The History and Art of Change Ringing · Photo by A. Bowell, Jpsrcich. [To face p. sr 1. 512 HISTORY AND ART OF CHANGE RINGING tells us that all she brought him were two boob which

T he Historyand Art of

Change Ringingby

Ernest MorrisFile 09 – Chapter XIII

– Pages 511 to 556

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CHAPTER XIII

FAMOUS RINGERS, COMPOSERS, ETC.

" Skilled in the mystery of the pleasing peal, Which few can know, and fewer still reveal ; Whether with little bells, or bells sublime, To split a moment to the truth of time. Time often truly beat, at length o'er came, Yet still this tribute long preserve their name."

EPITAPH TO WILLIAM RAYNER. Arreton, Isle of Wight.

NOTABLE FIGURES

T HE " arte and science " of change ringing has been graced by many famous persons. We have seen that it has been the pursuit and hobby of gentlemen of all

degrees and stations in life. It is a well-known fact, also, that once in a belfry, all are on equal or common ground ; baronet or blacksmith, nobleman or navvy, lawyer or labourer, there they meet as " brother-stri11gs."

John Bunyan

Among the noted ringers of England, perhaps there is none so picturesque as JoHN BUNYAN, the author of" The Pilgrim's Progress." In 1928, celebrating the tercentenary of his birth, we read and heard of many phases of his life in the Press and pulpit, yet very rarely did we find mention of Bunyan's activities as a bellringer. He was born at Elstow, near Bedford, in the year 1628, and, like his father, followed the trade of a tinker and brazier. He was a lad of spirit and imagination, fond of sports and games, but not-he solemnly assures us--ever drunken or unchaste, although given to swearing. At the age of twenty he found a respectable young woman willing to marry him, and although neither his prospects nor hers were brilliant, yet married they were. We are not told who Bunyan's wife was, but she must have come of a Puritan family, for he

511

FIG . 94.-THE A:<~CIENT BELLS OF ELSTOW, B EDS.

(Kote Bunyan's Bell.)

Photo by A. Bowell, Jpsrcich.

[To face p. sr 1.

512 HISTORY AND ART OF CHANGE RINGING

tells us that all she brought him were two boob which belonged to her father, and these were " The Plaine Maa•a Pathway to Heaven, wherein every Man may dearly see whether he lhall be saved or damned," by Alfred Dent, a Puritan miniater. llld " The Practice of Piety," by Lewis Bayle, Bishop of Bangor,

Bunyan settled down with his wife at Elstow. They read these books together, and she would often be telling him " what a Godly man her father was, and how he would reprove and correct vice, both in his house and amongst his neighbours ; what a strict and holy life he lived in his days, both in word and deed." For a long time Bunyan's mind and conscience were bewildered among his puritanical books and conversations. The aspect of religion thus presented to him tended to make his conscience " tender " about what he should or should not do, without giving him an insight into the principles or power of Christianity.

The Rev. Dr. Brown, in his" Life of Bunyan," thus describes this period of religious perplexities : '' When a man comes under the dominion of conscience and is a stranger to love, conscience is apt to become somewhat of a tyrant ; . a false standard is set up, and things right enough in themselves seem to become wrong to the man. Bunyan had hitherto taken pleasure in the somewhat laborious diversion of ringing the bells in the tower of Elstow church. He began to think this was wrong, one does not quite see why; still, having this misgiving about it, he gave up his bellringing, but not the love of it."

Bunyan's own words, from" Grace Abounding," say:

"Now you must know that before this, I had taken much delight in ringing, but my conscience beginning to be tender, I thought such practice was but vain; and therefore forced myself to leave it, yet my mind hankered. Wherefore I should go to the steeple house and look on though I durst not ring. But I thought this did not become religion either, yet I forced myself and would look on still. But quickly after I began to think, how if one of the bells should fall ? Then I chose to stand under a main beam that lay overthwart the steeple, from side to side, thinking there I might stand sure. But then I should think again, should the bell fall with a swing it might first hit the wall and then rebounding upon me, might kill me for all

FAMOUS RINGERS, COMPOSERS, ETC; 513

this beam. This made me stand in the steeple door ; and now, thought I, I am safe enough for if a bell should fall then I can slip out behind these thick walls, and so be preserved notwith· standing. ·

" So after this, I would yet go to see them ring but would not go further than the steeple door, but then it came into my head, how if the steeple itself should fall ? and this thought, it may fall for ought I know, when I stood and looked on did continually so shake my mind that I durst not stand at the steeple door any longer, but was forced to flee for fear the steeple should fall on my head. Another thing was my dancing. I was a full year before I could quite leave that. But all this while, when I thought I kept this or that commandment, or did, by word or deed, anything that I thought was good, I had great peace in my conscience ; and should think with myself, God cannot choose but be now pleased with me, yea, to relate it in mine own way, I thought no man in England could please God better than I. But poor wretch as I was, I was all this while ignorant of Jesus Christ, and going about to establishing own riahteouaneu ; and had perished therein, had not God in mercy, thOwtd me more of my atate by nature."

Bunyan ~joined a Baptist congregation at Bedford, of which he wu oa1led to bt the miniater in 1655· After the Reatoration he got lnt9. ~~~11 for offence• against the law nlating to religious coAlOnnlty by preaching, and was impr!toned from 166o, wi~ OAt brief interval, till 1&,2. During this enforced secluaioD. from hi1 uaual work he wrote several books, including the biographical 11 Grace Abounding," and in a subsequent short imprisonment in 1675 he wrote the immortal 11 Pilgrim's Progress," which has made his name known throughout the world wherever the English tongue is spoken. In this allegory he speaks of bells being in the Heavenly City. He says of the two pilgrims approaching it :-

" They had the City itself in view, and they thought they heard all the bells therein to ring to welcome them thereto.''

And a few lines later :-

"Now I saw in my dream, that these two men went in at the gate, and lo ! as they entered, they were transfigured ; and they had raiment put on that shone like gold. There were also that met them with harps and crowns, and gave them to them ; the harps to praise withal, the crowns in token of honour. Then I heard in my dream that all the bells in the City rang again for joy, and that it was said unto them ' Enter ye into the joy of your Lord';''

C.R. I. I.


Bunyan died of a fever consequent on a cold, while on a visit to London, on August 31, 1688, and was buried in Bunhill Fields.

In 1686 he had published "A Book for Boys and Girls," consisting of a series of short poems designed for their instruction. No copy of the original edition of 1686 was known to be in existence until one was discovered a few years ago ; this is now in the Library of the British Museum. It contains a meditation (omitted in the " Divine Emblems ") bearing upon our theme:-

UPON A RING OF BELLS

" Bells have wide mouths and tongues, but are too weak, Have they not help, to ring or talk or speak, But if you move them they will mak't appear, By speaking they'! make all the town to hear.

When Ringers handle them with art and skill, They then the ears of their observers fill, With such brave notes, they ring and tang so well, As to outstrip all with their ding , dong, Bell."

COMPARISON

" These bells are like the powers of my soul ; Their clappers to the Passions of my mind, The ropes by which my Bells are made to tole Are Promises (I by experience find) .

My body is the steeple where they hang, My Graces they which do ring every bell , Nor is there anything gives such a tang, When by these Ropes these Ringers ring them well.

Let not my bells these Ringers want nor ropes, Yea let them have room for to swing and sway ; To toss themselves deny them not their scopes, Lord! in my steeple give them room to play.

If they do tole, ring out, or chime all in, They drown the tempting, trickling voice of vice, Lord ! when my bells have gone, my Soul has bin As 'twere a tumbling in this paradise !

Or if these Ringers do the changes ring, Upon my Bells they do such musick make, My Soul then (Lord) cannot but bounce and sing, So ~reatly her they with their musick take, ·

FAMOUS RINGERS, COMPOSERS, ETC. 515

But Boys (my Lusts) into my Belfry go, And pull these Ropes, but do no musick make, They rather turn my bells by what they do. Or by disorder make my Steeple shake. Then Lord ! I pray thee keep my Belfry key, Let none but graces meddle with these Ropes, And when these naughty Boys come, say them nay, From such Ringers of Musick there's no hopes. 0 Lord if thy poor child might have his will, And might his meaning freely to thee tell ; He never of this musick has his fill, There's nothing to him like thy ding, dong, Bell."

From these lines-sent forth for the instruction of youth within two years of their author's death-we may gather that to the last Bunyan remained a ringer at heart.

It is interesting also to note that the bell he used to ringoriginally the fourth-at Elstow is still in existence, and is now the fifth of the present ring of six. It weighs 7 cwt. 1 qr. 10 lb., and was cast at Leicester, but is undated.

John Holt and His Masterpiece John Holt's name appears in the original name-book of the

Union Scholars as having been elected a member of that company in 1745. He must have been thought a great acquisition to the society, as the entry, instead of being made in the ordinary old English characters, in a similar way to the other names, is highly ornamented in the writing. He was elected a master of the society for the year 1749. The last peal recorded by the society at the time Holt joined it in 1745 was one rung in November, 1741, and not until October, 1747, is another mentioned. In this peal Holt took part, as he did in every peal afterwards recorded by the society until September, 1752, when his name appears for the last time, and he is supposed to have left the Union Scholars. The total number of peals entered in the society's book is thirty-six, between the years 1718 and 1757. As Holt took part in twenty-one (conducting twenty) between 1747 and 1752, it will be seen that nearly all their peals were accomplished while he was a member. Before he joined they record only eleven peals in twenty-four years ; during his membership, twenty-two (if the one-part is included) in eight years.


After John Holt left the Union Scholars, they only recorded four peals in five years, and soon seem to have become extinct. Holt is supposed to have left the society and joined the College Youths soon after the date of his last recorded peal with the Union Youths, as in that year (1752) his name appears as a new member of the Society of College Youths. With them he rang two peals of Grandsire Caters the same year, one at St. Dionis', and the other at St. Sepulchre's, these being the only ones by the society during the year.

In an extract from the MSS. of J. A. Parnell, of Sheffield (which is quoted elsewhere), there is the following note:-

" N .B.-This Mr. John Holt's Masterpiece was rung on Sunday July 7th, 1751, at St. Margarettes Church near Westmirrster Abbey for the first time by the Union Scholars (a London Society now extinct) Mr. John Holt, a Shoe Maker by trade (or a Gentle Snob snob, snob), was under the necessity of sitting in the ringing chamber and called it by the assistance of his manuscripts whilst a selected eight rung it of the Unions."

This is the only instance known to the writer which states Holt's trade, and one wonders whether the prefix " a gentle snob " is meant sarcastically or whether it refers to the oldtime slang word, which meant a shoemaker. Parnell's note is dated August 27, 1817.

With the second of the two peals in the College Youths' book, Holt's name appears for the last time. That he was alive on September 2, 1753, we know from the notice concerning his broadsheet of peals which appeared in the Ipswich Journal; when, however, the broadsheet was published, he was dead . The notice referred to reads :-

" TO ALL ARTISTS IN RINGING

"Mr. John Holt, of London, having at length discovered a method of ringing 5040 Grandsire Triples without changes over again, or ye use of any other means than plain leads, bobs, and only two singles, which hath hitherto been looked upon as impossible; he has also made improvement in Plain Bob and Union Triples, all which he is willing to communicate to ye world : but as his circumstances are low, and as he can expect no reward for his labour, nor assistance towards ye expense of publishing them, but from his brethren in the art, he proposes to have neatly printed two whole peals of Grandsire Triples, divided into halves, one containing three regular courses, the other 5, with two singles-one at ye half peal,


ye other at ye end ; the bobs being so regularly disposed as to be easily called. One complete peal of Plain Bob Triples in 3 regular courses, without any single or alteration, but only leads and bobs are usually rung. Also a complete peal of Union Triples, each half in 3 regular courses, ye singles made at ye middle and end of peal, and to deliver copys of these four peals by Xmas next, to any single person, or any set of 8 bellringers who shall subscribe not less than ss 3d, notify their subscription, post paid, to Mr. John Cundall, in Salisbury Court, Fleet Street ; who engages to deliver ye same with a list of subscribers, or return ye subscriptions if there should not be enough to diffray ye expenses of printing.

