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Bell-ringing has been an important part of community life for centuries - ringing to mark weddings and funerals, coronations, jubilees, remembrances and other national occasions, as well as regular Sunday services. On this page you will find a collection of certificates marking success at competitions dating back to 1908, pictures of the restored bells being installed in 1997, and a documentary made in 2020 as part of a fund raising drive when the bells needed new clappers!
The certificates in the bell tower give a great glimpse into years gone by - when bell ringing was a great social activity. The competitions must have been quite a day out - especially ones as far afield as Yealmpton and Lustleigh. In the 1930s, they would have been long day trips, but Kingsnympton clearly had a lot of success. It is interesting, too, to see how often the same family names come up - the Bowdens, Lakes, Gills, Symons and Snells all feature regularly, with generations following one another down the years.
Certificates

The oldest certificate in the tower - from 1908. Sadly now degraded. The picture in the middle, which would have been of Dolton Church, has disappeared, revealing the newspaper backing behind!
1925

1926


1928


1929

1930

1931

1935

1937

1939


1948


1949
1950
1958



1961
2000


Ringing in the new Millennium -
l-r Fred Ayre, Felicity Baxter, Jill Gill, Martin Alexander, Brian Gill, Amy Bowden, Stuart Bowden
2018

Armistice centenary - 2018
2019


Bells Restored 1996/7
The bells were taken down, restored and re-hung in 1997. The slide show below shows the day they were rehung by a team of ringers and volunteers
Bell-ringing in Kingsnympton - Documentary.
Made by Martin Pailthorpe in 2020 as part of a fund raising drive to replace the bell clappers
Bell ringing documentary

kingsnympton
history society
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