BELLS AND BELLRINGING - 7 - THE WIDER SCENE

 

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Bellringing is by its very nature a team activity and thrives where there is co-operation between ringers in nearby towers and districts. It was therefore natural that ringers formed themselves into Guilds or Associations to develop their art. The earliest such societies were London-based and modelled themselves on the ancient Liveries and Guilds of the City, with a Master, Stewards and so on. One such Society, known as the Ancient Society of College Youths, was founded in 1637 and is still very active. It is mainly City-based, providing ringers for St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, St Mary-le-Bow and several other notable London churches, but its influence and membership extends across the country and even overseas. Membership is by election, is greatly coveted and is restricted to male ringers. Its rival organisation, the Society of Royal Cumberland Youths (founded in 1747) is based at St Martin-in-the-Fields and Shoreditch and is open to ringers of either sex.

Many other territorial organisations were founded over the next 200 years, some with a geographical base (e.g. the Yorkshire Association) and others with ecclesiastical boundaries (e.g. the Coventry Diocesan Guild). Our own tower of St Giles’ is affiliated to the Oxford Diocesan Guild, which is one of the most active in the country, and is subdivided into a number of Branches to give a more local structure. Ringing Guilds hold regular meetings in the various towers in their area which give members a chance to meet other ringers and practice with them on different rings of bells in their locality.

Most universities have their own ringing societies which give new students a ready point of contact as well as providing ringing for particular towers in the town or city. For example, four towers in Oxford rely entirely on the University Society to keep the bells maintained and rung during term time. Most university societies provide invaluable experience for ringers, many of whom keep in touch long after they have moved on to employment elsewhere.

The various Guilds, Associations and Societies came into being almost independently of each other, and this led to a rather haphazard arrangement until the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers was founded in 1891. All territorial and university societies of a certain minimum size are entitled to send representatives to the Central Council, whose function is to promote the art and science of ringing in all its aspects. It meets once a year and has a number of committees dealing with issues such as belfry maintenance, ringing records, public relations, publication of ringing manuals and books, and so on. Although it has no statutory powers its decisions are accepted as being for the good of ringing generally.

Ringers also keep in touch with each other by means of a weekly journal, The Ringing World, which publishes notices of meetings, details of peals rung, technical and humorous articles, and so on. All ringers, after progressing beyond the very basic stages, therefore feel that they belong to a very wide network of fellow enthusiasts. This fraternity gives ringing its unique and very valuable character and keeps ringers actively involved across the country year after year.

P.H.M.