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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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