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 past trade of whaling, their son Charles, who did not follow this tradition, concentrated on ship building instead.
The original bell ringers are not fully documented but by 1900 the then ringers were mainly members of the Gofton family. The Gofton brothers and their father were notable ringers with the ability to ring 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.