Those who have not an opportunity to subscribe in London, and are willing to engage ye design, to send their subscriptions to ye printer of this paper.

September rst, 1753·"

From the MSS. of Dr. Mason, it appears that he had been endeavouring to assist Holt in obtaining subscribers to his broadsheet of peals, and the following copy of a letter from Norwich is evidently an answer to one from Dr. Mason:-

"Norwich Aug 27th 1753· " Reverd. Sir-! desire you'll excuse my not subscribing to a

Work which I have some Reason to fear will not answer to Expectation. I must Confess Our Company Seem Intirely to slight it, though I must Own is not a Generous Way of Treating Mr. Holt's performance, but I believe they are Induc'd to this by that Ingenious Ringer Mr. Anable's not Encouraging of it, had he Approved of it, his Influence on the Colledge Youths I presume would have been sufficient to have sent it to the Press without any Further Subscriptions.

Revd. Sir, Give me leave to Observe to you that 'tis almost twenty years Since I sent to the Revd. Mr. Windhall a Whole peal of Ten with two Inferior Changes Only, Fully Explaining by an Infallible rule, how to make any proper peal on all Numbers that go with a Quick Hunt.

For Self and Co. I am Sir, With due respect, your most humble Servant,

JoHN WEBSTER."

Thus we learn how Annable did not approve of Holt's peals, so it is quite evident he would not approve of Garthon's, or indeed any on the three-lead course plan. Mr. John Holt's broadsheet, however, did appear, headed "Mr. John Holt's four peals of Tripple changes, of London, College Youth, lately deceased." It gives the treble leads of the first part of his six- and ten-part peals of Grandsire Triples, his six-part


peal of Union Triples, and his three-part Plain Bob Triples, without a single. The subscribers' names are as follows, and it will be seen that Dr. Mason as well as the Rev. Mr. Windle, who is mentioned in the Norwich letter, are among the number:-

" The Subscribers' Names to Mr. John Holt's Four Peals. The following are of ye Company of College Youths, London

Samuel Killican Esqr Mr. Robert Randell, Bell-

7

founder, Fleet Ditch 4 , John Cundell . . 4 , Thomas Lester, Bell-

founder, Whitechapel 4

Mr. James Watson .. , Christophe Pinchbeck . . , Robert Romley .. , William Underwood , Thomas Bennett

, Wm. Oram 4 , Joseph Griffiths

2

I

I

, Thos. Lowe 4 William Rickard I

, William Skelton, Jun. 4 Samuel Tomson I

, John Hardham 2 , Richard Wynn . . I

The foll01.tting are of ye same Company residing in different parts of England:-

The Rev. Dr. Mason of The Rev. Mr. Windle I

Trinity College, Cambridge 2 Mr. Joseph West, Cambridge I

Mr. Samuel Anderson of The Nottingham Company I

Stourham Suffolk . . 2 The Stroud Company, Glou-, Henry Cowley of Twit- cestershire

tenham, Middlesex Mr. Thomas Hancock, of , John Swaine, of Stand- Biserlay do

well . . , James Archer, of S. , Chris. Chitty, Farnham, Philips, Bristol

Surrey I The Oxford Company , Samuel Lee, Dover, Kent I Mr. Joseph Levens, of Croy-

1 William Forbery, Esq., of don, Surry · Galby, Leicestershire 4 John Short do do The St. Neat's Company, Rayley of Kingston do

Huntingdonshire 4 Hunt

I

I

I

The Cambridge Company . . 4 Tow . . I

These peals are to be had of Mr. Cundell, at ye Golden Eagle, in Duke's Court, Bow Street, Covent Garden."

In the same volume of Dr. Mason's MSS. many pages are devoted to the proof of Holt's peals, but in a most laborious fashion. There is a written copy of the one-part peal, followed by its proof.

The paragraph mentioned above states that Holt claims to have discovered " a method of ringing 5040 Grandsire Triples

1 Squire Fortrey (see under Leicester Scholars).


without changes over again or the use of any other means than plain leads, bobs, and only two singles, which hath hitherto been looked upon as impossible." The " impossibility" he means is not that of obtaining peals of 5040 changes, but their production with two singles only, although the claim is not very definite. Many of the earlier records contain such claims as "the first ever rung," " first on the bells," etc., meaning often " first in the method," or " first in the method on the bells."

Holt's name is so thoroughly identified with Grandsire Triples that it will not be out of place here to insert his masterpiec~the original one-part, although this and all his peals may be found in the various works on the subject :-

234567 continued- continued- continued- continued-

752634 I 453276 I 354726 3 456372 I 276543 I 237546 3 254637 5 753642 5 674523 3 432657 2 742365 3 372465 2 347526 3 356274 I 574263 2 657234 2 543672 I 653247 I 743625 2 635427 2 346725 2 375426 3 536247 4 437625 4 746235 I 743562 5 643275 I 645372 3 634572 5 637452 3 547236 5 756324 2 236745 I 256734 I 246537 I 735462 3 437256 I 642357 3 632547 3 372654 2 247635 I 374256 4 736542 I 756432 I 253746 3 732456 3 743256 4 537264 5 457263 5 532746 4 647532 I 357462 3 375264 4 634725 2 675432 I

476532 4 243657 I 273456 5 256473 2 536724 3 254376 I 572364 2 642573 I 342756 I 475236 I 542376 4 435672 I 736254 2 253467 3 274653 5 635742 I 354672 4 547623 2 672345 2 532467 2 546327 3 473526 3 235764 2 246753 3 675243 2 345762 5 574632 5 472635 I 372546 I 276354 5 273645 I 435726 3 354267 2 243765 3 432576 I

452367 2 674235 I 673425 2 572643 I 274365 3 734652 I 436752 3 546273 I 675324 5 532674 I

457326 3 274536 I 735624 2 436275 I 275346 3 634257 I 742536 4 247563 2 754623 2 542763 3 576423 2 657342 I 352647 I 237465 2 745326 5 345276 I 746523 3 473265 2 652743 2 637245 1

573462 3 547362 5 734265 4 376452 I 236574 5 245673 I 475362 4 657423 2 653724 3 452736 I 732564 2 234675 I 346257 I 476253 I s 324567 3 537426 5 752463 2 573624 2 534627 2 753624 I

645237 I 347652 I 245367 2 345627 4 467253 I

376524 2 473652 4 672534 2 643752 5 s 234567 JoHN HoLT.


First rung at Westminster, July 7, 1751, conducted by the composer, who sat in the belfry calling from the MS. In his account of the Union Scholars, Mr. Osborne remarks concerning this :-

" This peal was not inserted in the Society's book with their other peals by reason as (I suppose) it was considered irregular for the conductor to call, and not ring at the same time in the usual way."

The above composition-now always known as Holt's Original-is naturally the ambition of all enthusiastic conductors, for although opinions may vary as to the difficulty of " calling " this as against other one-part compositions, yet it remains pre-eminent. As shown, it was first called by its author from manuscript, and even so was it rung the second time, as the following extract from the Ipswich Journal explains:-

"On Friday, January 31st, 1752, was rung at Stonham Aspal in the county of Suffolk by their own society of ringers, a five thousand and forty Grandsire Triples, it being the second time ever rung with two Doubles only. This true peal has been very lately found out by Mr. John Holt, of London, and the bobs were called by Mr. William Walker. It was compleated in 3 hours and 10 minutes by the eight following persons : Henry Gray I, Daniel Hearsham 2,

James Gardiner 3, Richard Wade 4, William Banyard 5, John Sharp 6, Richard Moyse 7, John Thurlow 8.

N.B.-It is thought impracticable for a man to ring one of the bells and call the bobs at the same time the peal being so intricate."

It was rung for the third and fourth times at Norwich, as reported by the Norwich Mercury:-

" St. Michael's, Coslany.-On Saturday, August 22nd, 1752, was rung at St. Michael's, Coslany, a complete 5,040 of Mr. Holt's Tripples in 3 hours, without changes alike or a bell out of course, it being the first time ever performed by eight men only. So intricate, it was thought no man could ring a bell and call the bobs. It has been rung in London and at Stonham Aspal with prompts. But was rung by these men without a prompt."

Unfortunately no names are given, but from particulars quoted it is certain that the peal was the " Original." The same peal was rung again two months later :-

" On Sunday, Oct. 22nd, 1752, was rung at St. Giles', in ye city of Norwich, 5,040 Grandsire Tripples with only two Doubles and no alteration. This true peal has been very lately found out by Mr.


John Holt, of London. The bobs were called by William Dixon. The peal being so intricate, the bell (London) ringers thought it impracticable for a man to ring one of the bells, and call the bobs at the same time. The peal was compleatly rung in 3 hours and 6 minutes by the following persons: William Dixon 1, John Gardiner 2, Thomas Hart 3, Charles Jarvis if, Samuel Shelver 5, Robert Dyke 6, Charles Horth 7, Frederick Whitfield 8."

Thefifth and sixth times were at Saffron Walden, Christmas, 1753, and New Year's Day, 1754.

These peals were evidently unknown to Parnell, for in his MS. book he gives the following note :-

"Mr. John Holt's 5040 peal of Grandsire Tripples with two Doubles in the last four leads, Mr. James Bartlett of Kensington (a Whip Thong Maker) was the first person who rung a bell in the peal and called it, which was finely rung at Saint Giles Church with Fields by Oxford Street, London, in the year 1791 or 1792, and Mr. James Bartlett also called and rung it again on the 8 hind bells of the peal of twelve at Great St. Mary's Church, Cambridge, along with the Cambridge Youths, Tenor 30 cwt. in D.

A few years afterwards Mr. Joseph Riley, a native near Burton by Trent River, and by trade an Uppolsterer, also called Mr. John Holt's peal of Grandsire Tripples with the two Doubles in the last 4 leads, he rung the treble and called it at Burton by Trent River in Staffordshire the second time, but the first time he rung it and called it at Aston a village two miles of Birmingham, and both times performed by the St. Martin's Youths of Birmingham." 1

The peal at St. Giles'-in-the-Fields is thus recorded on a tablet in the belfry :-

" SUNDAY Oct. 23rd, 1791. THE SOCIETY OF COLLEGE YOUTHS

did ring in this Steeple the Original Peal of 5040 Grandsire Tripples as Composed by P~0 HoLT in One Continued Course with 2

Doubles in the last four leads. Completed in 3 Hours & 7 Mins. Called by James Bartlett, being the only person that ever rang & called this very difficult composition.

CHARLES BARBER.. Treble }AMES BROWN 5 WILLIAM PARIS . . 2 JONATHAN LANGLEY 6 WILLIAM KIRKE.. 3 }AMES BARTLETT . . 7 WILLIAM JoNES . . 4 CHRISTOPHER STRATFORD Tenor

1 J. Riley called these peals Aston, March :z , 18oo, and, later same year, at Burton from treble ; he called it from the 4th bell at Cheltenham, March 17, 1828.


On the ninety-third anniversary of this peal-October 23, 1884-at St. Giles', the following College Youths rang this composition, non-conducted, i.e., without the bobs being called or the slightest intimation given :-

HENRY W. HALEY ' .. Treble CHALLIS F. WINNEY

REv. C. D.P. DAVIES 2 RICHARD FREeT .• JAMES PETTITT . • 3 THOMAS HATTERSLEY ISAAC G. SHADE.. 4 HENRY G. GARDNER

5 6

.. 7

.. Tenor

Messrs. Geo. Marriott, of the Royal Cumberlands, and F. E. Dawe, of the College Youths, witnessed the performance.

On March II, 1887, the College Youths again accomplished this composition-non-conducted-on hand-bells, in two hours thirty-nine minutes:-

JoHN c. MITCHELL . • IX2 I CHALLIS F. WINNEY . . 5X6 WALTER H. L. BucKINGHAM 3x4 GEORGE T. McLAUGHLIN 7x8

Witnessed by Messrs. W. Baron and G. Wild of the Royal Cumberlands; and F. T. Gower of the College Youths.

