Issue 26, February 2003

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News, Information and Trivia for Ringers in the Derby & Ilkeston Districts

What’s Happening in 2003/4

The new Derby District committee has met to plan the programme of events for 2003/4. Last year there were lots of special ringing occasions associated with the Jubilees – Party in the Park, Ringing in the City, Diocesan days at the Cathedral – as well as our monthly association events. This year special events will include the Ringing Road show at Lincoln on July 26th, and an Open Day for the Association BRF (see back page). Against this background, the plan is:

All meetings are on the second Saturday of the month. When all the Towers have been confirmed a detailed plan will be issued to all towers.

There is no Peal Day in this plan. If any tower or individual needs help to organise a peal at any time in the year, it is always available via your Area Contact.

Special practices for Surprise Major and Spliced Minor will continue. The Six Bell practices will be suspended for a year. If there is sufficient interest, they will be re-introduced, possibly in a new format, in 2004/5.

Everyone on the Committee looks forward to seeing lots of you at the different meetings this year. Enjoy your ringing! (br)JMB

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Derby District Area Contacts

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Who’s Who on the Derby District Committee

The first in a series of articles introduces our new District Chairman, Steve Harpham:

My interest in ringing was sparked in March 1997 when I heard an interview with Tina Stoecklin, who was then editor of The Rag, on Radio 4. The interview, if I remember correctly, was to launch the campaign to recruit new ringers so that every bell in the country could be rung at the Millennium.

My wife discovered that a neighbour, Peter Harris, was Ringing Master at Mugginton and was starting some new ringers after Easter. I tagged along to find out what it was all about. Well, despite breaking the stay on the 2nd on my third week, things went quite well and I was soon a regular, graduating from rounds and call changes to Plain Bob, Grandsire and All Saints Doubles.

I joined the Association late in 1997 and my aptitude for engineering was soon put to use as Steeple Keeper at Mugginton from January 1998. Peter introduced me to John Cater and I became part of his restoration team on the projects at Bradbourne, Thorpe and Tissington also in 1998. Coincidentally, my first quarter, of Plain Bob Doubles (what else?) was at Bradbourne in October 1998.

Further quarters followed and at the time of the Barrow-on-Trent restoration project in late 1998, John asked me to join his every-other-Friday quarter peal band (known as Not the Splice Band). With valuable assistance from John, Gill and Graeme Hughes and their Duffield Deanery practice and also from Alec Humphrey and Alan Rowe, I progressed to many other doubles and minor method quarters and some excellent beer drinking all over Derbyshire and parts of Staffs., Leics. and Notts.

Other restoration projects followed; Ripley in 1999, Lullington in 2000 and Church Gresley in 2001. A change in responsibility at work precluded my involvement in any projects in 2002 as I was often travelling at weekends. A further change from January 2003 means I might again be able to get involved in this highly satisfying work.

On the ringing front, I rang my first peal (42 doubles methods and variations) in September 2000 at Lullington and my second (Kent and Oxford Treble Bob Minor) at Mugginton one month later.

Earlier in the year I had been elected to the General Committee for the Derby District of the Association.

As for what started it all off, the Millennium saw me ringing at Ripley as Mugginton had a full complement and Ripley looked like being short!

In 2002 the responsibilities of the members of the Committee were expanded to include Area Representative (now Area Contact) and I continue to act as liaison between the Area 5 towers (Alvaston, Aston- on-Trent, Chellaston, Ockbrook, Shardlow, Spondon, etc.) and the District.

Although Jenny does all the work of putting Strike Notes together, I have the job of printing, folding and delivering it to Chris Willis for distribution.

So that brings us up-to-date; my quarter peal total at time of writing is 91, mostly of doubles and minor but also including some singles, minimus and triples, and I hope to get my 100-up in time for the 2003 AGM. As new Chairman of the Derby District, I look forward to getting to know more of you and to putting faces to the names in the Annual Report.

