St Agatha’s in Portsmouth has now inaugurated the new bells recently blessed by Ordinary Mgr. Keith Newton. This light peal of bells will apparently be ideal for training new bellringers from far and wide.
The following is from the website of the Anglican Oxford City Branch of Church Bell Ringers:
“BELLRINGING TODAY
Today, Anglican churches contain most of the rings to be found in Britain, but a few can be found in Roman Catholic, Non-Conformist, Church of Scotland and Church of Ireland churches. Although church bellringing, as the English know it, is peculiar to the British Isles, it has spread to parts of the Commonwealth, in particular Australia and Canada, and to countries such as America and South Africa, which have been influenced by English traditions.
CHIMING AND RINGING
In chiming, the bell is pulled gently so as to swing through a narrow arc, with its clapper hitting the inside of the lip. Ringing involves the continuous exaggeration of this motion, until it is swinging through a maximum arc of 360 degrees and striking with great resonance. The process of full-circle ringing is illustrated by this most excellent animation from the Oxford University Society website. To ensure that the bell does not swing completely over while the ringer rests, a piece of wood (usually of ash and known as the stay) projects vertically from the headstock (at the closed end) of the bell, and rests against another piece of wood (known as the slider). The slider is pivoted on the frame below. The free end of the slider moves between two blocks (note that the slider is not shown in the animation). When the bell is at rest, with its mouth pointing upwards, it is said to “stand” or to be “set”.
In ringing, each pull of the bell rope causes it to swing in an almost complete circle, altering the length of rope in the ringer’s hands. It is set, usually at “handstroke”, when the hands are holding the coloured, tufted part of the rope (known as the “sallie” or “sally”), which is some four feet from the end of the rope. At “backstroke” the hands hold the end of the rope only, since some of the rope has coiled around the wheel which is attached to the bell (thus the sally has moved upwards beyond reach). Little “brute” strength is required once the art of ringing has been mastered.
LEARNING TO RING
If a person is interested in learning the art, a visit should be made to a local tower to meet the captain, who will be pleased to answer questions and to say what is taking place in the tower. Bells (and their fittings) are expensive and must be handled carefully to avoid damage. This is exactly what a new recruit is taught to do.
In learning to ring, one may start on a silent bell (where the clapper has been silenced). When one can handle a bell proficiently, it is “opened” (so that the clapper can strike it) and one starts to ring rounds and eventually progresses to change ringing.
CHANGE RINGING
Change ringing, with good striking, is what most ringers aim to do. It is the art whereby a different “change” is produced at each pull of the rope. When a given number of bells are rung repeatedly in the same order, from the highest note (the treble) to the lowest (the tenor), they are said to be ringing rounds. Changes are variations in this order. By a series of permutations, it is possible to find the maximum number of unique changes, without any one being repeated. On four bells, 24 unique changes can be rung (found by multiplying 1 x 2 x 3 x 4), while 5040 changes can be rung on seven (1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5 x 6 x 7). Methods (a way of ringing sets of changes), when rung on bells of between four and twelve in number, have a generic or “family” name, e.g. Minor, Major, Royal, Maximus.
A peal consists of one or more methods containing at least 5000 changes in total (some of these changes may be repeated). They must be rung one after another without pause. Similarly, a quarter peal comprises at least 1250 changes. The time taken to ring a peal (about 160 minutes) or a quarter peal (about 40 minutes) depends upon the weight and the ease with which the bells run. In general, the heavier the bells, the longer it takes.
BELLRINGING AS A PASTIME
A bellringer has certain obligations. He is expected to attend the weekly practice and to ring for Sunday services. This does not mean it is all work and no play. After peals or quarter-peals, and during ringing tours, one can enjoy the company of others. Several hobbies can be associated with ringing. Photographers can take pictures of the churches, and places they visit, as well as any other items of interest. Historians can explore places of interest, the churches being steeped in history. Lovers of the countryside visit many picturesque villages and beauty spots while on various tours. “
ORDINARIATE NEWS (from the Anglicanorum Coetibus Society) 