D ecem ber 8, 1877.] Clmrch Bells. 5 As an admirable ‘ tool ’ to lend to a Dissenter, let me mention Church or Royal Cumberland Society (late London Scholars). Dissent 1 (John Hodges), well reviewed in your columns; also as a first-rate I t is the intention of this Society to attempt a peal of Grandsire Caters at Sunday-School prize, The Parish Church (S. P. C. K .), both by T, P. Gar- All Saints' Church, Fulham, on Boxing-Day. The object is to try and heat nier, M.A. V i c a r . the 12,312 rung at St. Mary’s, Painswick, by the Painswick Youths. The com­ ‘To be Said or Sung.’ position is to be by Mr. John Nelms, of the Boyal Cumberland Society, the S i r ,— In the discussion on this subject in Church Bells some months ago, number of changes about 14,000 or 15,000. Meeting-time at the chureh, one of your correspondents, writing on March 3, and signing himself‘ A 11 o’clock. H o p k in s , S on . Sec. Prebendary,’ gave some interesting particulars as to the results in his own [We wish you well through it.— E d .] church of his effort to promote reverence and hearty responding. The cir­ Durham Diocesan Association of Ringers. cumstances of his parish and mine being apparently much alike, I shall feel grateful to him if he will favour me with his address, that I may ask his T h is Association held its inaugural meeting at Christ Church, North Shields, on Saturday, Nov. 24. Shortly before 10 a.m. the ringing commenced, friendly counsel. J, F . M o r t o n , Ju n . A instable Vicarage, Penrith, Dec. 5, 1877. and several touches of Grandsire and Bob Minor were rung. At one o’clock the ringers sat down to dinner, returning to the belfry at two, when the R eceived a ls o .— X. T.; J. L. Clifford Smith; E, N. P..; F. F. Field; C. H. B. H .; ringing was again resumed until after four. A meeting was then held in the A Lover o f ‘ C. B.’ ; and many others. spacious belfry, the Vicar of Tynemouth presiding. The Secretary made a statement of the origin, progress, and purpose of the Association, and it was decided to form a committee to he composed of representatives from each BELLS AND BELL-RINGING. hand of ringers in union with the Association, and as many clergymen as are willing to join. At 5.15 a special service was held, and a very appropriate address delivered by the Vicar on 1 Cor. xiv. 7. After service some touches 1 W h a t is a P ea l ? ’ of Grandsire Triples and Kent Treble Boh Major were rung, and the hells I t is often asked, 1 What is a peal I ’ and ‘ ringing a peal?’ and it seems were ceased at 9 o’clock. The Association at present numbers about ninety strange that there should he any difficulty in answering the question. The members, including several clergy, and the Archdeacons of Durham and term is generally applied to any ringing of hells together— no matter whether Lindisfarne. On Monday morning, Nov. 26, a peal of Grandsire Minor of ten minutes’ or ten hours’ duration. Bells are first raised, either singly or was rung at Blaydon in 25 minutes, by Joel Hern, Hurworth, Treble; in peal (that is, in ringing order); they may then be set or not, as tbe ringers J. E. Hern, Hurworth, 2; W. Reed, Esq., North Shields, 3; E. Wallis, New­ please, or rung in changes, or round ringing, or muffled, and then ceased by castle, 4; J, Gaines, Hurworth, 5; E. Lees, Newcastle. Tenor, 7 cwt. setting or falling, and then would end a peal in common parlance; and in Afterwards a peal of Bob Minor was rung at Winlaton in 27 minutes. places where there are only three or four hells and scientific change-ringing is W eight of tenor, 10 cwt. This is the first time a peal of six has been rung at not known. Such was the meaning in pre-Reformation times, as p a y he seen either o f these places, and was conducted at each place by J. Gaines. by an extract from the Lives o f the Berkeleys— a MS. consisting of three In the afternoon a 5040 of Grandsire Triples was attempted on the A ll volumes, folio, in the possession of the College of Arms— an account of which Saints’ hells, Newcastle, hut failed at the end o f an hour, owing to the hells may be seen in the fifth volume of Notes and Queries, page 616, first series. being out of order. I t was conducted as far as it went by J. Power, Newcastle. On the death of Lady Isabel, wife of Lord Maurice Berkeley, who died in [W e congratulate Durham on this beginning, hut are very sorry to hear 1516 at Coventry, the following ringing took place :— 1 Bynging daily with all that more consideration was not paid to the requirements and wishes of the the Bells continually : that is to say, at St. Mich sell’s xxxiii peles, at Trinitie ringers from a distance as to time of holding the service, which many were x xxiii peles, at St. John’s xxxiii peles, at Babyleak, because it was so nigh, unable to attend for fear of missing their trains.