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Stodmarsh
 

Stodmarsh, St Mary


Photo: Richard Offen, 2007

  • 2 bells hung for swing chiming with levers
  • Tenor: 3½ cwt approx.
  • Grid Ref: TR227602
  • Denomination: Church of England
    Diocese (Anglican): Canterbury
    Archdeaconry (Anglican): Canterbury
  • Building Listed Grade: I Click for Heritage details.

Details of the Bells

Bell Weight
(most recent)
Diameter Note Date Founder Canons Retuned
҂ 1 3½ cwt approx.25⅝" 2nd half 16th Cent. Robert Doddes Possibly by Thomas Kempe. Never retuned.
҂ 2 3 cwt approx.23⅜" 1280 Unknown Never

҂  - Hung for swing chiming

Inscriptions

History

c 1280 Present tenor cast in the 13th Cent, founder unknown.
c 1560 Current treble cast in the 16th Cent, a higher pitch than the tenor but was a heavier bell. The founder is unknown, but probably Robert Doddes or Thomas Kempe.
1758 Record of 2 bells in the tower. [1]
1887 Stahlschmidt inspected the bells, but appears to have got the tenor inscription wrong, and the tenor and treble the wrong way round. [2]
1969 Bells inspected by Ranald Clouston and David Cawley. They noted that ropes were attached to wooden levers, hung in a timber frame over the west end. There was no floor immediately below the bells.
1982 Bells rehung for swing chiming with levers by Whitechapel.
[1] "This Church is small, and consists only of The Chancell and Body. The Steeple which has a low wooden Spire, is at the West End. In it hang 2 Small Bells. I could not get at them, to read their Inscriptions, if they had any." (Rev’d Bryan Faussett, 1758)
[2] The smaller bell is a curious specimen of early bellfounding, the lettering being place on the shoulder angle. It is probably earlier than 1300. The larger bell is probably of Elizabethan date. (Church Bells of Kent, Stahlschmidt, J C L, 1887)



Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent Page updated: 4 April 2020