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Wittersham, St John the Baptist
 Photo: Richard Offen, 2006
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♫ Sound clip of the ring of bells.(Damian S Smith) |
Details of the Bells |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | (Before retuning in 1937) | (After retuning in 1937) | (Supplied weight) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Canons | Retuned | ||
| ® | Treble | 5-0-26 | 28¼" | E | 1997 | John Taylor & Co., Loughborough | Flat | Never | ||||
| ® | 2 | 5-2-12 | 30" | D♯ | 1861 | George Mears & Co., Whitechapel | Removed | 1998 John Taylor & Co. | ||||
| ® | 3 | 6-1-5 | 6-2-4 | 6-1-10 | 32" | C♯ | 1937 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Flat | 1937 Mears & Stainbank, 1967 John Taylor & Co | ||
| ® | 4 | 7-1-19 | 7-3-7 | 7-1-26 | 34" | B | 1609 | Joseph Carter II, Whitechapel | Conventional | 1937 Mears & Stainbank, 1967 John Taylor & Co | ||
| ® | 5 | 9-1-2 | 9-2-18 | 9-1-3 | 37" | A | 1609 | Joseph Carter II, Whitechapel | Conventional | 1937 Mears & Stainbank, 1967 John Taylor & Co | ||
| ® | 6 | 11-1-27 | 11-2-2 | 11-2-2 | 39¼" | G♯ | 1609 | Joseph Carter II, Whitechapel | Conventional | 1967 John Taylor & Co | ||
| ® | 7 | 13-2-6 | 13-2-15 | 41⅞" | F♯ | 1951 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon (6950) | Flat | 1967 John Taylor & Co | |||
| ® | Tenor | 16-2-8 | 17-1-2 | 16-2-20 | 46½" | E | 1629 | John Wilnar, Borden, Kent | Removed | 1937 Mears & Stainbank, 1967 John Taylor & Co |
Bellframes |
| Frame | Bells | Year | Maker | Material | Truss(es) | Local Layout | |||
| 1 | All bells | 1967 | John Taylor & Co., Loughborough | Cast iron |
Inscriptions |
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Earlier bell |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | (Before retuning in 1937) | Diameter | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| 4th (of 5) | 13-2-8 | 13-2-26 | 43½" | 1808 | Thomas Mears II | Never | Recast 1951 |
History |
| 1552 | Record of 5 bells.. [1] | ||
| 1609 | Treble, 2nd and 3rd (of 5) recast by Joseph Carter II. | ||
| 1629 | Tenor recast by John Wilnar. At over 18 cwt, this was the largest recorded bell from this foundry. | ||
| 1799 | Record of a "peal of bells". [2] | ||
| 1808 | 4th (of 5) recast by Thomas Mears II. | ||
| 1937 | A treble bell was added to fill the empty pit in the anticlockwise wooden frame to augment the peal to 6. The remaining bells were retuned (apart from the 4th) and rehung. The 5th cracked within 6 months. | ||
| 1938 | The 5th (of 6) cracked, within 6 months of the Whitechapel restoration. The led to a delay in the dedication. | ||
| 1951 | 6th May | The cracked 5th was finally recast, this time by Gillett & Johnston. Bells rededicated. | |
| 1967 | The bells were rehung clockwise in the back 6 pits of a new frame for 8 bells. They were rededicated that April. | ||
| c | 1995 | For a while the single bell from St Stephen's, Tovil was stored in the church while it suitability as a future treble was considered. It ended up at Shellingford, Oxon in 1998. | |
| 1996 | All Saints, Hawkhurst became redundant. The 3 bells were saved, the treble being earmarked as a 2nd of a future octave for Wittersham. At the same time, a bell from St Stephen's Tovil was acquired as possible additional bell. This proved unsuitable, and after sitting on the floor of the church for a while, was transferred (through the Keltek Trust) to Shellingford, Oxon. | ||
| 1997 | 30th October | A new treble was cast at Loughborough to make 8. | |
| 1998 | 1st March | Bells rededicated. |
| [1] | Item v gret bells and ij hand bells. (Edwardian Inventory, 1552) |
| [2] | The church, which is exempt from the jurisdiction of the archdeacon, is dedicated to St. John Baptist. It is a handsome building, consisting of two isles and two chancels, having a tower steeple at the west end, built in the beginning of king Henry the VIIIth.'s reign, in which hangs a peal of bells. ('The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent. Vol 8', Edward Hasted) |
Articles
Peal Boards |
Photo: Martin Marshall, 30 December 2022 |
| Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent | Page updated: 1 April 2016 |