Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent

Dartford, Holy Trinity

8 bells hung for full circle ringing
Tenor: 18-2-1 in E♭.
Grid Ref: TQ544740
Complete ring cast at the same time
Rung from: Upstairs Ringing Room
Denomination: Church of England
Diocese (Anglican): Rochester
Kent County Association of Change Ringers District: Lewisham
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	5-1-6	29⅛"	E♭	1917	Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel		Never
®	2	6-0-5	30¼"	D	1917	Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel		Never
®	3	6-1-17	32⅜"	C	1917	Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel		Never
®	4	8-0-25	35¼"	B♭	1917	Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel		Never
®	5	8-2-10	37⅛"	A♭	1917	Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel		Never
®	6	9-2-16	39¼"	G	1917	Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel		Never
®	7	13-1-25	43⅛"	F	1917	Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel		Never
®	Tenor	18-2-1	48"	E♭	1917	Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel		Never

® - Hung for full circle ringing

Inscriptions

Original Wightman Ring of Eight

Bell	Weight (most recent)	Diameter	Date	Founder	Retuned	Fate
Treble	5-1-25	29½"	1702	Philip Wightman	Never	Recast in 1882
2nd	5-3-16	30½"	1702	Philip Wightman	Never	Recast in 1917
3rd	6-3-7	32¼"	1702	Philip Wightman	Never	Recast in 1917
4th			1702	Philip Wightman	Never	Recast in 1773
5th	8-3-8	37"	1702	Philip Wightman	Never	Recast in 1917
6th	10-1-8	38¾"	1702	Philip Wightman	Never	Recast in 1917
7th	12-3-23	42⅞"	1702	Philip Wightman	Never	Recast in 1917
Tenor	18-1-12	46¼"	1702	Philip Wightman	Never	Recast in 1917

Later recasts

Bell	Weight (most recent)	Diameter	Date	Founder	Retuned	Fate
Treble (of 8)	5-2-21	29½"	1882	Mears & Stainbank	Never	Recast in 1917
4th (of 8)	7-3-8	34¹⁵⁄₁₆"	1773	Pack & Chapman	Never	Recast in 1917

History

1470		Church Tower raised to its present height and church restored at this time.
1552		Record of 4 bells. [1]
1696		Records: "paid the ringers when the King (William III) came through the town 10s.Paid for six Pounds of candles, which were set upon the church wall and bridge, to light the river."
1702		Ring of 8 cast by Philip Wightman from the former ring of 6.
1723		Repairs were effected to the bells.
1773		4th recast by Pack & Chapman.
1807		The church bells ordered to be put in proper order at a cost of £55 10s. Mr. Mears, bellfounder.
1882		Treble recast by Mears & Stainbank.
1910		Bells fall silent through disrepair.
1917		All eight bells recast by Mears & Stainbank.
1933		7th rehung on ball bearings. At about this time, consideration was given to augmenting the bells to 10.
1975		3rd and 4th rehung by the local band. A pulley block for the 4th was acquired from the bell from St Paul's, Penge. In the course of the decade, all the bells were rehung on ball bearings (except 7th which had them) in pairs as finances allowed.
1978		The gudgeons on the tenor sheared while the bell was being rung, caused by new gudgeons being fitted earlier by a local 'industrialist' (in order to save funds).
1984		Tenor gudgeons were repaired.
1986		Bells inspected by Richard Offen who noted that Dartford might have the oldest Mears metal headstocks in Kent (dated 1917). The 2nd clapper broke and was replaced by Whitechapel, and gudgeons on the 5th sheared requiring those to be replaced.
1992		Clappers refurbished, gudgeons of the tenor repaired and new bearings fitted by John Taylor. (Site work carried out by K.C.A.)
1998	-9	The gudgeons on the 6th sheared (ringing for Midnight Mass) , displacing the neighbouring 5th bell slightly. The bell had to be retrieved by the KCACR. The headstock was replaced, 5 & 6 rehung and the frame around these bells reinforced with metal plates.

[1]

Item iiij bells suted in the steple, on small bell called the Dollyng bell. Item on hand bell of brasse tor buryalls. (Edwardian Inventory, 1552)

Articles

"Holy Trinity, Dartford, Kent 1080 - 1980", G H P and J M B (The Ringing World) 28 March 1980

Peal Boards

Timber Performance Board dated approx. 1892
17 Sept 1892: 5040 Grandsire Triples