Benjamin Annable By the Norwich letter to Dr. Mason, we have seen that

Annable did not approve of Holt's compositions ; he rejected all peals on the three-lead plan as being in his opinion not consistent with the rules of the Grandsire method. The " Clavis " gives the following remarks concerning Holt and Annable :-

" When the art was more in its infant ftate, and half-pull ringing was esteemed a very valuable acquisition (being then but a new difcovery) the method of bringing bells into the tittums (by which means the prime and choiceft of mufic is felected) was a matter totally unknown in thofe days. How long the art might have remained in this roughcaft ftate (were it not for the gerttleman whofe name we are about to introduce) is rather hard to fay . But certain it is, that Mr. Benjamin Anable, when he entered this vaft field of rude and uncultivated wafte, like a skilful planter, divided it into all its regular parts and proportions, with that tafte, elegance, and afl"ymetry as at once evinced the judgement and abilities of that ingenious artift. But to quit allegory, Mr. Anable foon found the then prefent ftate of the art ftood in the utmoft need of correction and on exploring it ftill farther, found an ample field for improvement, accordingly he went to work.

What progrefs he made in five and six-bell peals we fhall pafs over, as not very important, but on feven bells there is every reason to believe that he was the firft who produced 5040 ringable changes,


which was the peal of plain bob tripples, with two fingles (i.e. one at the end of each half). This was looked upon as a very great acquifition (and at that time undoubtedly it was) 'till Mr. Holt's peal, without a fingle, appeared. But notwithftanding Mr. Holt is alfo deferving of all the eulogiums we have paid to his memory, yet it muft be confeffed that he was in fome meafure indebted to Mr. Anable for laying thofe firm foundations on which was afterwards raifed fuch noble ftructures !

Our author's next effort was at Grandfire Tripples, here, though unfuccefsful, he was very far from being contemptible. For tho' he did not obtain the whole peal complete, yet he went much farther than any of his predeceffors, or even contemporaries, and his peal ftood foremoft 'till that of Mr. Holt made its appearance.

From whence he proceeded to Bob Major, where he alfo found confiderable room for improvement. He faw no neceffity for parting the tenors in a peal of either five or fix thoufand. He made the Jixth perform her proper revolution in five courfes, and five-fix to come home together every fifteen, this was undoubtedly a very great addition to Bob Major, for thofe who did not admire the mufic of it before could not help confeffing that this new drefs ferved as a foil, which fet it off to very great advantage. He next proceeded to Caters and Cinques, which he found in fuch a rude and chaos-like jumbled ftate, as may be eafier conceived than defcribed, but Mr. Anable threw them into the harmonious tittu'?s, where they ftill continue, and most likely ever will remam.

The time thefe improvements took place we cannot exactly determine; but the gentleman whofe name we have taken fome pains to celebrate, died in the latter part of the year 17 55, between fixty and feventy years of age, fo that by comparing thefe obfervations with the date of Mr. Holt's works, it may be very nearly judged." 1

It has been shown that another chapter of the " Clavis " states that all peals of Grandsire Triples composed previously to Holt's peals were false ; and it is therefore difficult to follow the reasoning of the above statement. The late Mr. Jasper W. Snowdon was of the opinion that the authors of the " Clavis" knew as little of Annable's compositions as they did about spelling his name ! 2 With the exception of the well-known peal of Bob Major, which is always ascribed to Annable, there is not a single composition known to be his given in their book, while several inferior peals are given.

The late Rev. H. T. Ellacombe-the well-known anti-

1 "Clavis," pp. 270-·2 , • "Grandsire," p. 134.


quarian and writer on bell-history-came into possession of a note-book of Annable's, which later passed to Mr. J. W. Snowdon, who describes its contents fully in Church Bells, 1876-7. Annable was at one time contemplating writing a book on change ringing ; this is shown not only in the arrangement of his note-book, but from the following paragraph in Hearne's MSS.:-

"Anno 1733, came out at London, a little book in 12's, being the third edition of Campanalogia, or the Art of Ringing. One Annables is now putting out a new edition of the same book, which 'tis said, will be the best of its kind ever yet was printed on that subject. The said Annables is one of the London ringers that rung at Oxford, at Whitsun tide in 1733. He rang the 9th bell, and is judged to understand ringing as well as, if not better than, any man in the world." 1

The earlier portion of this note-book contains treble leads of various methods, sometimes accompanied by touches and peals. A variety of touches and a half-peal of Grandsire Triples are also given, with instructions how to call the bells round " in course," but no mention is made of " singles." Although he gives Union Triples, and Double Grandsire Triples, and rules and remarks on obtaining 5040 changes with bobs " and two doubles," it seems that he accepted the theory that 5040 Grandsire Triples could be obtained by ordinary bobs and plain leads only. Even when Holt's one-part peal appeared, he would not abandon this theory, but classed that peal with the other bob and single peals which existed before its appearance, of which he evidently did not approve.

The book also contains reference to John Garthon's peal:--

" Gawthorne's Hie Triples. A bob every time but when the half-hunt is before. A Hie every time the quarter hunt is in the third or fourth places, when the half hunt is before, except the half-quarter-hunt be in one of these places with her."

The lead changes are given under " lead," " Bob," and " Hie," being respectively the " plain," " bob," and " fifth place bob " of the ordinary Grandsire Triples. " Hie " is Latin for "here," and probably the word was chosen to emphasise the call that such a bob was to be made ; fifth place bobs may thus have become known as "Hies."

1 "Hearne's Diaries," vol. i., 142, fol. 144, under date Tuesday, July 9, 1734·


Under reference to the Union Scholars' first peal we have noted that the method is described as " Hick Trebles," rung September 12, 1718, and Mr. Snowdon thinks that this may be the same composition as the Norwich peal; a view strengthened by some copious remarks by W. Doubleday Crofts of Nottingham, who in his MSS. notes gives a description of " Gartharn's Tripples," stating that " the 67's all come the right way through the 5040." It also seems that Crofts knew something of the objections made to the use ofsingles in Grandsire Triples, as he says :-

" As to Grandsire Triples (strictly) it is impossible to have 6-7 always come up the right way behind, therefor Garthern (sic) had advantage in that respect, and though it must be admitted that in a true 5040 all the musick good or bad must fall somewhere, yet, if the whole four and twenty 6-7's are had the right way, it is carrying the music natural as far as you can in that length."

At another reference to Garthon's peal he says:-

" Garthern's Tripples composed in 1717, and rung in Norwich in 1718, the first of the kind ever rung with two doubles. Rung in London in 1719."

This reference to Garthon's peal" rung in London," relates to the Union Scholars' " Hick Trebles," for although Crofts gives the date 1719, it cannot be doubted he refers to that peal.

Annable further provides evidence that the "three-lead plan " was much worked at, as directly following these " Hie Tripples," he gives" The College Youths' Tripples," which is a method composed of single and reverse Grandsire in courses of fifteen leads each. He then gives " Gogmagog Triples," which on five bells is only Grandsire with several singles introduced in the 120, and this is exactly followed in the Triples, it being merely a 5040 on the three-lead plan. Unfortunately he does not give this method " in extenso " in Triples, so evidently he considered it as Grandsire, although one would like to know how he distinguished the two. Further on in his note-book Annable has " Grandsire Triples with 24 doubles," which, besides containing a variety of singles, has what are known as " Holt's Singles " at half-peal-ends, showing that however critical with regard to the composition of others, he was hardly so careful in the nomenclature of his own work.


As a ringer Annable was evidently a master, for in reading the records of performances of the period in which he rung, his abilities are clearly seen. At St. Bride's, Fleet Street, on January IO, 1724, he rang the second bell to so6o Grandsire Cinques, " being ye first that ever was done," and at the same place on November 22, 1725, he rang the tenor and called the first peal of Bob Royal, following with the first of Bob Maxim us on February 26, 1726. It is stated that after this performance all the persons who rang in the peal left the church in their own carriages!

Snowdon says that Annable joined the College Youths in 1721, was steward in 1737, and master in 1746. The last mention of him in a peal is at St. Leonard's, Shoreditch, 1754. He was by trade a baker, for on the first page of the abovementioned note-book is written :-

" London College Youths Amsterdam Coffee House

Benjamin Annable, Baker."

The author, in searching at Leicester Library, discovered what is probably the record of Annable's second marriage. Thus at St. Bene't, Paul's Wharf, London, is this entry:-

" 1734 Sep 17. Benjamin Annable of White Chapple Middx W. and Elizabeth Hodgson of S. Andrew, Undershaft, Lond. W." 1

Space will not permit the giving of his many other peal performances ; suffice it to say that he was a great man of his day, and on his death-February I, 1756-the following eulogy was written:-

" A few nights ago was buried under the tower of S. Bride's, Mr. Benjamin Annabel, the best ringer that was ever known in the world. Till his time ringing was only called an Art, but from the strength of his great Genius, he married it to the Mathematics, and 'tis now a Science. This man of Figures and Ringing was like a Newton in Philosophy, a Ratcliffe in Physic, a Hardwick in Wisdom and Law, a Handel in Music, a Shakespeare in Writing, a Garrick in Acting. 0 rare Ben." 2

1 "Marriage Registers" vol. iii. Transcribed by W. A. Littledale, M.A., F.S.A.

2 The legend of his supposed peal of January, 1689-go, is shown on p 75·


William Shipway

Writing in the Ringing World, August 25, 1916, Mr. J. Armiger Trollope thus describes William Shipway :-

" He was not a great composer like Holt or Reeves were ; not a great writer like Stedman ; not a great ringer and Conductor like George Gross ; not a great man like old Ben Annable. He was capable, accurate, well-informed and industrious; and he made a book which is certainly the best of its kind we possess.l Which is to say that, of all the books written to be comprehensive guides to ringing, such as a ringer might have at his hand from the time he first touched a rope, until he had attained his best, it is easily first . It is far better than Hubbard, or Sottenstall, or Banister, and today the ringer who knows all there is in Shipway knows a great deal more than the average competent ringer does . . . "

Shipway's great work is divided into three parts, and covers (1) 112; (2) 288; (3) 300 pages in the Bell News reprint of 1886 ; it is most comprehensive in range of methods, peals, etc. In fact, it is true to say, as does Mr. J. A. Trollope, that " if all the books on ringing were to be destroyed and their learning with them, and only one retained, that one would have to be Shipway." His title page is as follows:-

THE

(!!;ampamdogia; or,

UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTOR IN THE ART OF RINGING

IN THREE PARTS

CONTAINING

PART 1., The First Principles of the Art clearly explained for the Use of

Learners, in the Original, and many New Methods.

PART II., The Principle of Bobs and Singles ; with an Explanation of the in and out of course of the Changes ; and the proper Method of

bringing Bells into Rounds.

1 " The Campf~na)ogia or l}niversal Instructor in the Art of Ringing,"

J8l6. .


PART III., Directions for Composing, Proving and Conducting Peals ; with nearly Two Hundred new Peals by the Author, assisted by the most

eminent Composers. THE WHOLE

INCLUDING EIGHT VARIATIONS OF TREBLE BOB

CONTAINED IN TWELVE SYSTEMS. To which is prefixed

AN

ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN OF BELLS IN CHURCHES WITH THE

PRINCIPAL PEALS OF BELLS IN ENGLAND

By WILLIAM SHIPWAY WARNER OF THE SOCIETY OF CUMBERLAND YOUTHS

LONDON: PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR,

AND SOLD BY SHERWOOD, NEELY, AND }ONES, PATERNOSTER Row, AND BY ALL BooKSELLERS

AND NEWSMEN

1816.

Shipway was born at Bath on September 29, 1760. He tells us that he rang as far as Treble Bob Royal before leaving for London, and that the principal motive for his change of residence was that " although Bath had a respectable and able band of ringers, yet the art did not improve so rapidly as he wished." He rang many peals, including the opening of Painswick twelve bells (5213 Grandsire Cinques), October 11, 1820, in many parts of the country, which will be found elsewhere. He died in 1842, aged eighty-two.

