St Dunstan-in-the-West

ST DUNSTAN-IN-THE-WEST, Fleet St

1 service bell and 2 clock bells.

Bell 11-0-14 in G sharp

Formerly 8 ringing bells

Former tenor: 18 cwt approx. in E

Frame: 1832 Thomas Mears

Upstairs Ringing Room

PEALS

DETAILS OF THE BELLS

Bell

Weight

Diameter

Note

Cast
Founder

Service

11-0-14
38⁷/16" G sharp
1961
Mears & Stainbank

Clock 1 ž cwt approx. 14¹/2" 1739 Robert Catlin

Clock 2 1 cwt approx. 16" 1739 Robert Catlin

INSCRIPTIONS

SERVICE

MEARS

19

61

LONDON

CLOCK1 WILLIAMS GIBBON UICAR IOHN COLES WALTER CARTER CH WS J739

CLOCK2 WILLIAM GIBBON • VICAR • IOHN COLES WALTER CARTER CHWS J739

DETAILS OF THE FORMER RING OF BELLS

Bell

Weight

Diameter

Note

Cast
Founder

Treble

4ž cwt approx.
29" E
1832
Thomas Mears II

2
5ź cwt approx. 30˝" D sharp
1832
Thomas Mears II

3
6ź cwt approx. 32˝" C sharp 1832 Thomas Mears II

4
7˝ cwt approx. 34" B 1832 Thomas Mears II

5 8ž cwt approx. 37˝" A 1832 Thomas Mears II

6 10 cwt approx. 40" G sharp 1832 Thomas Mears II

7 13 cwt approx. 42ž" F sharp 1832 Thomas Mears II

Tenor 18 cwt approx. 47ź" E 1832 Thomas Mears II

FORMER INSCRIPTIONS

1. T. MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1832

2. T. MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1832

3. T. MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1832

4. T. MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1832

5. T. MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1832

6. T. MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1832

7. T. MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1832

8.

THIS PEAL OF EIGHT BELLS WERE RECAST ANNO DOMINI 1832
T. MEARS OF LONDON 1832

REV^D RICHARD LLOYD RECTOR               HENRY BURNELL
JOHN HOPKINS VESTRY CLERK         EDWARD WILLIAMS

}

CHURCHWARDENS

HISTORY

1237		Patronage of the church was given by Richard de Barking, Abbot of Westminster, to King Henry III
1552		Record of 4 large bells and a small bell. "An olde bele weighing 6ź cwt sold to Simon Pounder for Ł8..16..0."
1666		The church escaped the Great Fire, but only just. The tower was later to contain 6 bells.
1671		The famous clock was made by Thomas Harries. It bears "two figures of savages or wild men well carved in wood and painted natural colours appearing as big as life standing erect with each knotty club in his hand wherewith they alternately strike the quarters, not only their arms, but even their heads moving at every blow."
1714		Record of 6 bells in the tower (Paterson).
1727		The first peal of Double Bob Major was rung here, by the Ancient Society of College Youths.
1739		Two new clock bells were supplied.
1829		The old church was pulled down.
1830		The bells and figures were bought by Lord Hertford for Ł200 and moved to what was then Lord Aldenham's villa in Regent's Park.
1831	27th July	First stone of the new church was laid. The architect was John Shaw. He died before it was completed, so the work was continued by his son. The 90 foot tower is surmounted by a pierced octagonal lantern raising it to 130 feet.
1832		The 8 bells from the old church were recast by Thomas Mears.
1833	31st July	New church consecrated.
1833		According to the Whitechapel Index Book, "an old London Newspaper" dated 1833 gave the weight of the tenor as 1908 lbs, i.e. 17-0-4.
1935		The clock bells and figures were restored to the church, with Mears & Stainbank facilitating the rehanging. Mr A. Hughes from Whitechapel who rehung them, reported them as been very poor bells.
1969		The 8 bells were removed from the tower and scrapped by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The tower was thoroughly cleaned, inside and out, and a single (stock Whitechapel) bell was hung on RSJs, rung with a lever clapper.
1970		Clock bells rehung and shotblasted by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. They hang on wrought ironwork and have only the clubs of the figures and the hour hammer to the largest as fittings. They retain their canons but the cast-in staples are drilled out.

PHOTOGRAPH

Photo DrL 29th Mar 2003

The clock bells and figures hanging outside the church.

OLD ENGRAVING