Market Weighton Hand bell Ringers

We are a Church based group, who practice in a room in All Saints’ Church most Mondays, 3.45 pm, straight after school (Term time only), for the Junior Band, and 7.30 pm with the Senior band.

We need new members for the Senior Band because at present we have just enough hands when every one is present, which means nobody can have a night off or be off sick, which as you will know is certain to happen. This means that the conductor has to ring and this does not work well at all.

The Junior Band have an almost annual turnover with the exception of two or three members who have stuck to their guns, as it were, and they are a great inspiration to us..
So new members are always given a great welcome.

Any resident of Market Weighton, or any one else who likes traveling, is welcome to join our group providing they can count to 4 and are willing to ‘have a go’. Previous knowledge of music is not required.

The Hand bells belong to the church, the original set of 15 bells cast by William Dunn around 1783, give or take a year or two, were retuned and augmented to 26 in 1995. With additional bells being purchased, as and when funds permitted, the present set now numbers 32 and is in regular use.

The Music and Mince Pie Evening held in the Community Hall each year on the first Friday in December is our annual fund raising event for All Saints’ Church.
We also do concerts or take part in services, during the year as and when invited to do so .

The Band are also registered members of “The Hand bell Ringers of Great Britain” “H.R.G.B” North East Region, and we attend some of their more local Rallies.

The History of the Hand bells

The first knowledge I had of Hand bells at All Saints Market Weighton was hearing of the finding of a nicely hand grained box containing 15 bells, in a cupboard, upstairs in the Ringing room of the Bell tower, around 1947.

These were put to use by Norman Chaddock in the late 1960’s when he was teaching a band of Ringers ‘Methods’ for the Tower Bells. This in conversation, caused comments such as “Oh! I’ve rung carols at Christmas”, or “Well I knew they were there”.

I set out to trace the origin of these 15 bells, Bottom Bell being B (a very odd key) all of which were tuned ‘sharp’ to Brass Band pitch, from the one positive marking W D on the crown. Undoubtedly before the time of the War Department. Bells are always marked with the initial or mark of the founder.

The first trail lead west to York from where in 1783 the first SIX tower bells for All Saints where cast by a gentleman by the name of William Dalton. It is not unknown for the founders of tower bells to cast a set of hand bells at the same time as the tower bells as a gift to the church. Further research however failed to prove that W. Dalton had in fact ever cast a single hand bell in the whole of he working life, neither is it possible at this time to locate another set of bells made by him.

The second trail led us South to William Dunn of Kings Cross, London.
All his bells are Marked WD on the crown of the bell.
No date is recorded to indicate when he started casting bells but he finished in 1852.
The moulds were after 1852, sold to Geo. Stockham 1852 – 1881.
From here they were sold to Geo. Welsh, 1881 – 1900.
Finally they were sold on to J. F. Mallaby, Barnby Don, Masham, Yorks., 1900 - ????.

As the “New Owner” of a set of moulds adds his own ‘mark’ at time of purchase and we have no record of any such marks, we are assuming that our original Hand bells were in fact a product of the London Foundry belonging to William Dunn pre- 1852.
Evidence supporting the choice of an early date for our bells is that there are many sand inclusions in the castings, which more modern casting do not have.

Bob Speak.