Joseph Hatch.

[jim phillips]

Browsing in the Oxfam bookshop at Canterbury I came across a delightful
little book entitled 'Chislet and Westbere, Villages of the Stour Lathe'.
The book was full of local interest concerning churches,chapels, ancient
houses etc, but what particularly caught my eye were two very comprehensive
articles by Richard Offen concerning the bells at Chislet (Kent's deepest
toned six) and also of the Joseph Hatch four of 1623 and 1624 at Fordwich.
The inscriptions of the bells are noted and I see bells 2, 3 and 4 at 
Fordwich bear the
founders mark of 3 bells in a decorated circle very similar to the present
Whtechapel mark.

1. When does the present Whitechapel mark date from and on which bell did
it first appear?
2. How many Hatch bells remain in original condition and what tuning method
did he use?
3. Does any trace of the Hatch bellfoundry exist i.e. a wall or marks in
the ground or perhaps even a suggestion of the casting pit and where can 
they be found?
4. The Hatch foundry appears to have been prolific in its heyday. Has there
been any book or pamphlet about it?