The Bells in
All Saints Church, Maidstone
The Maidstone All Saints Bellringers Society is affiliated to the Kent County Association Of Change Ringers.
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The Bells in The Maidstone All Saints Bellringers Society is affiliated to the Kent County Association Of Change Ringers. |
All Saints Church, Maidstone Bellringers Society
Background to
bellringing.
The tradition of
ringing bells ‘full circle’ and of changing place is
unique to
The Bells at
All Saints,
There are ten bells in the tower at All Saints ranging from the lightest - the Treble – weighing five cwt/diameter twenty-nine inches to the heaviest – the Tenor – weighing thirty-two cwt./diameter fifty-six inches.
The original oldest bell was cast in 1783 but all the bells were re-cast in1957 by John Taylor & Co. of Loughborough.
The bells, the frame they swing in and all the associated ropes, pulleys and wheels require constant ongoing maintenance to be kept in good condition and at All saints as in most towers this maintenance is seen as the responsibility of the ringers themselves.
Recent work has included re-furbishing of all ten clappers, fine tuning adjustments to improve the striking of the bells, a new headstock and six new ropes.
To strike a bell in change ringing the bell must be moved through approximately three hundred and seventy degrees by means of a rope, hanging down through several levels to the ringing room. These ropes have a ‘furry’ section starting around shoulder level, which is called ‘the sally’, and below it a length of rope which is doubled back on itself and is called ‘the tailend’.
There are two ‘strokes’ in bellringing – the hand stroke when the sally is grasped with both hands whilst maintaining hold of the tailend and ‘the backstroke’ when only the tailend is held. It sounds quite complicated – rather like learning to drive a car – but with time, effort, aptitude and commitment a learner may be able to handle a bell competently and safely within six months.
The Ringing
Room
You’ve already heard about the ropes but a ringing room usually contains a variable amount of memorabilia and history as well. All Saints has a ringing history dating back over three centuries some of which is represented by the Peal boards, record books, photographs and trophies. The All Saints Bellringers Society recently became the custodians of the memorabilia of Tom Cullingworth who sadly died in May 2003 and who although nationally respected and acknowledged as one of the finest ringers of his time was first and foremost deeply committed to his home tower, All Saints, Maidstone!
Why rings
bells?
First and foremost ringing is a service to the Church but it is also a wonderful hobby providing physical and mental activity. At whatever age you can learn at, be it in your teens or in midlife, ringing also provides:
Present
situation
For the ‘art’ of bellringing to survive, new recruits are always needed not least because for most of us as we age our physical capabilities diminish whether we like it or not and this inhibits the range of ringing capability within the tower. Every tower, including All Saints, needs a continuing programme of recruitment and training of potential new ringers (who need not be churchgoers).
SO IF YOU ARE
IN THE SLIGHTEST BIT INTERESTED in learning more about this
fascinating and very fulfilling, truly intergenerational hobby
and pastime, please contact our Tower captain, Graham Heath.
Contact details can be found at the bottom of this page.
The History of the Bells in All Saints
In the tower, which is 78 feet high, there was a ring of bells early in the fifteenth century. We find Archbishop Arundel blessing bells here; and in 1494, when John Lee, a master of the College, died, the "fourth bell" was rung for a quarter of an hour. In one of the corporation books, under date of 30th July 1604, it is stated that, the "great bell" being imperfect, and the second one broken, a committee, consisting of three curates and the churchwardens, was appointed to have the two bells exchanged or recast, the expense not to exceed £30. There were in 1667 "6 bells well hanged in the steeple".
They where re-hung in 1678 and the great bell was recast by a founder named Hodgson. In April 1708 the vestry agreed to pay the sexton 6 pounds per annum for ringing the curfew bell and for looking after the clock and chimes. The seventh bell was repaired in 1719; and two years later, several of the bells were recast by Phelps of London. There were in 1741 eight bells, and the great bell was repaired in 1762, at the cost of ten guineas. In January 1784 the bells were found to be no longer fit for use, and an order was given to the firm of Chapman and Mears, of Whitechapel, to supply "eight new and musical bells, the tenor to weigh 30cwt, and the rest in progressive proportion, the whole to weigh six tons, at £6 per cwt". A contract was entered into whereby founders were to furnish eight new clappers, and complete the work for £806 5s; but the £552 was to be allowed for the old bells which also weighed about 6 tons, besides £8 2s 6d for their carriage to London and the total balance to be paid by the parish was therefore £240 2s 6d.
The new bells were hung, and "opened" by the Leeds ringers in the same year. On August 16th, 1784, the vestry ordered that "where as the ringing of what is commonly called the curfew bell in winter is useless, and an unnecessary expense to the parish, the same be discontinued for the future". In the minutes of the same meeting, we read that "where as much damage hath frequently arisen from an indiscriminate permission of all persons, whether ringers or not, at their pleasure to enter the belfry, and there to pull about and ring the bells in such manner and for a long a time as they shall choose, whereby the parish hath in times past been put to great expense, it is ordered that no persons whatever, except known and acknowledged ringers, be permitted to enter the belfry without the unanimous consent of the minister and churchwardens."
