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Godmersham, St Lawrence the Martyr
 Photo: Dickon Love, Apr 2013
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Details of the Bells |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Canons | Retuned | ||
| ® | Treble | 4-2-9 | 27⅝" | D♯ | 1998 | Whitechapel Bell Foundry | Flat | Never | |
| ® | 2 | 4-1-20 | 30" | C♯ | 1687 | Christopher Hodson, Whitechapel | Conventional | 1987 Whitechapel | |
| ® | 3 | 5-2-12 | 32" | B | 1687 | Christopher Hodson, Whitechapel | Conventional | 1987 Whitechapel | |
| ® | 4 | 6-3-27 | 34¹¹⁄₁₆" | A♯ | 1687 | Christopher Hodson, Whitechapel | Conventional | 1987 Whitechapel | |
| ® | 5 | 9-0-10 | 38½" | G♯ | 1687 | Christopher Hodson, Whitechapel | Conventional | 1987 Whitechapel | |
| ® | Tenor | 12-0-13 | 42" | F♯ | 1687 | Christopher Hodson, Whitechapel | Conventional | 1987 Whitechapel |
Bellframes |
| Position |
Frame | Bells | Year | Maker | Material | Truss(es) | Local Layout | |||
| Lower tier | 1 | 3,4,5,6 | 1987 | Whitechapel Bell Foundry | Cast iron | |||||
| Upper tier | 2 | 1,2 | 1987 | Whitechapel Bell Foundry | Cast iron |
Inscriptions |
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How the bells are tuned |
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History |
| 1552 | Record of 4 bells. [1] | ||
| 1687 | Bells recast into a ring of 5 by Christopher Hodson. | ||
| 1757 | Record of 5 bells in the tower (Faussett). [2] | ||
| 1793 | Record of 5 bells in the tower (Cozens). [3] | ||
| 1798 | Record of 5 bells in the tower (Hasted). [4] | ||
| 1987 | Bells rehung and retuned in a new frame, following over a hundred years of silence, by Whitechapel. | ||
| 1992 | The wall separating the downstairs ringing room from the apsidal chapel on the north side of the church was demolished. This gave much more room for the ringers | ||
| 1998 | Treble added, named "Charlie" after the former tower captain, Charlie Bell, to make 6 bells by Whitechapel. The new treble was dedicated by the Bishop of Maidstone on 19th December. |
| [1] | Two hande bells . . . four bellys in the steple. (Edwardian Inventory, 1552) |
| [2] | This Church is built of Flints, and consists Now, of only ye Chancell and Body, both tiled. The Tower, which is low, stands at the North Side. In it hang 5 very heavy, but Musical Bells, all founded, as appears by their Inscriptions, by Christopher Hodson in 1687. (Rev’d Bryan Faussett, 1757) |
| [3] | It is a very plain building, of one aile, and a low square tower at the North side, in which are five bells. (A Tour the the Isle of Thanet and Some other Parts of East Kent, Cozens, Zechariah, 1793) |
| [4] | The church, which is dedicated to St. Laurence, is a plain building, consisting of a body and a chancel, having a square low tower on the north side of the body, on which was formerly a steeple. There are five bells in it. (The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 7, Edward Hasted) |
Articles
Gallery |
Photo: Richard Offen |
The 2nd (the original treble). Photo: Richard Offen |
Photo: Richard Offen |
The ground floor ringing area. Photo: Dickon Love, 2013 |
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Recent Quarter Peals The most recent performances, according to BellBoard.
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Full list of peals on Bellboard here |
Full list of quarters on Bellboard here |
| Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent | Page updated: 6 November 2020 |