Samuel Lawrence, of Shifnal, was a celebrated ringer, and his peals cover a wide area. He was born about 1760, and was buried in Shifnal churchyard, near the belfry door, in 1825. He was supposed to be the second heaviest man in England, weighing upwards of 32 stone, and could not ring at several churches because of the narrow stainvays leading to the belfries. At St. Alkmund's, Shrewsbury, on one occasion, he stuck in the stairway, and it took five of the band to get him out I He must have been a man of some means, as he is recorded in peals as far distant as London, Coventry, Birmingham and elsewhere, and travel in those days was not easy or cheap. His peal-book,


records have

preserved m the Reference Library, Shrewsbury, seventy-two peals-given briefly below 1-and some interesting footnotes, little sketches of churches, etc.

No.

I 2 3 4 5 6 7

•8 9

• .10 II I2 I3 I4 IS I6 I7 I8 I9 20 21 22

23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31 32

0 33 34 35 36

37 38 39 40

Date.

April 30, I783 Sept. 27, I784 Feb. 8, I785 April23, I785 Oct. 24, 1785 Dec. 25, 1785 .July 23, 1786 Aug. 19, I786 Oct. 1, 1786

" 8, 1786 Nov. 26, 1786 It :27, 1786

Dec. 5, 1786 Dec. 28, I786 June 4, I787 July 22, 1787 Sept. 30, I7B7 Oct. 7, I787 Nov. I8, I787 Dec. 10, I 787 Jan. 6, I788 Jan. 3I, 1788

July I3, I788 Aug. s, I788

, 29, 1788 Oct. 6, I788

Dec. 28, I788 Mch. 22, 1790 Apl. 27, I790 May 20, 1790 Oct. 25, 1790 Nov. 5, I797 July I8, I798 Feb. 4, I8oo Feb. n, t8o2 Mch. 29, I8o2

Oct. 30, I8o2 July 27, I8o3 Mch. 26, I8os Easter Mon.,

I8o6 Aug. 6, I8og Scp. 25, I8og

Jl 26, 1809 May 6, IBII june 25, z8n Sept. 3, I8II May Ig, I8I2

n 20, 1812 June 4, I8I2 July 27, I8I2 Feb. I7, I8I3 Dec. 27, I8I3 June 7, I8I4 Oct . IS, I8I4 May I9, ISIS Oct . 22, IBIS " 23, IBIS , 25, IBIS

Changes.

5,040 5,120 6,000

1o,o8o 5,120 5,024 6,6o8 s,o88 6,ot6 5,184 6,128 6,570 8,027 5,040 6,ooo 5,040 5,152 s,:zrg 5,120 s,o88 5,220 6,112

5,040 6,016 5.344 6,204

5,200 6,272 s,o88 5,040 5,292 5,040 5,148 5,120 s,oo7 5,040

5,039 5,040 5,040 s,o88 5,120 5,280 3,400 5,040 5,440 5,040 5,120 5,120 s,o88 s,oi6 5,02I 5,021 5,040 5,255 6,o16

S. LAWRENCE'S PEALS.

Method.

Grandsire Triples Oxford T.B. Major Bob Major

o~ford'T. B. M~jor

Bob 'Major ,

o~ford T.n. M~jor Bob Major

G;~ndsi;~ Cate~s

Grand~ire cdters Bob Major . Grandsire Triples Oxford T.B. Major Grandsire Caters Bob Major

B~b R~Yal . Oxford T.B. Major

Grandsire Triples Oxford T.B. Major

Sted~an Cin'Ques

Oxford T.B. Royal Oxford T.B. Major Kent T.B. Major Bob Triples Stedman Caters Grandsire Triples Grandsire Cinques Bob Major . Grandsire Major . Oxford T.B. Maxim us

Grandsire Caters

Bob :M'ajor '' . Grandsire Triples Oxford T.B. Major

Oxford T.B. 'Royal Grandsire Triples Oxford T.B. Major Grandsire Triples Bob Major . Oxford T.B. Royal .

,, ,, Maximus Grandsire Cinques

, Caters

Bob R.~yal '' Grandsire Caters Bob Major

Place.

Shifnal . Aston, B'ham. Shifnal

Ast~n, B'ham. Shifnal

Woi~erha.mpton Aston, B'harn. Soli hull, B'ham. Derltend " S. Martin's,,

S. Ma~'y , W~~wick . S. Giles, Northampton Mortlake, Surrey . Whitechapel, London All Saints', Fulham Isleworth Battersea . . All Saints', Fulham . S. Clement Danes,

London. S. Mary, Kensington. Battersea

S. Ma~iin's~in-theFields.

S. Peter's, S. Albans. Shifnal

S. Philip's: Birm.ingha~ Shifnal . . . S. Chad, Shrewsbury Oswestry. Shifnal S. Martin's-in-the-

Fields. S. Chad, Shrewsbury VVrexham S. Chad, Shrewsbury

S. Michael, Coventry. Shifnal . . Dolgelly in Wales

" H • S. James, Stourbridge Staveley, Derby . S. Mary, Shrewsbury. S. Alkmund, , High Ercall, Shrops. Newport " High Ercall , . S. Mary, Shrewsbury. S. Chad, , Liverpool Aston, B'ham. Lichfield Cathedral Painswick, Glos. Stroud, , . S. Mary-de-Crypt,Glos.

Conductor.

A. Peake. S. Lawrence. S. Lawrence. A. Peake. S. Lawrence. Thos. Clemson.

s.''La,vr'~nce.

C.' Shut~r. ;'.'Mackenzie. S. Lawrence. ]. Povey. T. Blakemore. ]. Johnson. S. Lawrence.

;'.'Pov~y.

Bartlett. ]. Povey. S. Lawrence. T. Blakemore.

S: LaV:;ence.

1!: Clc~~on. C. Shuler. T. Clemson. C. Barber. S. Lawrence. T. Clemson. T. Blakemore.

R. Cross.

J. Grayson. S. Lawrence. J. Hints. R. Cross. S.Hill. S. Lawrence. W. Booth. S.Hill.

If c;~ss. H: Co~per.

;'.'Riley.

s'.'La~rence.

1 Extracted by Mr. Arthur Pritchard, of Wellington, Salop. A copy is also in the possession of Mr. T. E. Slater, of Glemsford, Suffok.

C.R, Lll.l


No. Date.

59 Apl. I5, I8I6 6o J une I 7, ISI6 61 , x8, r 8r 6 62 Aug. I7, ISIS 63 Dec. 1 2, t 8 I8 64 Jan . 4, ISig 65 11 6, 1819 66 J une 5, I Sig 67 J uly 14, IS i g 6S April I7, IS2o 69 May 22, 182 0

70 Dec. 13, r8zo 71 , 28 , 182o 72 Oct. 2, rS23

S. L AWRENCE'S PEALS-Contd.

Changes.

5,01 2 5 ,02 1 5,039 5,000

5,039 5 ,200 5,040 5,040 5,076 7, 200 5 , 120 5,040 6,600 5,040

Method.

Grandsire Tr iples Grandsire Caters

Oxtor'd T.B. R~yal Grandsire Caters Oxford T.B. Royal Bob Major . Stedman Triples Grandsire Cat ers Kent T.B. Maximus. ., ., Roya l

s't'ectma~ CinQu~s Bob Triples .

Place .

Lane E nd , Staffs. Bromsgrove

Wrexh'am S. Mary, Shrewsbury. Dudley, Staffs ..

Shif~l " Ashton·under·Lyne S. Mart in's, B'ham .. Chesterfield Dudley S. Martin 's, B 'ham .. Stourbridge

Peal No. 7 was composed and called by T . Clemson, si t t ing in the tower! Those marked • are the first peel on t he bells.

Conductor.

W . Jaegar. J. Penn .

{Ri!~y. W. Bull . T. Chapman. S. Hill. H . Cooper. J. Tebbs. T . Thurs tans. J. Tebbs . T . Thurstans.

There are curious entries on some of these peals, at No. 24, for example : " This peal is not entered in the Society's book. The bells did not come round clean, owing to the 5th going down from 3rds place, instead of returning up." No. 25 : " This peal is not entered in the Society's book. The bells got out of course and were called round, and it was said by some that there were changes over again." No. 59 : " 5012 Grandsire Triples-the bells came round owing to an error of the conductor." ·

The above record is given fully to show the wonderful work of a great ringer ; also it mentions places, and peals that otherwise might pass unnoticed.

Lawrence's death was the result of an accident. He was to have been present at a dinner given in honour of the reopeningafter rehanging-of St. Martin's bells, Birmingham, in 1825. Early in the morning, as he was about to set out in the chaise cart, a vehicle especially made for him, but into which he could not mount without assistance, by some means the chair he used was improperly placed ; it broke under him, causing a severe fall and a broken thigh. The news of the accident arrived in Birmingham just as the company were about to sit down, and naturally cast a gloom over the proceedings. Through his great obesity the bone could not be properly set, and mortification followed, causing his death. His gravestone inscription is now almost illegible ; it was worded simply :-


" MARY, wife of SAMUEL LAWRENCE Died May xs-x821

aged 51. SAMUEL LAWRENCE

Died April xs-1825 aged 62."

Dr. Samuel Lee, M.A., Professor of Arabic, etc.

He was a great friend of S. Lawrence, and took part in some of the peals with the Union Society of Shrewsbury. Of humble origin, on leaving school at the age of twelve, he taught himself to read and write Latin, Greek, Hebrew, the Chaldee, Syrian and Samaritan languages. This he did with borrowed books. Subsequently he was admitted to Queens' College, Cambridge, and ordained to Holy Orders. He taught himself seventeen languages, and became a popular and eloquent preacher. He often corresponded with Lawrence, and the following is an extract of a letter, dated November 29, r817 :-

"Your conversation and papers revived in a small Degree my former love for the exercise, insomuch that I was tempted to ascend the Bell-loft of Cambridge and to Ring a Bell in a short touch of Bob Royal. I had not quite forgotten it, but whether these bells went extremely ill , or whether my want of practise was the cause, I know not, but my arms felt so excessively strained that I could scarcely do anything for a short time after. It is curious that those Bells are hung in such a manner that the position of the Ropes in the Belfry is Contrary to any I have ever seen, which appeared very awkward to me. The Bells are finely toned ro in number, the ringing generally was not good."

He mentions his brother James Lee (who rang in a number of peals) as being "very much reduced owing, as he says, to the continued visitations of spirits, among which those of the Prince Regent and Mr. John Hartshorn (the ringer) are his principal tormentors." Evidently this brother was insane and in a home, as Dr. Lee further says, " he is very ill reconciled to his confinement." Dr. Lee also gives Lawrence a hearty invitation to come to Cambridge, but adds :-

" The ringers are very far inferior to your Birmingham friends, they ring Bob Royal , Treble Ten and Caters but rather in an inferior style, but I dare say they will be glad to meet you." 1

1 The Imperial Magazine, November, r8zr (p . 178), has an interesting memoir of Dr. Lee.

M >I 2


George Gross, Sen. Of the Cumberland Youths, London. This remarkable

ringer rang his first peal at St. Mary, Whitechapel, on November 7, 1763 (5o88 Treble Bob, 8 in), and took part in 142 peals in all, the last being on February 22, 1803 (5024 Treble 8 in), at St. Saviour's, Southwark ; which for this period is an unusually large number, showing his great perseverance and abundant ability. Many of the peals he composed and conducted, and they include all the standard methods on 8, 10 and 12 bells. As a mark of respect, the following is added to the record of his last peal :-

"On the 3rd of May died, Mr. George Gross Sen. who served the Society as Warner for twenty years, and by his abilities as Composer and bob-caller caused the fame of this Society to be extended through these kingdoms. His compositions in this Art are held in the highest estimation by all admirers of this Exercise : But more especially for his productions in Treble Bob, in which he surpassed all his contemporaries, and which will ever remain a lasting monument to his skill."

He was buried with ringing honours at St. Leonard's, Shoreditch, being carried and followed to his grave by ringers, many carrying a muffled hand-bell, which was made to speak now and again, in mournful tones, to pay a last tribute to one of the most eminent members of the family of bellringers.

