Diameter | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Treble (of 6) | 28.5" | 1865 | John Warner & Sons | Never | Tuned and trans to Alderton Wilts (1 of 6). | |
| 2nd (of 6) | 29⅞" | 1867 | John Warner & Sons | Never | Tuned, trans Gringley on the Hill 4-3-16 (2/6) |
History |
| 1606 | The 3rd (of 4) was recast by Joseph Hatch. | ||
| 1624 | The tenor (of 4) was recast by John Wilnar. | ||
| 1635 | The 4 bells were rehung in a new frame. | ||
| 1801 | The ring of 4 bells was replaced with a ring of 6, by Thomas Mears, These were hung in a new frame. | ||
| 1865 | Treble (of 6) recast by John Warner. | ||
| 1867 | 2nd (of 6) recast by John Warner. | ||
| 1906 | A failure in the tower (possibly during a wedding) rendered the bells unringable. (Local tradition says that the bells were rung while the Ellacombe chimes were still on.) | ||
| 1984 | Whitechapel reported that the 3rd, 4th and tenor were broken, and of the remaining 3, only one was "of fair tonal quality". | ||
| 1997 | The parish was advised that a grant from the Millenium Commission had been approved on 6 Dec. and the bells were removed from the tower on 29-30th Dec. | ||
| 1998 | The old bell frame removed from the tower on 24th Jan and sent to Adisham church on 16th Feb for £2,500. A new ring of 8 was cast at Whitechapel. The former treble and second were tuned and sent to Alderton, Wilts (treble of 6) and Gringley on the Hill, Notts (as 2nd of 6). The other bells were scrapped.The new bells were hung in a new frame from 27th April and dedicated by R't Rev'd David Say, former Bishop of Rochester and Assistant Bishop in the Canterbury Diocese on 11th July. |
| [1] | On the bells: 1. No inscription 2. No inscription 3. "Joseph Hatch made me, 1606." 4. "IOHN WILNER MADE ME, 1624." The bell-frame is dated in 1635. (A Tour the the Isle of Thanet and Some other Parts of East Kent, Cozens, Zechariah, 1793) |
Articles
Elsewhere in the Parish |
| Sheldwich, Sheldwich Court Single bell |
| Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent | Page updated: 6 November 2020 |
