Sandwich's Curfew Bell

The Curfew Bell Ringers

In February, the Guildhall saw a unique group of bell ringers, past and present, gather for their Annual Supper in the Jury Room. It was a special occasion. The diners are not just any bell ringers, these men and women are the last remaining company of Curfew Bell Ringers in the country, and possibly the world who, after around 1000 years, still ring a nightly Curfew by hand. If you were to find yourself outside the garden gate of St Peters church in the centre of the historic Town and Cinque Port of Sandwich, just before eight o’clock in the evening every Monday to Saturday, you will see one of these Ringers entering the church tower to climb the old wooden spiral staircase to the ringing floor where they will take the ‘Sally’ and begin the strenuous task of swinging the 15cwt bell until it starts to peal the ten minute Curfew. Each of the thirty-one ringers has their allotted ‘day’ every month when they discharge this duty.

The idea of the ‘Curfew’ signal has its origins partly in requiring the placing of a special metal cover over the open fire in a house at night to keep the fire alight but prevent sparks from igniting the thatched roof or wooden parts of medieval houses when occupants are usually asleep. This was vital when most of the houses were made from combustible materials and any flames could spread rapidly to neighbours.  The word ‘curfew’ is an anglicisation of the French words ‘Couvre-Feu’ literally fire cover. The practice was mandatory in England under William the Conqueror. The conditions also included remaining inside your house, probably to quell any tendency to civil unrest by disgruntled 11th century Saxons, objecting to the ‘Norman Yoke.’ 

In Sandwich the Curfew also granted citizens of the town the freedom to release their livestock, mainly geese and pigs, into the streets to chew on the day’s detritus. This led to the Sandwich Curfew Bell being referred to as the Pig Bell. To get the livestock back inside before daily life recommenced, the bell was rung at 5.00am, earning the name Goose Bell. Any livestock not retrieved in the morning were impounded and used to nourish the deserving and impoverished, residents of St Bartholomew’s, an almshouse outside the town walls, established in 1217. 
 

Today’s Curfew Bell Ringers

Although the Goose Bell is long silent the Curfew Bell still ‘tolls the knell of passing day’ in the twenty-first century and I think it is a unique and remarkable tradition kept alive by local enthusiastic volunteers. Many of our current ringers have been faithfully ringing for decades some for nearly fifty years! The tradition was upheld for centuries by the Town Council with a full-time ringer paid by the council. However, since the late 1940’s and the death of the last full-time ringer, coupled with the problem of finding someone to fill the role, a group of Townsfolk decided to form a company of Curfew Bell Ringers by asking for volunteers to do one day a month each. This group, there are 31 volunteers, has upheld the Curfew tradition pretty much continuously since then on behalf of Sandwich Town Council (STC). (See list below.)

The relationship with STC is now stronger than ever with the current Mayor, some ex-mayors plus several Councilors in the company. That brings me back to February where STC hosted the annual supper as a way of thanking the volunteers for their service. This generous gesture is much appreciated by the Curfew Bell Ringers. Unfortunately, another tradition also has been established namely that the Curfew Bell Captain must personally stump up for the Port imbibed at an alarming rate after the meal, another example of the unforeseen consequences of a French invasion. 

This year also saw the first certificates awarded by STC for long service. More are to follow. Finally there are two requests to make, the first is that if you are a past ringer and you have lost touch we would love to hear from you with a contact method and the dates you started and stopped ringing, plus the names of other ringers you remember, as we are trying to get our records updated. Secondly, if you would like to become a part of this unique company, and are 18 years old or over, please contact the Curfew Bell Captain via the Town Clerks Department at STC, and your details can be added to our waiting list. Full training provided!

The bell in use today was cast by the Whitechapel Foundry. The belfry can be visited on the way up to enjoy the spectacular views afforded from the St. Peter’s Tower, for the price of £5, a must for every Sandwich resident and highly recommended to tourists. The church is maintained by the Churches Conservation Trust.

Andrew Price 
Captain of the Curfew Bell Ringers 
May 2026

The photographs are shown courtesy of David Silk and Paul Carter, both Curfew Bell Ringers. The view of Sandwich is courtesy of Paul Carter.