BELLS & BELLRINGING AT ALL SAINTS

The Parish Church, All Saints, has a ring of 8 bells which are rung regularly for 45 minutes before the Sunday Morning Service and again for the Wednesday evening practice by an enthusiastic band of a dozen or so ringers. The bells are also frequently rung for weddings which nowadays can often take place on weekdays, not only on Saturdays. Occasionally they can be rung by visiting bands of bellringers either touring the towers in the area or ringing a peal. A peal is something between an endurance test and a musical recital and can take up to 3 hours to ring but often provides a high standard of ringing.

Bellringers can age between 11 and 80 or so but the average age seems to be increasing as it is becoming more difficult to recruit youngsters who nowadays have many more interests available to them. Bellringing is an interesting combination of physical and mental ability with a need for a good sense of rhythm. It can take up to a year to become good enough to ring for Sunday Services but it could take several more years to meet the further challenges of ringing difficult methods on higher numbers of bells. At Market Weighton we are able to reduce the sound of the bells for practice sessions and usually silence them completely for a learner’s first few lessons.

We are always on the lookout for new ringers so if you can already ring or would like to learn then please come along to the Church at 7.30pm on a Wednesday or ring John Speak on 01430 873063.

THE BELLS

There is a record of the ringers being paid 2s-6d in 1685 upon the defeat of the Duke of Monmouth but no details of the bells until a record of a Parish Meeting in 1783 which resolved to exchange 3 old bells, valued at £117, for 6 new bells to cost about £206 excluding hanging. £92-4s-0d was actually paid for the bells. William Clarkson and James Hopwood were paid £34 for the frame and T Gardoms £1-10s-6d for the ropes. These 6 bells were cast in 1783 by Daltons of York, the tenor weighing 9cwt-2qrts-13lbs.(489Kg)

The first, and only peal on these bells, was rung in 2hrs 55 mins on 7th May 1932 and conducted by Stanley Webb.

In 1950 the tone of these bells were judged to be unsatisfactory, and as they were too thin for retuning, they were recast by John Taylor. The cost, including renovations to the tower and oak frame was about £1000. The original inscriptions were transferred to the recast bells the tenor of which now weighed 9-3-6. (498Kg)

The first peal on these bells was rung on 16th June 1951 in 2hrs 43 mins conducted this time by Philip H Speck. Twenty further peals were rung before the augmentation to 8 bells in 1979.

A number of cracks in the tower masonry had been giving some concern and it was therefore decided to put a concrete ring beam around the tower in the clock chamber and to install a new steel bell frame in that chamber to relieve the stress from ringing the bells in the old brick chamber above. To further strengthen the tower the clock chamber louvered windows were bricked up and concrete stitches were inserted across the various cracks. Two new trebles were cast by Taylors and all the clappers were rebushed. The frame was fabricated by Arthur Fidler and the ringers and friends provided the labour to move the bells and old frame and to erect the new frame. New floors and a clock platform also had to be erected. Despite advice from Taylors it was insisted that the old bells should retain their canons and that the new trebles should be cast with canons to match. The result is that the existing bells are easy to ring but difficult to strike well and although they are fairly loud in the ringing chamber their sound is well controlled outside the tower.

The first peal on the augmented bells was rung on 3rd February 1980 in 3 hours by the Sunday Service Band and conducted by David R Smith.

In recent years the ringers have installed sound control behind the louvers and the bell clappers have been rebushed and reprofiled.

The following includes details of the bells inscriptions, weight and diameter (in mm) and also the diameter of the wheels (mm).

THE INSCRIPTIONS

Treble 3-2-2 600 1440
I LEAD THE WAY. LAUDATE DOMINUM.
* (Praise ye the Lord)
Taylor 1978

2nd 4-0-2 632 1460
SERVIUNT EI DE AC NOCTE IN TEMPLO EJUS
* (They serve him day and night within his temple)
Taylor 1978

3rd 4-0-2 660 1480
TE DEUM LAUDAMUS
* (We praise Thee O Lord)
Dalton York Fecit 1783
Taylors Recast 1950

4th 4-2-3 700 1530
BONUM EST CELEBRARE JEHOVAH
* (Good it is to praise Jehovah)
Dalton Fecit York 1783
Taylors Recast 1950

5th 5-0-12 735 1590
VOCAMUS. VENITE, VIGILATE, ORATE.
* (We Call. Come, be vigilant, pray)
Dalton York Fecit 1783
Taylors Recast 1950

6th 5-3-0 770 1640
IN JUCUNDITATE SONI SONABO TIBI DOMINE
* (I will ring out with glad sound)
Dalton York Fecit 1783
Taylors Recast 1950

7th 7-1-11 855 1690
LAUS HONOR DEO ET GLORIA IN EXCELSIS HALLELUIAH
* (Praise, honour and glory to God in the highest)
Dalton Fecit York 1783
Taylors Recast 1950

Tenor 9-3-6 940 1730 A flat
SOLI DEO GLORIA PAX HOMINIBUS.
* (Glory and peace from God alone)
GEO SKELDING VICAR. W BREIGHTON, W VAWSER CH WARDENS 1783
JOHN WILLIAM KNEESHAW A RINGER SINCE 1897, FOR MANY YEARS
TOWER-KEEPER THROUGH WHOSE INITIATIVE AND PERSEVERANCE THESE
BELLS WERE RECAST AD 1950.

* These translations are not inscribed on the bells.

As mentioned earlier it is known that ringers existed in 1685. There are other records of them being paid to celebrate the victories of Marlborough, the King of Prussia and Nelson. Then there is a gap in our knowledge until 1910 when we have the Sunday Service Attendance Book for the years 1910 to 1917. It appears that there were six regular ringers and two reserves until November 1916 when 10 ringers were given equal status in the register. In February 1915 all the ringers attended a meeting to discuss “the best means of expressing our sympathy and respect for those of our townsmen who lay down their lives for their country in the great battles that are taking place in France.” It was decided that rather than ring for each individual, half muffled “peals” would be rung if possible when other ringers throughout the country were doing so and that the Vicar would announce the names of the fallen on the preceding Sunday. Two ringers went to war and returned safely.
There is evidence that ringing continued after the war as the first peal on the bells, in 1932, contained two local ringers and indeed some ringers from that period still live nearby.
There are no further records until 1968 when a well known ringer, Norman Chaddock, came to the town to teach mathematics at the secondary school. Norman quickly created a young band by recruiting his best pupils and giving them bell ringing lessons after school. He also began a History or Scrap Book which is still being maintained by the local ringers. Norman retired in 1974 and he and his wife Elsie moved to near Inverarray in Scotland and took on the considerable task of renovating and caring for the magnificent peal of 10 bells in that town for which ringers throughout the country are extremely grateful.
Although Norman and Elsie have died and most of his pupils have moved away from Market Weighton his legacy lives on in the enthusiastic and thriving band of ringers at All Saints.