| ® |
Treble |
|
5-1-16 | | | 27" |
G |
1978 |
John Taylor & Co., Loughborough |
Flat |
Never |
| ® |
2 |
|
5-2-18 | | | 28½" |
F |
1978 |
John Taylor & Co., Loughborough |
Flat |
Never |
| ® |
3 |
|
6-0-20 | 6-2-5 | | 30⅞" |
E♭ |
1790 |
Thomas Mears I, Whitechapel |
Removed |
Mears & Stainbank 1927, John Taylor 1978 |
| ® |
4 |
|
6-1-17 | 6-3-21 | | 32" |
D |
1790 |
Thomas Mears I, Whitechapel |
Removed |
Mears & Stainbank 1927, John Taylor 1978 |
| ® |
5 |
|
7-0-18 | 7-1-16 | | 34" |
C |
1790 |
Thomas Mears I, Whitechapel |
Removed |
Mears & Stainbank 1927, John Taylor 1978 |
| ® |
6 |
|
8-1-24 | 8-3-19 | | 36" |
B♭ |
1790 |
Thomas Mears I, Whitechapel |
Removed |
Mears & Stainbank 1927, John Taylor 1978 |
| ® |
7 |
|
10-1-2 | | 10-1-19 | 39¼" |
A♭ |
1927 |
Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel |
Flat |
John Taylor 1978 |
| ® |
8 |
|
11-1-11 | 12-0-7 | | 41" |
G |
1790 |
Thomas Mears I, Whitechapel |
Removed |
Mears & Stainbank 1927, John Taylor 1978 |
| ® |
9 |
|
15-1-17 | 16-0-26 | | 45" |
F |
1790 |
Thomas Mears I, Whitechapel |
Removed |
Mears & Stainbank 1927, John Taylor 1978 |
| ® |
Tenor |
|
21-3-0 | | 21-1-18 | 50¾" |
E♭ |
1927 |
Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel |
Flat |
John Taylor 1978 |
|
1581 |
|
Treble recast, probably by Robert Mot. |
|
1615 |
|
2nd of ring of 5 recast by Joseph Hatch. |
|
1620 |
|
3rd and 4th of 5 recast by Joseph Hatch. |
|
1641 |
|
Tenor of 5 recast by Henry Wilnar. |
|
1760 |
|
Record of 5 bells in the tower. [1] |
|
1778 |
|
A new ring of 8 bells was cast by Thomas Swain of Longford, Middx, and hung by William Jones of Margate in a new timber frame by local wheelwright Edwin Blake. The frame was built and while there are no records in the church archives of the bells ever being cast, the Kentish Gazette reported that the new ring was opened on 21 December by ringers from Dover. [2] |
|
1790 |
|
The Thomas Swain octave were clearly not giving "universal satisfaction" as they were recast by Thomas Mears. The new ring was opened by the Canterbury Ringers on Mon 19 Jul. [3] |
|
1904 |
|
Bell recast at Christ Church, Dover. |
|
1927 |
|
Frame strengthened; 5th and tenor recast. All the bells were retuned. |
|
1977 |
December |
The bell from Christ Church, Dover was removed and stored at St Nicholas, Dover until required for Ash. |
|
1978 |
|
Bells rehung in new frame and augmented with 2 bells by John Taylor & Co. The treble was recast from the metal from the bell from Christ Church, Dover. |
|
1996 |
|
Tower found to be cracked: ringing curtailed for a couple of years while works were put in place to strengthen it. |
| [1] |
"This Church consists of The Great, and North, Chancells, The Body, and 2 Side Isles. The Tower, which is cap’t with a Spire, stands between the Great Chancell and the Body. In it hang 5 Bells, thus inscribed.
1. .../ 1581.
2. Joseph Hatch made Me. 1615.
3. Joseph Hatch made Me. 1620.
4. Joseph Hatch made Me. 1620.
5. Henry Wilner made Me. 1641." (Rev’d Bryan Faussett, 1760) |
| [2] |
Local historian David Cave wrote a booklet on the bells when they were rehung and augmented to 10 in 1978. At the time Cave could find no evidence for the new ring of 8 actually being delivered. In his booklet, he nonetheless made a good case for Thomas Swain recasting the old 5 into 8 in 1779 (it was in fact 1778). The cost alone (£256.6.10) would have been about right for a new ring and framework; in fact the cost of the recasting by Mears in 1790 was only £161.1.9 which, presumably, would have been for bells only (and maybe a few fitttings). There are some similarities to Cranbrook where the old tenor in 6 was recast into 3 trebles and put in a new frame by Mears in 1782, but the result was so unsatisfactory that the bells were replaced within 20 years. Perhaps something like this happened at Ash also? David Cave reports that Mears claimed he used the old bells by Mot, Hatch & Wilnar, but the source for this assertion has not been found; it unlikely that Mears would have detailed it in this way although he might have mentioned the number of old bells traded in. The mystery was settled by the discovery of the Kentish Gazette notice: "We hear from Ash, that last Monday was opened at that place, by the gentlemen ringers of Dover, a new musical peal eight bells, Cast by Mr. Swain, of Longford, in Middlesex, and hung by Mr. William Jones, of Margate, which gave universal satisfaction." (Kentish Gazette, Sat 26 Dec 1778) |
| [3] |
RINGING
On Monday next, the 19th of July, A NEW PEAL of EIGHT BELLS will be opened at ASH next SANDWICH, at Ten o’Clock in the Forenoon, by the Canterbury Ringers.
*** An Ordinary at the Ship Inn at Two o’Clock. (Kentish Gazette, Fri 9 July 1790) |
Photo: Dickon Love, April 2007
