The original bells were six in number and installed when the church was built in 1864. They were purchased from Taylor of Loughborough and paid for by Sir Charles Mark Palmer and inscribed with his coat of arms . Sir Charles was living in Whitley at the time in a large house named Park House and it overlooked the sea front in a prime position. The Palmer family connections with the area were initially associated with the then trade of Whaling and thus the son Charles who did not follow this tradition instead concentrated on building ships ship building instead.
The original bell ringers are not fully documented but by 1900 the then ringers in the main were the members of the Gofton family. The Gofton brothers and their father were notable ringers with the ability of ringing complex methods and were also excellent teachers of the art.
In 1912 the bells were augmented by the introduction of two treble bells to make the ring into a set of eight.