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Three in a row – continued

There was a sequel to the story of the gift day at the Cathedral on October 31st 1970. This had been so successful that, after a suitable interval, a repeat performance was arranged for 25th September 1982. The first peal, London Surprise Royal called by David Hird, came round and the second band took over the ropes. Your scribe was a member of this band. All went well for a while, then the peal disintegrated. But the conductor could not call stand, as the bells had to continue ringing. One member of the band had not appreciated that ringing must continue for three hours regardless of success and he was most dismayed!! It was surprisingly hard to think of what to ring for the rest of the three hours. We filled in the time by ringing a variety of touches of Grandsire and Stedman Caters, plus a lot of call changes. You can imagine the relief felt by everyone when the final band arrived to take over the ropes! This band made no mistakes and a peal of Stedman Caters called by Frances Haynes was successfully brought round to complete the day. This fund raising idea has not been used again! Pat Halls

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From the Archives

(Courtesy of Sue Peach)

Correspondence in the Derbyshire Times, January 1857

SIR, It being now a few years since I last visited Chesterfield, I now find many improvements in the town, but I am very sorry to say that the ringing in the steeple of the parish church is no better, but worse, if either, to that of ten, twelve or fourteen years ago. I am informed, by a resident in your town, that they receive an annual sum of £22 for their performances on these bells, which is not the case in any other town, it affording the men great pleasure to ring for nothing, except what is given to them by goodwill. I am surprised the churchwardens do not see to this, as a great number of the inhabitants (not only of this town, but others where I have been), find fault, and cry shame at its being permitted. I have listened for four or five times to hear one perfect change, but I have always been disappointed; they swung the bells to and fro with such discord and disagreeable harmony that I was disgusted at it. I have heard a deal of ringing, both good and bad, but I never heard any so bad as that in Chesterfield.
Begging pardon for the space I have occupied in your valuable paper,
I remain, Sir, your humble servant, A CAMPANOLOGIAN

Two weeks later, a supporting voice joined the Campanologist, but there was also a stout defence of Chesterfield ringing from James Fowler of Dronfield:

Sir, Whilst running over the columns of your paper of the 10th inst., my eye dropped upon a letter addressed to you on the subject of “Ringing Bells at the Parish Church of Chesterfield,” signed, “A Campanologist”, with whose remarks I fully agree. Now, if I make mention of this ringing at all, I must say that it is a great deal inferior to that which I have heard elsewhere. I often wonder why the ringers are allowed to “shoot” their bells on the Sabbath-day (which they often do) as if in celebration of some great event; the men not seeming to strike them at all regularly, but banging two, three and four bells together, then firing them all at once, and so on, till they make a sudden stop. I would loathe to give them 22s, much more £22 (which your correspondent states they receive). I believe your informant is right when he says they do not receive a salary in other town, and that their ringing far surpasses that in Chesterfield. It is generally said, “practice makes perfect”, but it has not had any effect upon these men, they having practised many years to my knowledge; but I suppose they think it matters not how they ring – “there is no-one to detect it”. Further, in my opinion, the best way to get a good society of men for this purpose is “Not to pay them for the same, unless it is better worth, “ and if the present society will not submit to these terms, surely there are young men in our town (who could not ring much inferior) who would ascend the steeple and make some progress in less than ten, twelve or fourteen years.
Hoping there will be an improvement in this ere long,
I remain, yours obediently, A TOWNSMAN.

Sir, I observe in your paper of the 10th instant, a letter signed “a campanologian.” in which it is stated that the bell ringing here is inferior to that in other towns. I beg to contradict this false assertion, and to contend that our bell ringing is quite equal in proportion to the number of bells, to that of any other place. I may mention that ringers are remunerated according to the number of bells, and that Staveley, Eckington, Norton, Sheffield and Dronfield, are supported by voluntary subscriptions. Your correspondent signs himself “A Campanologian,” but I say he is nothing of the kind, but most likely an irksome fellow, or demoniac, I shall recommend them to three in Dronfield, Samson Mason, churchwarden, John Wildgoose and George Siddall.
I remain, Sir, your obedient servant, JAMES FOWLER Dronfield, Jan 22 1857

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PEAK DISTRICT TOWER OPEN DAY

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Diary Dates: February - March 2003

15th February	Training Day. am Cambridge Minor, pm Cambridge Major
17th February	6 bell practice at Brailsford 7:30 pm. Little Bob, Plain Bob & Wells S Minor
22nd February	Association Dinner at Sitwell Arms, Renishaw
8th March	Striking Contest heats at Ockbrook ( Methods) and Aston ( Call Changes). Evening ringing at Shardlow.
19th March	6 bell practice at Brailsford 7:30 pm. St Clements College Bob & Ipswich S Minor.

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