Bell Ringing & The Bell Tower
If you would like to learn how to bell ring and join our regular Monday evening practices please contact Andrew Cook on 01580 200 594.Listen to our bells here:
- Half Muffled bells at Ticehurst Church (11th August 2009) Formats available for this: WAV, MP3
Flimwell Church
Flimwell church has 4 bells. Just one of these is able to rung now. It has plain bearings. Flimwell Church has no regular bell ringing, If anyone is interested in Bell ringing then please join us at Ticehurst Church.
Ticehurst Church
The Clock
The clock was built in 1835. It is wound up each Monday. The tenor bell is the bell that chimes each hour. The bell ringers have to move the hammer that chimes the hour before starting their ringing.
The Bells
Ticehurst Church has 6 bells housed in the tower. These bells were all cast at the same time. These are all working and are rung regularly. There has been some maintenance over recent years this includes:
- in 1901 they were re-hung on iron frames that replaced the previous wooden frames.
- In 1950 they were re-mounted on ball bearings, before this they had plain bearings.
- in 2003 they were given new bearings , clappers & sliders. One of the bell ropes was given a new route to the bell ringers so that bell ringers position moved This made it a little easier for the bell ringers.
- inscription details to come soon...
Bell Ringing
Bell ringing as we are used to hearing in the UK is known as change ringing. This started in the 16th century.Ticehurst Church has a very active group of bell ringers currently (2009) there are about 9 of us. Most weeks it works out that we have the 6 ringers required to practice. We are always looking for new people to join us. If you would like to learn how to bell ring and join our regular Monday evening practices please contact Andrew Cook on 01580 200 594.
The bells are run regularly at:
- 11am Sunday services
- Weddings
- Monday evening practices
- Some Evensong services
You may here the bells ringing at times such as the morning of a wedding. This is not a practice. Before ringing the tunes or methods the bells have to be balanced at the top as can be seen in this picture. The bells are normally hanging down in the safe position so this ringing is simply raising them in preparation for he ringing later.In 1990 there were changes in the church that involved creating the bell ringing floor which is the ceiling of the newly created choir vestry at the west end of the church, the steps up to the bell ringing floor were given
new stone treads. Before 1990 the bells were rung from the level of the main church. When the bell ringing floor was added the bell ringers began using the shorter length of rope to ring. This has made ringing easier, or at least less hard!All our bell ringer are members of the Sussex County Association of Change Ringers or The Kent County Association of Change Ringers. These websites have information including a potted history of ringing in Sussex. There is a wealth of general information about bell ringing on the central council of church bell ringers website.
The tunes or methods are not represented on the standard musical score. They are written as on this snapshot of our bell ringers blackboard.
The weekly jobs
To keep to clock running and chiming takes weekly winding, this is done each Monday before bell ringing. The clock has to be wound up. This takes 25 turns of the winder called the going train.
The mechanism that chimes the hour is wound separately needing 105 turns each week, this is called the strike. The Bells Themselves
The description of the bells is below. This description is on the wall in the bell ringing floor of the church. To see it click here.TICEHURST PARISH CHURCH SUSSEX THE RING OF SIX BELLS IN THIS TOWER WAS TUNED AND REHUNG ON BALL BEARINGS IN 1950 BY GILLETT & JOHNSTON, CROYDON. REDEDICATED 2ND JULY, 1950 BY THE RIGHT REVERAND THE LORD BISHOP OF LEWES. |
| No | Note. | Inscription | Cwts. | Qrs. | Lbs |
| 1 | D# | THOS JANAWAY FECIT 1771 I AM SHE THAT LEADS THE VAN: THEN FOLLOW ME NOW IF YOU CAN | 5 | 2 | 18 |
| 2 | C# | THOS JANAWAY FECIT 1771 THEN I SPEAK NEXT I CAN YOU TELL SO GIVE ME ROPE AND RING ME WELL | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | B | THOS JANAWAY FECIT 1771 NOW I AM THIRD AS I SUPPOSE MARK WELL NOW TIME AND FOURTH CLOSE | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | A# | THOS JANAWAY FECIT 1771 AS IA MFOURTH I WILL EXPLAIN IF YOUL'D KEEP TIME I'LL CREDIT GAIN | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| 5 | G# | THOS JANAWAY FECIT 1771 NOW I AM FIFTH I DO SUPPOSE THEN RING ME WELL AND TENNOR CLOZE | 11 | 0 | 9 |
| 6 | F# | DAVID DURELL :D:D: VICAS IOHN BAKER & DAVID HYLAND C:?????RDENS IOHN NOAKES GENT THOMAS MA??? NT SUBSCRIBERS THIS IS TO SHOW TO AGES YET TO COME THAT BY SUBSCRIPTION WE WHERE CAST AND HUNG & EDWARD LULHAM IS HIS NAME THAT WAS THE ACTOR OF THE SAME THOMAS JANAWAY MADE US ALL 1771 | 15 | 1 | 16 |
| 54 | 0 | 7 |
THE REVEREND O.A.S. EDWARDS, M.A., VICAR
|
St Mary's Bells
from the County Archives, Lewis
from the County Archives, Lewis
- The will of Thomas Standen of Tysehurst, 10th December, 1542:
"IT I wglt to the castyng of the Bell yt is broken VIs VIIId (6s 8d)" - Commission into the state of Churches 1686:
"Ticehurst, there are two bells defective, the one crack't the other a piece broken off" - 22nd July, 1771:
"We are informed from Ticehurst that their bells have been new cast and hung and are now as complete a peal of six bells, under their weight, as ever were hung. The foundering past was performed by Thomas Janaway, Bell-founder of Great Chelsea, well known for his workmanship, both cleanliness and neatness, there is hardly anybody equals him. The hanging was performed by Robert Gilbert of Rotherfield, as a bell-hanger as ever was born in Kent , Sussex, Surrey or Middlesex, and will not turn his back to anyone in that branch"
If you would like to see more information on this page please let me know what you would like to see, please email.Hannah with any suggestions. Thank you.