George Gross, Jun. Only son of G. Gross, Sen., he was indeed a wonderful son

of a wonderful father ; both were eminent composers and conductors of peals, among which were memorable performances marking an epoch in the history of change ringing. They rang forty-nine peals together, the son 108 in all . His last was on December 12, 1831, and, as did his father, he included in his list all standard methods. One peal comprised four fathers and four sons, being 5040 Grandsire Triples on March 11, 1822, at St. George-in-the-East.

The son was one of the first men who at the same time rang and conducted Holt's Original peal of Grandsire.

Samuel Thurston. This illustrious ringer was the son of a Mr. Frank Thurston.

He was born at Norwich, in the parish of St. Martin-at-Oak, on


February 19, 1789, baptised on the 27th of that month, and was brought up to the trade of a stonemason, for many years being employed at Norwich Cathedral. During his ringing career he was the strength and stay of the Norwich Scholars. The first mention of his connection with the art is on July 1, 1809, when he tapped upon hand-bells at the New Theatre, Norwich, several plain courses in different methods.1 On October 22 of that year he rang his first peal-5040 Bob Major at St. Giles', Norwich, conducted by Mr. Jeffry Kelf-the first peal by all the band. Soon after this he married, at St. Martin-at-Palace, Marianne Coleman, January 14, x81o. The Norwich Scholars once had a John Coleman among them, who died 1835, and it is probable that Thurston's wife was one of his family. Thurston's second peal was one of 6ooo Bob Major, at Bungay, with the local company. He was elected to the College Youths in 1813, although he had not then become a member of the Norwich Scholars. He had, however, become such an accomplished ringer that in the local Press he challenged Mr. Chesnutt (the then leader of St. Peter Mancroft company) to ring with him for £Ioo! This led to a controversy in the papers, but it is doubtful if the challenge was accepted, as no settlement could be arrived at from the various suggestions made. Thurston nevertheless soon afterwards became a Norwich Scholar, as on April 29, 1814, his name is recorded as one of St. Peter's company. His first peal with them was on the occasion of the grand opening of Helmingham bells in 1816, when on the third day of the festival they rang 5376 Oxford Treble Bob Major with sixth-place bobs, the Norwich Scholars having previously practised this method and rung a long length at home. From this time Thurston seems to be the leading light of the Norwich Society. He composed, and rang the tenor at St. Peter's, that very remarkable peal of Norwich Court Bob Maximus, for the prowess of which the Norwich Scholars presented him with an elegant silver-gilt jewel, inscribed :-

"Presented to Mr. S. Thurston, July 4th, 18zs, by the United Ringers of S. Peter Mancroft, for his Eminent Services in composing the peal of Norwich Court Twelve In, and ringing the tenor in a Superior Style."

1 For a full account of this performance, see p. 439·


Thurston's next peal was 5264 Bob Major at Aylsham, and his first as conductor/ in the same year, at the same place, he called Holt's six-part Bob Triples, the latter being termed "Bob Major Treble." In 1818, at Loddon, he rang 5040 Bob Minor, being seven different 72o's. About 1819 we find him officiating as a bellhanger, having hung bells at Blofield, Warstead, Paston and Weston. A very interesting painting was formerly in the possession of his daughter, a Mrs. Finlaw, of Macclesfield, which illustrated Mr. Thurston standing in the belfry with a rope in one hand and a MS. in the other inscribed" The Art of Change Ringing." It was presented to Thurston by the society for " his valuable aid in Composing, Ringing and Conducting a quarter-peal of Stedman Triples on handbells, the first ever rung double-handed." This was rung on February 22, 1822, and Thurston made a stone tablet for this performance, and placed it in St. Peter's belfry. The presentation took place on August 3 of the same year. The address underneath it is dated 1822.

Through the courtesy of Mr. Theodore E. Slater, of Glemsford, Suffolk, we are enabled to give a photo of this painting (Fig. 95).

In 1823 Thurston rang s-6 on hand-bells, with six other ringers, to a peal of Bob Major, and also rang the tenor at Hingham to Reeves' 6400 Oxford Treble Bob Major:-

November 22, 1823, in 4 hours 3 minutes, by the following:-

ELIJAH MASON . . . . Treble JAMES NEWBY 5 JOHN GREENWOOD 2 CHAS. PAYNE 6 WM. MARDEY 3 JoHN BuRGESs 7 JoHN RINGER 4 SAML. THURSTON (conductor) 8

Among other peals which followed were Reeves' Extent of Treble Bob Major with 7-8 together-8448 changes-at St. Michael's Coslany. His next performance was a half-peal of Stedman Triples, composed by the late J.P. Powell, Esq., of which the following is a record :-

" On Monday, January 3rd, 1825, was rung by eight youths called Norwich Scholars, on S. Andrew's musical peal of eight bells, at

1 April 28, x8x7, in 3 hrs . 12 mins., by]. Clarke x; ]. Mitchell 2; J. Turner 3; T. Gooch 4; T . Edridge 5; J. Warnes 6; Esqr. H . Bun 7; S. Thurston, Tenor.

FIG . 95.-SAMUEL THURSTON (Norwich) .

[To fa ce p. 534·


the first attempt, 2,520 changes or half peal, of Stedman Triples with only two bobs together. This beautiful peal had long been the study of the most scientific ringers, but without success, till the persevering industry and consummate skill of J.P. Powell Esqr. of Thanet, Kent, brought it to perfection, and is allowed by the best judges in the Art to be a most ingenious peal for the number of changes in Stedman Triples that was ever composed. The peal was conducted by Mr. Samuel Thurston of this city, and rung by the following persons : William Mann, Treble ; George Homes 2; Frederick Watering 3; John Hornegold 4; Joshua Hurry 5; Thomas Hurry 6; Samuel Thurston 7; John Coleman, Tenor."

Then came the first peal rung on hand-bells, by four Norwich Scholars, considered a grand performance, and witnessed by three others of the same company. Several other peals followed.

In 1829 Thurston left Norwich for London, but remained away only one year, and never again left the Society of Norwich Scholars. While in London he rang three peals with the College Youths, as may be seen in the following schedule. He rang-on his return to Norwich-some further noteworthy hand-bell performances, and his tower-bell peals include 6160 Double Norwich Court Bob Major, then the longest rung. In an attempt for Stedman Cinques he made a mistake in calling, and the bells ran round at 4885 changes at St. Peter Mancroft. He conducted a peal of Double Oxford Bob Major-the composition of Wm. Shipway-the first ever rung, and the longest of the method for many years, viz., 6ooo changes at St. Giles', Norwich, July 26, 1832. One of Thurston's greatest peals followed : 5376 Superlative Surprise-an abridgment of Wm. Shipway's thirty-course peal. The record states that the extreme intricacy of this composition places it at the highest point of practical attainment in the extensive science of change ringing. Moreover, this celebrated peal was rung at the first attempt, in superior style.

Then came London Surprise-the top of the tree-being the first of that method rung in England.

Thurston was about 5 ft. 8 in. in height, and a very stout man, said to weigh 17 stone. He died suddenly on January 9, 1841, and a memorial to him is placed under the tower arch at St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich:-


THIS STONE IS ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF

MR. SAMUEL THURSTON. MANY YEARS AN EMINENT RINGER OF THIS PARISH IN COMMEMORATION OF HIS GREAT ABILITIES AND PERSEVERANCE IN ADVANCING THE ART OF RINGING HE HAVING PERFORMED AND CONDUCTED MANY OF

THE MOST INTRICATE PEALS EXTANT. HE SUDDENLY DEPARTED THIS LIFE

MUCH REGRETTED BY THE EXERCISERS AT LARGE ON THE 9TH OF JANRY, 1841

I Oct. 22 2 Aug. I 3 June I2 4 Jan. 20 5 April28 6 Oct. 25 7 Jan. 29 8 Oct. 2I

I9 Dec. 28 Io Oct. 2I II Nov. 22 I2 Dec. 5 I3 Feb. 23 I4 Mar. 23 IS Nov. I8 I6 Aug. 24 I7 Nov. II I8 Feb. I3 29 April I3 20 May I9 2I Oct. 29 22 Nov. 2 23 June 20 24 Oct. 23 25 Oct. 25 26 Dec. I7 27 Jan. I7 28 Nov. I 39 Mar. IO 30 July 26 3I Jan. 6 32 Feb. 6 33 Nov. I7 34 Nov. I6 35 Jan. I3 36 Mar. 25

lohn Cox

IN THE szND YEAR OF HIS AGE.

SAMUEL THURSTON'S PEALS I809 Bob Major 5040 3·7 I8I2 Bob Major 6ooo 3-40 I816 Ox. T. B. Maj... 5376 3.28 1817 Nor. Ct. B. Mx. 5016 4·2 18I7 Bob Major 5264* 3.12 I817 Bob Triples 5040* 3.1 18I7 Seven 72o's B. M. 5040* 3·I5 I82o Bob Major 5040* 3.Io I822 Ox. T. B. Maj .. . 5120* 2.59 1823 Bob Major (h) . . 5040* 2.55 1823 Ox. T. B. Maj... 64oo• 4·3 I823 Ox. T. B . Maj .. . 5088* 3.10 I824 Grandsire Triples 5040* 3.Io I824 Ox. T. B. Maj... 528o• 3·5 I824 Ox. T. B. Maj... 8448* 5·I7 I826 Ox. T. B. Maj (h) so88* 2-45 I826 Ox. T. B. Maj... s6oo* 3·34 1827 Ox. T. B. Royal 5040* 3.52 I827 Ox. T. B. M aj... so88" 3.I8 I827 Dbl. Nor. Ct. Mj. 5376* 3.16 1827 Ox. T. B. Maj... 688o• 3·47 1827 Ox. T. B. Maj... 5024* 3·9 I829 Ox.T. B.Maj . (h) S28o• 2.45 1829 Grandsire Triples 5040 2.54 1829 Ox. T. B. Maj... 5120* 3.2 1829 Ox. T. B. Maj... 512o• 3.32 1831 Ox. T. B. Maj... 5440 3.23 I831 Dbl. Nor. Ct. Mj. 6I6o• 3·35 1832 Ox. T. B. Maj .. . 6720 3·53 1832 Dbl. Ox. Major 6ooo• 3.27 I834 Ox. T. B. Maj... 512o• 3.II 1835 Suprlat. Surprise 5376* 3·I5 1835 London Surprise 528o* 3.25 1837 Ox. T. B. Maj.. . 736o• 4·44 1838 Ox. T. B. Maj... 528o• 3.30 1839 Stedman Triples 5040" 2.55

• Conducted by Thurston.

S. Giles Norwich Bungay, Suffolk Helmingham S. Peter Mancroft Aylsham Aylsham Loddon, Norfolk S. Michael Norwich Kenninghall S. George Colegate Hingham S. Andrew Norwich S. Andrew Norwich Aylsham S. Michael Coslany Norwich Bungay, Suffolk. S. Peter Mancroft S. Peter Thetford S. Giles Norwich Alburgh S. Michael Coslany Crostwick S. Mary Abbots S. Mary Isleworth S. Clement Danes S . Michael Coslany S. Michael Coslany S. Giles Norwich S. Giles Norwich Diss, Norfolk S. Giles Norwich S. Andrew Norwich S . Andr.ew Norwich Redenhall S. Giles Norwich

A member of the Cumberland Youths, London, and a most prominent ringer of his day, in which he excelled most of his


contemporaries. He not only was a good composer and conductor on tower bells in all methods, but rang a number " in hand," and called Holt's Original and the first of Stedman Triples. He was one of the few who used to ring any two to Stedman Cinques, and on one occasion the second and ninth fell to his lot, and he accomplished that. He could ring four hand-bells to Grandsire and Stedman, and once called nine courses of Stedman Triples on I, 2, 3, 4 ; another time rang 2, 3, 4, 5, to a course of Stedman Caters. Also in" chiming" he could by " clocking " the bells chime six bells in fourteen methods, and once did a full 720. They included Double and Single Oxford, Stedman Slow Course, Double and Single Court, Treble Bob, and Cambridge Surprise. His name will be found among a number of the performances herein quoted, and is shown upon many a peal tablet in the Metropolis and elsewhere.

