The History of the Bells of St Peter-in-Thanet Church

St Peter’s church has had bells for over 600 years, but it is not known exactly when they were first installed or how many bells there were. A single bell was in the south east corner of the church and it is said that there are signs of wear caused by a bell rope on the wall of the present Lady Chapel. St Peter’s present tower was built in the 15th century at the north west corner of the church, but nothing is known about the bells until the mid-eighteenth century when the parish registers record that the bells were recast from 5 to 6 between 1754 and 1757.

The Bells of St Peter’s

John Mockett records in his Journal some work done on the bells both during his time as churchwarden at the end of the 18th century and when his father Elijah was c ...