Kineton

St Peter 8: 10-0-5 in F#

Grid Reference 151/335510 Kineton. Source: Coventry DG
Postcode CV35 0HN
Affiliation Coventry DG
Peals Felstead Database
Sunday 0950-1030
Practice Monday 1930-2100
Other Information Ringing Centre Website

History

Set in the middle of this village you cannot miss this church. It is worth having a moment to look around it before ringing the pleasant bells. There was a church here by 1135. The present church building consists of a chancel with a north organ-chamber and vestry, nave with north and south transepts and a north aisle, and a west tower. The west tower is said to date from 1315, but its west doorway is probably earlier and its windows later. The remainder of the building contains no ancient features.

It was partly rebuilt by Sanderson Miller of Radway in 1775, when the transepts and aisle were added, and again largely renovated during the period 1877–89, being furnished with new windows, pierced parapets, &c. The organ-chamber and vestry were added in 1897. The whole church is built of dark brown Hornton stone. An old view of the church shows the chancel with square-headed windows and the nave and south transept with plain four-centred lights.

The bells were hung in an 8-bell frame by Gillett & Johnston at the time of the 1913 restoration. A scheme to fill the vacant pits was completed in 2008. This involved selling the overweight treble to Charlwelton in Northamptonshire, to augment this ring from 4 to 5, and adding three new bells. The new bells were installed in late November 2008 and the first ringing on them was on Bonfire Night.

There were “iij bells one little bell” in 1552, then Abraham Rudhall I cast a complete ring of 5 in 1703. The treble appears at first glance to have been added soon after and shortly afterwards the tenor required recasting. However, Chris Pickford has unearthed evidence that suggests that though the treble, though dated 1716, was probably added “second hand” to the ring sometime between about 1735 and 1749. The donor, according to the Rudhall Catalogues, was almost certainly William Freeman (more often spelled as Freman) of Aspenden Hall and Hamells Park in Hertfordshire. He was born in 1702 and it is therefore very unlikely that he would have given a bell to Kineton at the age of 14.  (He did, however, donate a number of bells to churches around his homes in the years up to his death in 1749 and also two trebles to Magdalen College in 1739/40 to make the chapel’s ring up to ten.) This would partly account for it being out of proportion with the rest of the ring.

The fifth, weighing about 8cwt, became cracked in 1910 and the bell was recast and the ring tuned and rehung in a cast iron “H” bellframe three years later. The new bell was cast without canons and those of the other bells were removed. The bells were rehung on ball bearings by Taylors in 1967. Bells 4, 5 & 6 and the tenor have been quarter turned. The new trebles were cast without canons in 2008.

Notice that the treble of the 6 was heavier than bells 2, 3 and 4. G & J records show frequencies in 1913 as: 1252, 1127, 1003, 939, 846 & 752Hz.

The first peal was rung shortly after the bells were dedicated:

Kineton First Peal

The inscriptions of the bells prior to the 1913 rehang are given in Tilley and Walters’ “Church Bells of Warwickshire”

Kineton Inscriptions

The then fifth bell was, as stated, recast and it is inscribed:

RECAST BY GILLETT & JOHNSTON CROYDON 1913

The three new bells are inscribed

Treble GIVEN BY
THE COVENTRY DIOCESAN GUILD
OF CHURCH BELLRINGERS
IN MEMORY OF HARRY WINDSOR MBE
1932 – 2007
2 REV. CHARMAINE HOST,  VICAR
NICHOLAS GUNN
RICHARD IWANEK   CHURCHWARDENS
3 NOW WHEN WE RING I SWEETLY SING

The first peal on the ring of 8 was rung in 2009:

Kineton First Peal on 8
This church is a CC Recognised Ringing Centre, called “The Edgehill Ringing Centre”.

Park by the churchyard wall.  If you have to ask for directions – pronounce Kineton to rhyme with “Fine Ton”!

Details of the Bells

1 Taylor, Eayre & Smith Ltd      2008   3-3-12  25.125″ 1502.0Hz (F#+26c)
2 Taylor, Eayre & Smith Ltd      2008   4-0-02  26.00″  1409.0Hz (E#+15c)
3 Taylor, Eayre & Smith Ltd      2008   4-0-14  27.00″  1253.0Hz (D#+12c)
4 Abraham Rudhall I, Gloucester  1703   4-1-09  28.75″  1128.5Hz (C#+31c)
5 Abraham Rudhall I, Gloucester  1703   4-3-00  30.00″   999.0Hz (B+20c)
6 Abraham Rudhall I, Gloucester  1703   5-0-07  31.375″  932.5Hz (A#+0c)
7 Gillett & Johnston, Croydon    1913   8-0-18  35.875″  843.5Hz (G#+27c)
8 Abraham Rudhall I, Gloucester  1717  10-0-05  39.875″  752.0Hz (F#+28c)

Previous Treble (of 6)

1 Abraham Rudhall I, Gloucester  1716   5-1-00  29.50″  1250.5Hz (D#+8c) 

Photo Gallery

Kineton East, Source: Mike Chester Kineton West. Source: Mike Chester
The Church – Looking East The Church – Looking West
Kineton Chancel. Source: Mike Chester Kineton Font. Source: Mike Chester
 The Chancel The Font
Kineton Foundry Kineton Treble. Source: Graham Nabb
The Bells at the G&J Foundry,
Croydon, in 1913.
The new treble, given in
memory of Harry Windsor.
Kineton Second. Source: Graham Nabb Kineton Third. Source: Graham Nabb
The New Second The New Third
Kineton Tenor. Source: Mike Chester Kineton Frame. Source: Mike Chester
The Tenor The H-Frame and Bells
Layout 8.3
The frame layout