Henry Hubbard was originally one of the Norwich Scholars, with whom he rang a number of peals. In 1843 Hubbard rang the tenor at St. Michael's, Coslany, Norwich, to 5248 Oxford T.B. Major, conducted by James Truman. From 1845 to 1852 he was away from Norwich, but after his return took part in peals of Stedman Triples at St. Michael's, and 5076 Stedman Caters at St. Nicholas', Great Yarmouth. This peal, by Shipway, was afterwards found to be false, and was the last Hubbard rang with the Norwich Scholars.

On February 2, 1856, he migrated to Leeds, and there joined the St. Peter's Society. The ringers comprising this society were not up to the Norwich standard, and nothing of outstanding significance occurred while he was connected with them. He rang a few peals in Leeds and district, one of Grandsire Triples, one of Kent T.B. Royal, and some of Kent T.B. Major. His last peal-which he conducted-was so88 of the latter at Guiseley, August 23, 1868, when in his sixty-first year. In 1881, from bad health, he had fallen into a state of destitution, and at a general meeting of the Yorkshire Association a fund was started for his relief, Mr. Jasper W. Snowdon issuing the appeal. He died, however, before the funds were all collected, and was buried at Hunslet ; after paying the funeral expenses, the fund was devoted to providing a headstone, which is inscribed :-


" As a Tribute of Respect to HENRY HUBBARD, CHANGE RINGER,

Born at Norwich, August 25th, x8xo. Died at Hunslet, October 9th, r88x,

Aged 71 years. Author of the ' Elements of Campanologia,' twenty years a member of the Society of Norwich Scholars, and afterwards for twenty-two years a ringer at the Leeds Parish Church. This stone was erected by the contributions of change ringers from different parts of the country."

Among the subscribers appear the names of J. R. Haworth, William Banister, C. H. Hattersley, H. Johnson, J. Carter, Rev. F. E. Robinson and J. F. Penning.

Hubbard had one son, also called Henry, who rang a few peals. He was born while his father was up in St. Giles' belfry ringing the peal of Double Oxford in 1832.

,James Hewett was born on December 4, 1817, in Spitalfields, began his career at the age of eleven, and at fourteen began to learn change ringing at St. George's, Southwark. At fifteen he rang his first peal ( Grandsire Triples), at Holy Trinity, Southwark (1833), then he studied medicine and music for two or three years. In 1836-37, in company with John Cox and Ed. Howe, he used frequently to ring three leads of Oxford T.B. Maximus in hand. Returning to ringing at Clerkenwell, he formed the acquaintance of H. Burwash, W. Shipway and others, from whom he learned the mysteries of composition, etc. He rang many peals with the Cumberland Youths between 1839 and 1871, and from 1842 to 1871 others with St. James' Society. In 18so, P. T. Barnum, the showman, engaged five hand-bell ringers of the Royal Cumberland Youths to go on tour for twelve months-H. W. Haley, Sen., E. Sawyer, W. Lobb, H. Kent and J. Hewett. They began at New York, and gained great popularity and success. While at Philadelphia four of them, with three English residents, rang a peal on the church bells,1 an American being engaged to ring the tenor. They visited most of the principal towns of the States. On returning to England, Hewett joined a hand-bell party bound for a month in Berlin-seven of them-E. Sawyer and three sons, and J. Hewett, J. Rogers and E. Collingwood.

At Hamburg, on their way back, they fell in with a circus 1 Seep. 312.

FIG. <)6 .- )MIES HEWETT (Gosport) .

[To face p. 538.


company, and were persuaded to join it. They gave an exhibition at Prague, the Ex-Emperor of Austria and several of the Imperial Family being present, and visited many places in Germany, Austria and Italy. At Turin they performed before Victor Emmanuel, King of Sardinia. They were three years away from England, coming back in 1858. In 1859 Hewett went on tour with the Aztecs show, his colleagues being J. Cox, E. Collingwood, J. Rogers and Bulter ; they went through Wales and Ireland, as well as touring England. In 186o they were engaged to perform for three months at St. Petersburg and Moscow. In 1861 four of the band went to Copenhagen and Christiania, then toured Germany, giving turns in many cities ; and afterwards went to Russia, performing at Memel and Riga. After some unpleasant experiences owing to winter setting in, and political upheavals, they eventually broke up, all returning to England except J, Hewett, who found employment as a musician, storekeeper, etc., and remained abroad until 1866.

In 1879 the Winchester Diocesan Guild of Ringers was founded, and from its earliest years was much indebted to Hewett's judgment and abilities in ringing matters. He gave advice and instruction to many bands, and rang numerous peals with this society. He died in 1899.

Henry William Haley, who died at Bethnal Green, January 29, 1886, in his sixty-seventh year, was a ringer of exceptional ability. He was born February 19, 1819. At a very early age he was introduced to the art, and before becoming a change ringer, actually-with a band of youths-rang and conducted sixteen peals of various methods on hand-bells by lapping, including Stedman Cinques, Double Norwich Court Bob Maximus, etc. Afterwards he became prominent with the London men, and at the early age of twenty-three composed and called his first peal-5079 Stedman Caters at Fulham. He was then attached to the Cumberlands, with whom he accomplished some brilliant peals. In 1854 he joined the College Youths, and continued the good work. On hand-bells he rang (and usually called) two peals Stedman Cinques ; three of Caters ; two of Triples, three Grandsire Triples. One of the Stedman Triples was non-conducted. He was one of the party who went to the U.S.A. in 1850 and at Philadelphia rang Holt's


ten-part. Among noted peals of his were 8580 Stedman Cinques at Cornhill in 1861 ; 1s,84o Kent T.B. Major at Bethnal Green, and 8448 of the same at Spitalfields. He was in the " silent " peal of Grandsire Triples (Holt's Original) at St. Giles' -in-theFields in 1884. Altogether he rang 182 peals, and conducted ISS• of which he composed lOS.

Henry Johnson (Birmingham). Born at Lichfield, February 28, 1809; died January 7, 1890. Few ringers of the present generation knew anything of this fine old English gentleman, but most know of him by reputation. He was only four years of age when his parents removed to Birmingham. At th~ age of seventeen he first entered a belfry, and this was destined to be the start of a ringing career of great distinction, especially in the realm of composition.

As a youth he haunted the steeple of Aston Parish Church, where-at that time-little else but rounds and call changes were rung. A young company was started and change ringing assiduously practised, so that on January 12, 1830, their first peal, 5040 Grandsire Triples, was rung, composed and conducted by the late Thomas Day, of Treble Bob fame. During the same year another peal was rung, and in 1832 a third, this time with muffled bells to the memory of Joshua Short, who had turned Aston tenor into IS,36o Bob Major. This was Mr. Johnson's first peal as conductor. In 1833 he was elected a member of St. Martin 's Guild, and during his arduous career most of his peals-nearly 140-were rung by that society, viz. : Grandsire Triples 20 Treble Bob Major 9 Stedman Triples 14

Major 2 , Caters I Major I Caters I r , Royal 6 Caters 51

Royal 2 , Maximus 2 Royal ,. Cinques 4 Cinques 12

A great many of these were composed, and many (more than fifty) were conducted by him. The peals of Treble Bob Caters, Stedman Major and Royal were the first ever rung, and denote a pertinacity unusual among composers. He produced Double Norwich extents with tenors together and inverted: Grandsire Triples without a plain lead. He was the first to produce soo3 Grandsire Caters with sixth, her extent wrong and right, without either an 89 or 978 called throughout. It would take an entire volume to give in detail all the data of Mr. Johnson's peals, composed and conducted.

FIG. 97.-HENRY ]OHKSON (Birmingham).

[To fa ce p. 540.

FIG. 98 .-JASPER w. SNOWDO:-<.

(Historian and Expositor of Change Ringing.)

[To face p.-541.


The long peal of 10,047 Stedman Caters rung at Aston was composed by him. At an advanced age he took part in a record length (at that time) of 9238 Stedman Cinques, occupying six hours forty-eight minutes. Fortunately, this was achieved on his seventy-second birthday ! On the anniversary of this, he rang the sixth bell through 5014 Cinques.

At his death muffled peals were rung all over the country, and a public subscription resulted in a polished granite monument being erected over his grave in Aston Churchyard, the inscription of which runs :-

This stone is erected by the Ringers of England in grateful memory of HENRY JOHNSON

to whose ability and perseverance the art of change-ringing is wide indebted.

Born at Lichfield Feb 28th r8o9, Died at Aston January 7th r8go.

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."

To his revered memory, a dinner is held every year by the St. Martin's Guild, and this is attended by ringers from all parts of England, being looked upon as one of the great ringing festivals of the year.

Jasper Whitfield Snowdon 1 was the second son of the Rev. John Snowdon, M.A., Vicar of Ilkley, Yorks, where he was born June 18, 1844. From earliest boyhood he distinguished himself as an athlete, joining vigorously in climbing, walking, swimming, and all manner of exercise. When at home at Ilkley, he witnessed and later took part in ringing, and at an early age kept notes of all his activities carefully written up. Of his many long-distance walks he kept account, and his activities in and around the district were well known. In 1870 he formed the " Ilkley Amateur Society of Change Ringers," and after managing their first 720, went on to higher records. Progress was rapid and Ilkley soon had eight bells. Snowdon, not content with the mere ringing, took interest in the theoretical side, and treatises on the " Proof of Treble Bob," the " History of Grandsire Triples," " Surprise Peals," and later the magnificent series of books on ringing and its history, came from his pen. He was respected and esteemed by the leading

1 A full memoir is given in" Grandsire," r888, pp. r-22.


men of his day, and his great energy and methodical arrangement of facts relating to early ringing history earned for him

THE "JASPER SNOWDON" MEMORIAL WINDOW. (Eru:tt41n llkltJ Chrch. l~orb.J

FIG. 99·

the confidence of all. His books and other publications are a monument of continued application and concentrated effort, and no ringer's library can be complete without his works.

He wrote reports and articles on the MSS. of Dr. Mason, of


Cambridge ; Annable, of London ; · Barham, of Leeds ; and the Union Scholars of London peals; besides many other treatises on the history and proof of all standard methods. In search of historic data he travelled all over the country ; he also joined in ringing many peals and lesser " touches." His total peals were :-Seven Minor peals 1

Bob Triples 3 Grandsire Triples I

Bob Major 8 Kent T.B. Major I04

Oxford , , 3 Double Norwich . . 2

Grandsire Caters Kent T.B. Royal Oxford , , Stedman Cinques Kent Maximus

Total ..

2

2

I

I29

He was one of the founders, and the first president, of the Yorkshire Association of Change Ringing. He passed away on November 16, x885, aged forty-one, and was buried at llkley by the side of his father, mother and sister. His tombstone bears the appropriate verse :-

" Year by year the bells so softly, O'er the graves shall music pour, Where the dust of Saints is garner'd Till the Master comes once more."

Muffled peals to his memory were rung in almost every tower of note throughout the country, so respected and well-esteemed was he. A stained-glass window was erected in llkley Church, subscribed for by ringers of England ; a beautiful piece of work, in which bells are shown swinging in almost every position, with clappers, wheels, ropes, etc., all drawn in their correct positions. Portions of the I soth Psalm are given on scrolls, and the dedication brass is inscribed :-

" To the Glory of God. In memory of Jasper Whitfield Snowdon, Historian and Expositor of Change Ringing. Died Nov. I 6th, I88s, aged 41. This Window was inserted in I887, at the sole Cost of the Change-Ringers of this Country."

Many eulogies have been written to his memory, and a poem by J. Martin Routh, Esq., Barrister-at-Law, then Master of the College Youths, thus ends :-

" What though the deeds in which he played his part, Are not inscribed on England's roll of fame, As long as future ages prize our art, So long shall reverence be for Snowdon's name."


His unfinished works were carried on, and published later by his brother, William Snowdon, with the assistance of the Rev. C. D.P. Davies, M.A.

