St Mary Matfelon, Whitechapel.

[baldhu2002]

Whilst browsing through J R Haworth's notebook I came across the 
following interesting peal record:-

On Tuesday January 7th 1875 Holt's Ten Part peal of Grandsire Triples 
containing 5040 changes was rung at St Mary's Whitechapel in two 
hours fifty three minutes.

1. J R Haworth 5. S Reeves
2. W Jones 6. W Tanner
3. G Tanner 7. J M Hayes
4. E. Wallage 8. W Greenleaf

Conducted by J R Haworth.
The last peal on the bells before the demolition of the tower and 
bells.

There is also a press cutting stating the following:-

"The old church of St Mary, Whitechapel, now in course of demolition, 
was for over 400 years a chapel of ease to the mother church of 
Stepney. The monuments in the church, which are both ancient and 
numerous will be carefully removed and re-erected in a new church, a 
strange pecularity being that the bulk have been erected by master 
mariners in memory of their wives. In the churchyard lie the remains 
of Richard Brandon, the supposed executioner of Charles 1."

What was the reason for the demolition of this old old chuch and its 
replacement by a new one? The timing of the above peal suggest's the 
bells ( a 20 cwt 8 by Whitechapel 1754)went a bloody sight better in 
the old tower. The old boys ( Taffender, Langdon, Peck etc) always 
said that the St Mary Matfelon bells in the 'new' church were 
difficult to handle with the brick tower moving all over the shop.
Following severe war damage, I was told, the bells were stolen with 
the police actually assisting the lorry to back into the churchyard 
to load up the bells!

Jim Phillips.