By the end of the eighteenth century the eight bells had been augmented to 10, supported on very strong oak beams, over which the roof beams show black scorch marks, the only evidence from the fire in 1731 when lightning struck the wooden spire. A new clock was purchased in 1899, from the Gillett and Johnstone Foundry in Croydon. The former clock and chimes were repaired in 1721 and again in 1880. The new clock is still in excellent condition, but now only chiming the quarters and hours using the Westminster chime the old barrel chime being removed in 1976, having been out of action since 1945.
The Chapman & Mears bells had various re-re-castings throughout their time, and were re-hung in the existing frame in the nineteen 20's, by the mid 1950's this anticlockwise ten was becoming more and more difficult and a scheme for reordering was taken on board.
Here are the weights of the bells In cwts – qtrs – lbs…
Bell treble |
Weight 5-0-26 |
Bell Diameter 29" |
Note F |
|
2 |
5-3-4 |
30" |
D# |
|
3 |
6-0-24 |
31" |
C# |
|
4 |
6-2-18 |
32.5 |
C |
|
5 |
7-3-17 |
35" |
A# |
|
6 |
9-1-22 |
38" |
G# |
|
7 |
12-2-27 |
42" |
F# |
|
8 |
15-3-4 |
45" |
F |
|
9 |
23-0-12 |
50.5 |
D# |
|
tenor |
32-0-20 |
56" |
C# |
|
The 32 cwt. tenor bell |
Graham Heath with the Tenor Bell |
|
The eighth Bell |
A Potted History of Peal Ringing at All Saints.
The first Peal in the tower was rung
on
The First Local Band Peal was rung on
The First Ten Bell Peal was rung on
A Bet of Six Guineas was decided by
peal no. 20. On
No Peals were rung between 1800 and
1881
The next 16 peals were peals of
Triples, mainly rung on the front 8 bells and rung within the
space of nine years. The first of these was rung by the newly
Formed
A peal of Stedman was first rung
on the bells in 1892, this was Stedman Triples and rung
half muffled in memory of the Duke of Clarence.
Stedman Caters was the very next peal
after the Triples and was rung by a resident Kent Band. on
The 20th Century peal ringing was
started on
The first peal of Surprise was rung on
The 50th Peal on the Bells was rung on
After re-hanging by Mears and Stainbank
A peal of Stedman Caters was rung on
Ten Peals of Stedman Caters were
rung on the trot from 1906 until 1924
The first peal of Erin for the tower
and the
The first peal of Surprise Royal was
The Sunday Service band rang a peal of
Stedman Caters on
Louis Head became a prolific Stedman
Caters conductor and composer
The Second World War put a stop to
peals for 7 years, the last being on
The last Peal before re-casting was
rung on
The first Peal to be rung on the bells
after re-casting and re-hanging by J. Taylor of Loughborough was
rung on
The first 16 Peals on the bells were
ten bell peals between
The 100th Peal on the bells was rung
on
Spliced Surprise Royal was first rung
for the KCACR here on
Thomas Cullingworth circled the tower
for the first time on
The First six bell peal was rung on
the front six on
The 100th peal for the KCACR in the
tower was rung on
Thomas Cullingworth Circled the tower
for the third time on
Bristol Surprise Major was first rung
on the bells on
The 200th peal in the tower was also
Tom Cullingworth s 1000th rung on
Bristol S. Royal was first rung for
the
Tim Wylie became the second person to
ring their 1000th peal here on
378 Method and Variation Doubles was
rung here on
Thomas Cullingworth circled the tower
for the 6th time on26th January 1980
The 300th Peal on the bells was rung
on
Thomas Cullingworth Circled the tower
for the 10th time on
The 400th Peal was rung on
John Howard became the third person to
ring theirs 1000th peal here on
The first peal on the back 6
was rung on
The 500th peal in the tower was rung
on
Thomas Cullingworth became the first
person to ring his 2000th peal here on
John Keeler was the 4th person to ring
his 1000th peal here on
His 400th peal on the bells was also
Tom Cullingworth s 80th Birthday
The 600th peal in the tower was on
John Keeler rang his 300th
on the bells on
The 5th Person to reach their 1000th
peal here was Catherine Merlane
Thomas Cullingworth Circled the tower
for the 27th time on
Peal no. 700 here was rung on
Thomas Cullingworth rang his 500th
peal in the tower on
Ringing times at All Saints are…
Practice night is Thursday 7.30pm – 9.15pm.
The bells are also rung for special services and weddings. Visiting ringers/ bands are very welcome to ring on the bells.
Tower Captain/ Secretary – Graham D.
Heath - 01622-721288 E-mail - grahamheath@blueyonder.co.uk
Ringing Master Michael Birkbeck
Treasurer
The Revd. Canon David Grimwood
Steeple keeper Katherine White
Please contact Graham Heath if you require a tower tour, if you are a bell-ringer wanting to come and ring at All Saints or if you require any further information.
Click HERE to listen to the bells
Links to other sites
Church bells of Kent...
Kent County
Association of Church Bell Ringers....
Captain of the Ringers
Mr Graham Heath
2 Hartnup Street
Maidstone
ME16 8LR
Telephone:-
01622 721288
E-mail:- grahamheath@blueyonder.co.uk
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