James W. Washbrook (late of Oxford)

In the ringing world, J. W. Washbrook stood alone as a born genius in ringing, conducting and composing, and it is safe to say that the exercise has never seen his counterpart.

He was born at Oxford, July 27, 1864, where the greater part of his career was spent. When quite a boy he was found in the steeple, and in 188o he rang his first peal, which was conducted by his old friend, the veteran Charles Hounslow. From then on, his extraordinary ability made itself manifest, and pealringing tours that were organised always included J. W. Washbrook. No method was too intricate, and no bell too heavy or badly going for him ; ringers of Oxfordshire and the surrounding district flocked to his standard, and peal-ringing flourished as it had never done before. All records went down before him: xo,o8o Double Norwich in x888; also 13,265 Grandsire Caters, 12,041 and 15,041 Stedman Caters in 1889, during which year he rang 121 peals. In 1892 he conducted 12,096 Double Norwich at Boyne Hill in an attempt for the extent of the tenors together, viz.: 13,440. It was shortened owing to illness of one of the band. He rang many peals at Drayton, Berks, with the Master of the Guild-the late Rev. F. E. Robinson-and once called there three peals in one day, Double Norwich, Superlative and Cambridge Surprise. There also in September, 1896, he added the (then) longest peal of London Surprise Major, 11,328 changes, to his list. In 1895 he visited Wells Cathedral, and turned the great tenor of 57! cwt. in to 5000 Treble Bob Royal, and next day rang St. Cuthbert's tenor to 5040 Double Norwich. In 1899 (May 22), he rung Kidlington tenor to 17,024 changes of Double Norwich in eleven hours twelve minutes-then the longest peal in that method. The same year he moved to Arklow, Ireland, where he afterwards accomplished the unprecedented feat of ringing two tower bells in to peals of Grandsire, Stedman, Bob Major and Double Norwich-also conducting them! 1 He once turned the two tenors in to more than half a peal, a truly marvellous feat of

1 See also p. 483.

riG. IOO.-}AMES W. WASHBROOK, SENR. (Oxford).

FIG. IOI.-CHARLES HENRY HATTERSLEY (Sheffield).

[To face p. 545·


strength, dexterity, and concentration. Leaving Ireland, he lived for a time in Manchester, and still continued to ring in many peals. During the Great War he lost three of his talented sons, a great sorrow to his wife and himself. He died on Christmas Day, 1923, and to his memory the ringers of England subscribed to the erection of two bells at St. Ebbe's, Oxford. A bronze tablet is inscribed :-

" ANNo DoMINI 1925 The bells in this tower were repaired and rehung and two trebles added by the Oxford Diocesan Guild and ringers of the British Empire, in memory of

}AMES W. WASHBROOK a highly skilled ringer, a talented composer, & an able conductor, for many years instructor to the Guild

Born July 27-1864 Died Xmas Day 1923."

Charles Henry Hattersley (Sheffield)

This celebrated ringer took an early interest in the art, and called his first peal at the age of nineteen. He took up composing, and we have many unique peals in all methods from his store, among which a number are " classics " of composition. He rang about 200 peals, the majority being composed and conducted by himself, often from working bells. Some are of historic note, but he always considered the 120

course ends of Stedman Caters rung at Cheltenham in eight hours and twenty minutes his best performance. His travels took him long distances, and he made many acquaintances in all parts of the country. He was a link between the past and present generation of Sheffield ringers, and his records show that he rang a peal with Robert Daft, whose records go back to 1811. His grandfather was William Booth, a noted ringer and composer. In the belfry of Sheffield Cathedral is a library of ringing books and MSS., and the catalogue states :-

" The Charles Henry Hattersley library, Sheffield Cathedral, inaugurated to perpetuate the memory of Charles Henry Hattersley, Vice-President of the Yorkshire Association. member of the Standing Committee of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers ; Member of the Ancient Society of College Youths ; the St. Martin's Guild, Birmingham, etc. and for over 40 years associated with and a member of the Sheffield Parish Church and Cathedral Society.

c.R. li N


A Prince among ringers, who in his lifetime did more perhaps than any man to advance the true interest of Change Ringing in all its aspects. He died at Sheffield, October 21-1915 aged 71 years."

The late Mr. C. H. Hattersley, in the course of a lengthy ringing career, accumulated a great mass of material bearing on the more complex aspects of ringing, consisting of books, MSS., etc.

After his death (he having left no instructions as to their disposal), the question arose as to where they should be placed. To Mr. Sam Thomas occurred the idea of making them the nucleus of a library to be established at the Sheffield Cathedral, which suggestion was readily agreed to by Mrs. Hattersley and family, and enthusiastically adopted by the ringers of the Cathedral.

A committee was formed, which carried out this scheme, and to-day, with the addition of other books, etc., contributed by ringers and friends, this memorial library is one of the finest of its kind in the country. This plan might well be adopted by other towers (as, indeed, it is at St. Martin's, Birmingham, St. Alkmund's, Derby, and elsewhere), not only to perpetuate the memory of an enthusiastic associate, but to retain valuable books, MSS., and other works that may be lost to the exercise for ever, as other similar works have been in the past.

Lord Chief Justice Cherry I

Many eminent men have graced the ringing exercise, but the ranks of those who practise the Art have possessed only one of his Majesty's judges, and that was one who held the exalted position of Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. Sir Richard Cherry served his~ country with distinction in many important public offices, and the exercise is honoured in numbering among its devotees one who has been so highly placed in the councils of the nation, and who dignified the chief judicial office in the sister isle.

Born near Waterford on March 19, 1859, Lord Chief Justice Cherry was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where he graduated a B.A. in 1879, and was double gold medallist in mental science, and history and political science. Taking

1 See The Bellringer, February 2, 1907, p. 91 ; also Ringing World, July 24, 1914, p. 57·


up the law as a profession, Mr. Cherry, as he then was, was first scholar in International Law at the Middle Temple, London, and was called to the Irish Bar in 1881, taking silk in 1896. He was examiner in Political Economy for the Indian Civil Service, 1888-89, professor of Constitutional and Criminal Law in the University of Dublin, 1889-94. Turning his attention to politics as well as to law, he contested the Kirkdale division of Liverpool in 1900 and in the General Election of 1906 was elected for the Exchange division of Liverpool, which he represented until 1909, when he was elevated to the Bench as a Lord Justice of Appeal for Ireland, having since 1905 been Attorney-General. Although the Lord Chief Justice had necessarily many and pressing duties, he regularly took his place in the belfry at St. Patrick's Cathedral when he was in Dublin.

He learned to ring as a boy at Waterford in 1872, when a society was started there for change ringing under an instructor from London. A peal of Grandsire Triples, Holt's ten-part, was achieved on December 9, 1873-the first peal rung by an Irish society. In 1875 Lord Chief Justice Cherry left Waterford, and for more than twenty years discontinued ringing.

In 1897, however, when Lord Iveagh presented a new ring of ten bells to St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Lord Chief Justice Cherry, who was largely instrumental in getting the old ring of eight replaced, was asked to organise a society to ring them, and this he did. Mr. Gabriel Lindoff was induced to leave England to teach the band, and ringing has been carried on there without a break ever since, Sir Richard Cherry having been the first president. In 1909, also, he presented the two trebles to make the ring into twelve, and had the flat sixth hung to provide a light octave.

Lord Chief Justice Cherry rang some eighteen to twenty peals, including Cinques, Grandsire and Stedman Triples and Caters, also Kent T.B. Major. He was the only judge to ring a peal. Despite enormous claims upon his time, he took part in Sunday service and practice ringing whenever possible, finding it beneficial in view of the sedentary life he was compelled to lead. He resigned his post about 1921, owing to failing health, and died in January, 1923. One son, John C. Cherry, is a ringer also, and rang two peals of Grandsire Triples

N N 2


and Caters. Recently he gained his M.D., and is now practising in a London hospital.

l. S. Pritchett, M.A., B.C.L., etc., Recorder of Lincoln Mr. Pritchett, who was senior member of the Birmingham

Bar, is the son of the late Mr. J. S. Pritchett, of King's Norton, and was born in 1856. He received his earlier education at King Edward's School, Birmingham, afterwards gaining an open mathematical scholarship at Balliol College, Oxford, where he took first-class mathematical honours and graduated B.A., subsequently proceeding to his M.A. and B.C.L. degrees.

Having entered as a student at the Inner Temple, he was called to the Bar in 1881, and joined the Midland Circuit. He occupied a seat on the Worcestershire County Council as a representative of King's Norton, until the extension of the Birmingham boundaries in I9II, when he was elected an alderman of the city. He has deputised as Assistant Recorder at Birmingham Quarter Sessions on a number of occasions, and is now the Recorder of Lincoln.

Mr. Pritchett has been Presiding Ringing Master of the St. Martin's Guild for the Diocese of Birmingham for many years, and is an hon. member of the Central Council.

Mr. Pritchett, with three of his brothers, learned to ring at King's Norton as a boy, and followed up the art at Oxford as a member of the University Guild. He became a member of St. Martin's Guild in 1874, and joined the College Youths in 1875· Although Mr. Pritchett has no record of his peals, he has rung well over a hundred, including all the standard methods ; and, in addition, Superlative, Cambridge and London Surprise Major and Stedman Cinques, in all of which methods he has conducted peals. It is Mr. Pritchett's boast that for nearly fifty years he rang regularly for Sunday morning service at his parish church.

Mr. Pritchett is a leading Freemason, having attained to the thirty-third degree.

Admiral T. P. Walker, D.S.O. Elsewhere we have remarked on the prowess of Francis

Geary, Admiral of the Grand Fleet, who rang in the first

f .' ll;. 102 . -Slit HICIIAHD H. C!II'HHY, l<.C., LL .D. ( I ,onl Chief justice of Ireland).

FIG. 103 .- AI.DERMAN J. s. PRlTCHETT, M .A., B.C.L. (Record er of Lincoln). [Tn jnt~ fl. 54R.

Frc. 104.- }0!!N CARTER, WITH HIS CAMPANA MuTAPHONE.

[To fare p. 549·


peals of Bob Royal and Maximus at St. Bride's, Fleet Street, in 1725 and 1726. He has a counterpart to-day in the person of Admiral T. P. Walker, ofWoking, Surrey, who takes an active part in ringing affairs in and around that district. Admiral Walker has had an active and distinguished career. As a midshipman he saw active fighting against the Malays in 1876. He served in the Royal Yacht of H.M. Queen Victoria, and later in the Intelligence Department of the Admiralty, was A.D.C. to King Edward VII., and retired as Admiral before the Great War. During that period he served four years, and had one ship blown up under him. Finally he received the D.S.O. and Italian War Cross. As a ringer he has rung many " touches " and a quarter-peal, though as yet no complete 5000 changes. He is a valued member of the Winchester and Guildford Diocesan Guilds.

John Carter

Born at Darlaston, Staffs, April 30, 1854, this celebrated ringer and composer began ringing in 1873, and scored his first peal at Willenhall in June, 1874. Two years later he called "Holt's Original" at All Saints', West Bromwich, and from that time took part in many notable performances on all numbers, especially in and around Birmingham. He was also an adept on hand-bells, conducting many peals in various methods. On October 16, 1883, he composed and called what at that time was the record hand-bell peal, xo,176 Grandsire Major in four hours fifty-five minutes, and later 6137 Grandsire Caters. On November 20, 1886, he rang in the " silent "peal of Stedman Triples at Burton-on-Trent. As a composer, John Carter had few equals. He was the author of a number of methods-Darlaston Bob, Forward, Aston, Handsworth, Carter's Principle, Scientific Triples, etc. In peal composition he was a master, and his knowledge of Stedman Triples enabled him to produce many unique and original peals, his Odd-bob One-part being a masterpiece. His " broadsheet " of Stedman Caters was one of the first attempts at " mass production," and in it he has by a sample plan given some 7000 different variations of peals of 5000 odd changes I In all he rang 315 peals, conducting 207, and in his ~eautifully written


peal-books are many noteworthy performances. He died in London, January 29, 1927.1

All his ability as a composer and energy as a ringer, however, is not so remarkable as his famous invention-the CAMPANA

MUTAPHONE--or change-1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 E T ringing machine. For

FIG. 105.-Duffield Maximus.

