| 1418 |
Robert Burford, a bell founder, built the tower.
He probably equipped it with bells. |
| 1548 |
Church property was sold to raise money to buy a
row of church houses. There was so much opposition to the sale of the
bells that the houses could not be bought. |
| 1551 |
Vestry approval was given to the sale of church
plate and bells to purchase certain houses at the end of the churchyard. A
later minute records that "some would not consent to the sale of the
bells" and so there was not enough money for the
purchase. |
| 1553 |
The bells were rung for the accession of Queen
Mary. The year after they rang for her wedding to Philip of Spain. There
were probably five in number at the time. |
| 1554 |
Princess (later Queen) Elizabeth was released
from the Tower of London to a less severe prison in Essex. She is known to
have heard the bells on her release. Four years later, on her accession,
the bells rang again. Remembering her release and the ringing that
accompanied it, she presented the church a set of silken bell
ropes. |
| 1574 |
The tenor rang for the burial of Thomas Kempe,
bellfounder. |
| 1587 |
The bells rang for the beheading of Mary Queen of
Scots. |
| 1588 |
The treble bell was "changed by Mr.Mott" (Robert
Mot at Whitechapel). |
| 1589 |
The second had become cracked, so it was recast
by Robert Mot at Whitechapel. The new bell was hung by William Underell,
sexton, for 12s |
| 1592 |
Tenor clapper repaired. |
| 17c |
The bells were augmented to 6. |
| 1666 |
The church escaped the Great
Fire. |
| 1740 |
The church had become very dilapidated. George
Dance the surveyor was called in and he advised that it would be better
and cheaper to rebuild the church rather than repair it. |
| 1741 |
The old church was pulled down. |
| 1744 |
The new church and tower was consecrated after
£5,536 2s. 8d. had been spent on it. A frame for 8 bells was installed in
the tower together with 4 bells cast by Thomas Lester to form the front
four of the octave. |
| 1764 |
Four bells were cast by Lester & Pack to
occupy the empty back four pits. A clock bell was also
cast. |
| 1836 |
The Times printed an article (following the fire
at Spitalfields): "A fine bold peal of eight bells; tenor 28 cwt. In same
key. Sexton the steeple-keeper, who appoints a deputy in the person of the
gravedigger. These bells would, with the addition of two small ones, make
a beautiful peal of ten; they are not rung by competent
persons." |
| 1890 |
John Warner & Co. provided new wheels, a new
headstock for the treble and quarter turned the 5th, 7th and tenor
bells. |
| 1958 |
The 7th fell out of its pit and was damaged.
After this, the bells were only chimed, although the tenor was rung up on
rare occasions. |
| 1965 |
The church was severly damaged by fire, and as
part of the work of restoration, the bells were retuned and rehung in a
new frame. The 6th had to be
recast. |