[Bell Historians] Petham, Kent

[Susan & Christopher Dalton]

> 
> They were indeed Whitechapel's first experimental `true-harmonic' 
> ring which, like rings such as Brewood for Taylors, represent the
> firm's transition to what they and G & J always termed `Simpson'
> tuning.   The ring was not, however, as Dickon suggests, a stock peal
> sold on to Petham.   I say this because, even when I was at
> Whitechapel nearly forty years ago, the `Simpson' gauges
> corresponding to the diameters of Petham bells were
> labelled "P1", "P2', "P3", etc.

Are you sure this labelling was not added later, after the bells had found a
ready home at Petham?  My impression was certainly that the bells were not
cast specifically for that church.
>
> For all their tuning discrepancies, they are, as Bill says, a very
> pretty little ring with a lovely warm sound.

I quite agree.  I measured the pitches many years ago, in my medieval
fashion (as it now seems), with Cyril Beeching.

Incidentally, at Eastry (where the Taylor replacement third indeed has a
sharpened hum note) nobody commented on how ghastly the Phelps fourth sounds
with its very sharp fundamental coupled with a sharp hum.  One of the
nastiest-sounding bells I know.  Good luck to anyone who thinks they can
true it up without its doing a G & J fall-apart at the shoulder.

C D