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thirty years he plotted and planned and schemed to bring this to perfection, and there rests now in the Science Museum at South Kensington the completed product of a m a s t e r mind. There is nothing in the way of change ringing up to twelve bells it will not do. It will ring a single bell, produce two changes on two bells, six on three bells, and so on up to twelve. It can be set to ring any method, either one already in existence or one newly created, or it can be made to work the changes without the bells ringing. It can print the figures of a method, or the course

FIG. 106.-Stedman Cinques. ends only, as they are Diagrams drawn bytheCampanamutaphone. being rung. It will

make diagrams showing the working of the method on which it is engaged ; it will show how many changes have been rung, and will make any kind of call, such as " bob " or " single," always provided they are "called" (by pressing a button) at the proper time. It is an assembly of varied mechanical contrivances,

1 See Ringing World, February 11, 1927, p. 90, for a history of his life.


and power is obtained from an electric motor within the pedal box. Gearing from this sets up longitudinal motion in cranks and eccentrics, which in turn impel eleven rods ; these transmit their motion to twelve plates moving traversely across the machine, the whole being governed by a dual control, each in two parts and allied to the hand and back stroke in ringing. There are twelve gongs by Messrs. J. Taylor & Co., specially made for the machine. Indeed the machine is one of the most remarkable inventions of its kind. Before sending it to the Science Museum, Mr. Carter gave a demonstration on it, beginning with plain courses of Grandsire and Stedman Doubles on to Triples ; and invited any of those present to "call" a touch. This, Miss E. K. Parker (now Mrs. Fletcher) did, in both methods. Afterwards examples of Caters, Royal, Cinques and Maximus were given ! 1

Famous Composers All through the period of the rise and growth of change

ringing there have been men of outstanding merit who have devoted their time and energy to the study of the mathematical side of the art. Even to-day, after 300 years of continued application, new discoveries are being made, of methods, peal compositions, and the splicing of many intricate " rows " or " changes." It is difficult to give anything like a list or notice of these men, for nearly all ringers of any ability who study this aspect of the art endeavour to produce a composition of sorts, often, however, more or less a variation of some older production. There are, nevertheless, those who have given the subject a life-long study, and whose productions are marvels of construction. We have already noticed men of bygone days who made remarkable progress in the art ; to-day we have some of the I_llOSt brilliant members, who by their study and exposition of the forms of construction, extension and variation of methods, or by the production of intricate peal composition, show that the art is by no means dead or dying. Among these George Baker, of Brighton, not only as a ringer of many notable Surprise peals with the famous Brighton band when at its zenith, but as an expositor of method extension, is well

1 For a detailed description, see the Model Engineer, Vol. 52, p. 263, March 5, 1925.


known. His " logical conclusions " and various articles on construction, extension, etc., are at once intricate and interesting. He has produced many fine methods, of which it is impossible to give a list. His extension of London Surprise to Royal and Maximus is well known, and " Londonderry " he considers a valid extension of London Surprise Minor, of which he has examples up to twenty bells !

Arthur Craven, now of Sheffield, an eminent ringer, also has produced many excellent and well practised methods, among which might be named Yorkshire, Pudsey, Belgrave, Rutland, Ipswich, Kent, Lancashire, Palatine and a host of others on the higher numbers of Royal and Maximus. He has also produced many original compositions of Treble Bob Major, with qualities hitherto undiscovered ; and he has other method compositions of merit.

The late Henry Dains, of London (Royal Cumberland Youths), produced some hundreds of compositions in most of the standard methods, still frequently rung, and to be found in almost all Association reports and later books on ringing.

The Rev. C. D. P. Davies, M.A .• F.R.A.S., is well known as a ringer and composer ; his researches into such methods as Grandsire and Stedman Triples are widely read, and his compositions frequently rung. He has been largely responsible for the formation of the Gloucester and Bristol Association, and for many years was honorary secretary of the Central Council. His recent book on Surprise methods and his earlier books and pamphlets on Stedman and Grandsire are classical works, and some of his compositions therein are works of mathematical art.

Fred Dench, now of Saffron Walden, is a ringer of high merit, having taken part in sorp.e unique peals in many Surprise methods. His contributions to the art of composition have extended to many methods, including the discovery of the " in and fifth " position of London Surprise and the parting of the tenors in Cambridge Surprise. Among various Surprise methods he produced were St. Stephen's, Westminster, and others.

Arthur Knights, of Chesterfield, is perhaps best known for his extensive collection of compositions of Treble Bob Major. This covers every conceivable plan, and all numbers of changes,

. FAMOUS RINGERS, COMPOSERS, ETC. 553

all in original design. He has also produced many original compositions of Bob Major and Royal, and most Surprise methods. An excellent ringer, and the father of two wellknown ringers, Benjamin A. and A. Percival Knights.

Gabriel Lindoff is now of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. Born at Leiston, November 19, r868, he has become one of the foremost ringers and composers of our time. It is out of the question to quote the number of long peals in which he has rung-records in all methods, and on all numbers, a few of which, however, have already been noticed. As a composer he has few equals, and his compositions cover every conceivable method from Grandsire Triples to London Surprise. In the latter intricate method he has produced a system, reminiscent of the style of John Carter's Stedman Caters broadsheet, wherein some thousands of peals of 5000 changes and over can be obtained, some being excellent, some indifferent. He has also produced many methods, such as Dublin, Rochester, Suffolk and other Surprises.

The Revs. E. Bankes and H. Law James, brothers, late of the St. Michael's Juniors, Gloucester, are so well known in the field of composition of either methods or peals as to be almost proverbial. Both have had remarkable ringing careers, and whether on tower or hand -bells they are equally famed, having rung many fine and unique performances. However, it is as composers that they are best known, and the columns of ringing periodicals of the last decade show rows of figures due to them of methods, peals, extensions and every class of mathematical problem. It is indeed difficult to decide on any one particular method or composition they have excelled inboth have covered all with marvellous ability.

loseph W. Parker, of Sunderland, has produced compositions in practically all methods, always striving to give something original. His peals of Erin Triples and Caters are the result of an extensive study of the " slow and quick " work in Stedman. In the latter method he has some intricate compositions, and much of his research is still unpublished. He has many fine compositions also in spliced methods, and assisted greatly in bringing this class of ringing to the fore.

Albert J. Pitman, of Port Talbot, Glam., is better known as a composer than a ringer. In the latter sphere he has not


had much opportunity of showing his unique aptitude, having rung some 100 peals. As a composer, however, he has produced some of the most brilliant peals, especially in splicing many methods together. After the Rev. H. L. James produced the four Surprise Major methods, Mr. Pitman set to work and produced five, six, and eventually ten and eleven Surprise methods in a most intricate and interesting way. He has also original peals of Grandsire Triples, Cambridge Surprise and many other methods.

Several of the family of Wilde, of Cheshire, have been great ringers of repute, and composers of merit. There was James Wilde, of Hyde-who died December 9, 1877-and later Henry W. Wilde, now in the service of the Duke of Westminster, at Eaton Hall, who has rung over 300 peals in most standard and Surprise methods, in nearly all of which he has composed peals. There is James S. Wilde, of Ophio, Dunedin, New Zealand, who produced Clarendon Surprise Major, etc., also a number of compositions and variations of Cambridge Surprise Major and other methods.

James and Samuel Wood, of Ashton-under-Lyne, are equally famous as ringers and composers of Treble Bob, and some long peals in this method are recorded here. This company has produced excellent ringers, as well as many eminent composers, perhaps the most notable being John Thorp.

Thomas B. Worsley, of the Lancashire Association, has produced many long lengths, notably the records of Superlative, Treble Bob Major, Double Norwich, etc. He has many excellent compositions in these and other methods of ordinary length, and several variations of Middleton's famous peal of Cambridge Surprise.

We ought to mention Dr. A. B. Carpenter, of Croydon, who rang 165 peals and called forty-five of them. As a composer he was eminent in reducing to 1 15 calls a variation of Holt's Original ; in Union Triples he composed notable peals ; and he produced 504o's of Oxford and Double Court Bob Triples. He did the same in Stedman Caters, and the table of starting and turning courses in that method is a magnificent piect; of work.! He died in October, 1913.

William Eversfteld, of Gravesend (who died October, 1847), 1 See "Stedman," pp. 101 to u6, inc.

FIG . 107 .- ] 0HN THORP (Ashton-under-Lyne).

l 'J 'o face f>. 554·


was a composer of great ability, and many of his valuable productions appear in Shipway's "Campanalogia," including 14,016 Treble Bob Major.

J. Armiger Trollope, of Ealing, late of Norwich, is well known as an exponent of method construction, and a prolific writer on all matters connected with the ringing art. His contributions to Plain Bob, and many other plain methods, in peals of unique quality and quantity, can be found in the Central Council publications, some of which he assisted in producing.

The Rev. J. Holme Pilkington also produced some peals of Plain Bob and other methods.

Among the ringers distinguished by the number of peals they have taken part in might be mentioned the following, each of whom rang the enormous amount of over 1000 peals, all of 5000 changes and over :-Rev. F. E. Robinson, Isaac G. Shade, George Williams, Frank Bennett, James George and the three brothers William, Ernest and George R. Pye.1

Each of these men has necessarily put much time and energy into the art, and travelled in the aggregate thousands of miles either for individual peals or to take part in a ringing tour. Their enthusiasm is unflagging and unique, and when one considers the work, strength and stamina needed to accomplish such peals, they are little short of amazing. There is a spice of adventure in any peal attempt, since so many factors can make or mar a successful issue. The human element is always present, and those little slips of memory, or distracting outside occurrences which continually crop up, make a peal something more than ordinary. Ropes may break, an outsider may come to stop the peal with an excuse often trivial and foolish. Clocks may make a distracting noise while the peal is in progress, a clapper may come out or break, a hundred and one things may occur to spoil the attempt. Yet we find ringers who stand grim and determined for hours on a peal, and suffer strain of both mental and physical agony ; should a peal " go west " and the attempt become abortive, all look disappointed and miserable, like a team of footballers who have lost their match. When, however,

1 The careers of these men-and many other eminent ringers-being modern, can all be found in recent numbers of the ringing periodicals Bell News ancl Ringing World.

ss6 HISTORY AND ART OF CHANGE RINGING

the peal is successfully accomplished, all are happy, and the attempt is talked over, maybe, for years after. There are also in every band ringers who conscientiously practise regularly, and punctually attend their service ringing on Sundays, but whom these long-length peals do not attract. Their name is legion, but they are all concerned in this most invigorating and interesting art, to which so much energy, resource, ability, time, money and enthusiasm have been devoted. It is fascinating in all its branches, be it ringing, composing or conducting, and as a branch of intellectual intercourse is unequalled.

It is impossible within the limits of this volume to give a tithe of the wonderful activities of the " giants " of the ringing world. Every age has seen its prominent men, who have by their unflagging example and zeal set up a standard of efficiency. Whether in the field of composition or in actual deeds in the tower, men of merit and ability have arisen to carry on the work begun by Stedman, Holt, Annable and other early masters. We read with amazement and veneration the records in many an ancient tower, and recall such men as J. Nash, J. Hints, Malachi Channon and others of the Cumberlands; Povey, Darquitt, Worster, Monk, Muggeridge, Haworth, Muskett, Murray Hayes, J. Dwight and others of the College Youths. Further afield are W. H. Howard, of York; C. Middleton and others, of Norwich; W. Woodhead, of Wakefield; the famous Birmingham composers ; Thackrah, of Dewsbury ; Sottanstall, of Sowerby ; Troyte, of Huntsham Court, Devon ; Banister, of Woolwich; J. Martin, T. Sibson, of Leicester; C. Hounslow, of Oxford; and a host of others too numerous to enumerate here. The inimitable examples of the late Matthew A. Wood, Isaac G. Shade, B. Prewett, W. Wakley and many such, whose careers are models of excellence, perseverance and unbounded zeal, are well worthy of emulation by our present-day ringers.

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