— E d .] lvij peles, and in the Mother Church xxx peles and every pele xiri.’ But since the introduction of scientific change-ringing on the principle of Change-ringing at Childwall, near Liverpool. permutations, early in the last century, the term is known and used as a On Friday evening, 16th ult., a meeting of Change-ringers from the neigh­ performance of the full number of changes of which the bells are capable, or bouring churches, assisted by ringers from Gressindale, near Liverpool, took any number above 5000; any portion of changes under that number, with place at A ll Saints’ Church, and rang at intervals touches of Grandsire on the seven or more bells, is called either a short or long touch; in some places hells ; after which Mr. Bichard Meadows joined in, and rang the treble hell apiece o f ringing, by others a flourish on the hells, &c. H . T. E l l a c o m l e . through two peals of Grandsire Doubles. The above meeting was to show Reply to all whom it may concern. the high esteem in which Mr. Bichard Meadows is held, he having been a ringer for upwards of seventy years, and this day completed his eighty-sixth Si r ,— Although I am not myself a ringer, I should be extremely sorry if the columns in Clmrch Bells devoted to Bell-ringing were discontinued. I birthday. Change-ringing at St. Paul’s, Denholme, Yorkshire. believe that the news there given attracts the attention of a body of men for whom little has hitherto been done, and that, apart from the encouragement On Monday, 10th ult., eight members of the Denholme Company rang likely to he given to scientific ringing, it is likely that the perusal of those 5124 changes of Treble Bob Major, in 3 hrs. 6 mins. Composed by Mr. Win. columns will lead to the reading of the whole paper, and so a healthy Chureh Sottanstall of Sorby, and conducted by Mr. Jonas Foster. W. H . Tidswell, 1; feeling may be originated and fostered amongst many of our church bell- J. Butterfield. 2; W. Lawrance, 3; A.Howarth, 4; W. Hoyle, 5; B. Bush- ringers. By all means continue to give the ringing news. worth, 6 ; Jonas Foster, 7; John Foster, 8. Tenor, 15 cwt, The above new T h o m a s N o r t h , F.S.A., Editor of ‘Leicestershire Bells.’ ring of bells was opened November 4th, 1876. Since then the above Company Ventnor, I.W ., Nov. 27. has been formed, and for the last six months been under the tuition of Mr. Woodbine Minor. Bob J. Jenkinson, of the Bradford Old Company.^ The above is their first peal upon Ch an g e s. eight, having previously rung two peals of six, Oxford and Ireb le Boh M inoi. 1 2 3 4 5 0 2 3 1 8 8 2 1 4 3 6 5 Change-ringing at North Shields, Northumberland. 4 6 3 2 5 1 2 4 3 5 6 6 3 4 2 5 On Tuesday evening, 20th ult., six members of the North Shields Amateur 2 1 3 4 6 5 Change-ringing Society rang a peal of 720 Bob Minor on Christ Church bells, 2 O 1 1 5 6 2 6 5 4 3 2 6 4 3 5 North Shields, in 38 mins. G. Park, 1; J. T, Gibson, 2 ; J. Coulson, 3 ; E . 3 2 4 1 0 5 Armstrong, 4; W. H. Park, 5; W. Beed, 6. Conducted by W . Eeed, Tenor, 3 2 1 4 5 6 6 4 2 3 5 36524 19 cwt. 2 3 4 1 6 5 Change-ringing at Cheltenham. Si r ,—I have sent you the Minor Peal of 23430154 3 6 1 5 362 4 5 On Thursday, 22nd ult., the following company, being members of the Woodbine for insertion in Church Bells, if 4426351 2 6 3 5 1 5 ? « i » Cheltenham Society of Change-ringers, rang a true peal of Stedman’s Caters, -i- i • i 4 29 , 33 66 1I 55 4 6 5 /©-“S you should deem it worthy, as I think it is 9 4 6 ,3 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 containing 5076 changes.