St Mary and St Gabriel
Sharing the love of God
The Harting Bells
A Quarter peal was rung at the church on the 8th May 2023 as part of the Coronation celebrations.
This involved a team of 6 which included two of our ringers (Chis and Luke), regular visitors from Midhurst (Francesco who organised this and his brother Luca) together with two visiting ringers.
A quarter peel involves 1260 changes. You can hear a short recording from outside the church:
BELL RINGERS NEEDED
For several years we have been very lucky to have a successful band of ringers in the Harting Parish Church. However, with ringers moving on and others off to University sadly, our numbers have fallen. We urgently need to recruit or find new ringers.
If you would like to 'have a go' please come to our Tuesday evening practice at 7.30pm.
Contact: Patricia James (Secretary ) on 01730 882669 or email
We ring for church services, weddings, national, and even international, events. In 2022 we joined all the parish churches in the country in honour of Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and rang on muffled bells during the hour before her funeral. We shall be ringing for the Coronation of King Charles III on the 6th May.
The dedicated Bell ringing page on the menu or click here
Bell Ringing for the Coronation - BBC News item 22nd February 2022
THE HARTING BELLS
The Rev. H D Gordon records that the four original bells were re-cast in 1782 and two more were cast to make a ring of six. All are marked CHAPMAN & MEARS OF LONDON FECERUNT 1782.
The bells range from a few hundredweight to the tenor bell which, with its headstock, weighs about three quarters of a ton.
Bell Ringing
Many of us have watched our bell-ringers in action, although not all of us are aware of the complex system existing up in the belfry which gives us the joyful sound.
Originally, church bells were rung by a simple pull which started them swinging. There was no method of varying the order in which they sounded.
During the 1500s a mechanism was developed in England whereby bells could be stopped and started at will. This enabled them to be rung in different sequences, hence ‘change-ringing’.
In this position the bell is ‘down’
- the bell is attached to the headstock which is fixed to the wheel
- the headstock runs on bearings carried by the frame
- the stay is also fixed to the headstock
This shows three of our bells 'rung up' and ready to ring.
And in the down position.
The bells were totally refurbished in 2011. Click here to see how this major project was completed.
