St Peter's Church Bells in Willersey Village

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Willersey St Peter's bell ringing team celebrate a superb second place in this year's Four Shires Newing Shield, alongside a Tower Merit Award recognising the tower's outstanding year. A significant step up in both the standard of competition and technical difficulty, the Newing Shield result marks a major achievement. Ilmington, an elite band who have dominated in recent years, took first place — but Willersey ran them close, even surpassing them on the technically demanding “lower,” described by the judge as “exquisite.”

The Merit Award, presented by the Ringing Master to the tower achieving most over the year, reflects the strength and depth of ringing in the village. Four new ringers took part in competition for the first time in the Brazier Trophy, with special praise given to the overall quality of the tower's striking. By Lena Stranks.

The band who entered for the Newing trophy. Back row: Beccie Williams (No 4 bell), Chris Wainwright (No 3), Robert Chadburn (Captain on No 5), Peter Kavanagh (6th Tenor). Front row: Rekha Pitt (No 1 Treble), Sarah Fletcher (No 2), Lena Stranks (No 2 for raising and lowering). Photograph by Garry Murphy.

The tradition of ringing church bells started with Paulinus, bishop of Nola and Campania who introduced bells to Christian churches in 400AD. Church bells appeared in Britain in 750AD. St Peter's current six bells (originally three} were installed in 1712. The sound of bells in a British village ringing out can have several communication messages, calling villagers to prayer, they are rung on special occasions, weddings, funerals and dedicated Peals or quarter peals.

In times gone by, in combination with sundials (solar time), bells would be rung on the hour to let villagers know, who were working the land, what the time of the day it was. Sundials were not the best method of keeping time due to seasonal variations and the tracking of the sun between the east and west coasts meant there was a 30-minute difference in time. This error with the time caused a problem with the growth of the railways as accidents were frequent with trains operating on different times. This led to the introduction of railway time in 1840, aligned with local mean time for London or “London time” church clocks then could keep accurately time. It's hard to believe that the daily practice of selling time to banks in London, from a watch set against the Royal Observatory by Ruth Belville, only ended in 1943 upon her death.
br> Another, bell communication, was if a village was being attacked the bells wound be rung in reverse rounds (6-5-4-3-2-1) the villagers on hearing this would return to the village to defend it with pitch forks, so keep your ears peeled! We are fortunate in Willersey to be led by our experienced tower captain, Robert Chadburn, who is teaching a great number of ringers in 2026 supported by Neil Garner (The Pebworth tower captain) and Beccie Williams who is our new vice tower captain, Ringers of 2026 are: Caleb Arthey, Carys Arthey, Helen Chadburn, Sue Clegg, Sarah Fletcher, Ray Hall, Siriol Hunter, Pete Kavanagh, Anthony Lishman, Heather Lishman, Garry Murphy, Natacha Murphy, Rekha Pitt, Peter Reading, Lena Stranks, Bob Topp and Chris Wainwright. By Pete Kavanagh.

AND THE BELL CRACK'D… .. an historic event in the village.

During ringing practice on Thursday 12^th March 2026, the 4^th bell in St Peter's church tower suddenly gave a dull ‘thunk’ and went completely out of tune. To be fair, it had been sounding a bit ‘off’for a while, and investigations in the Belfry confirmed a small crack - about 3 inches long - at one of the two points where the clapper has been striking the metal since 1936. The good news is the damage is small enough to be fixed. Re-casting a bell from scratch, as well as being vastly expensive, means it would no longer ‘fit’ with the rest of the set, which were all cast together in 1712. A new bell would sound markedly different in tone. Fortunately, the bell doesn't need to be replaced, but neither can it be fixed in situ. Instead, it must be taken to a specialist in Newmarket to be welded. So, bell number 4 has to come out! But how?

Removal
The bell is 32“ tall, 33“ in diameter and weighs 7cwt. It hangs 20 foot up in the belfry directly above the ringing chamber. The only current access is by taking the narrow stone spiral staircase up to the ringing room, then climbing a ladder up through a small square hole in the roof. …. Definitely not an option!
We are awaiting a site inspection by a structural engineer to advise on the safest, easiest and cheapest way to extract the bell from its hanging position. One possibility is to take it out through the south louvre window, one of two that bookend the belfry; another is to remove the floor of the Belfry and lower the bell, first into the ringing chamber, then down through what appears to be a stone plug in the floor, leading into the vaulting arch inside the church below. In both cases, we need a stone mason to confirm there would be no lasting damage to the structural integrity of the church. Whichever plan is adopted, Taylors of Loughborough, the last remaining bell foundry in the UK, will be overseeing and managing the project.

Insurance
The bad news is that the Loss adjuster has confirmed that our insurance does not cover breakages deemed to be the result of ageing and natural ‘wear and tear’. So it's up to us to find the money to pay for the bell's restoration. This is likely to be in the region of £15,000 - £20,000.

Fundraising
As well as applying for grants and appealing for benefactors, we are putting our heads together to think of ways to raise funds locally. To kick (!) things off, with the world cup just around the corner, we are planning a sweepstake (look out for details). Other fundraising ideas include a sponsored ring (donate and we'll stop!), pub quiz, Just Giving page, handbell ringing workshop, and a party in the village hall with live music. If you have any other suggestions to throw into the mix, please contact one of the ringers or email Ant Lishman at antlishman@aol.com. Thank you for your support. We will keep you updated on what is happening and any village fundraising events in the pipeline.

Keep calm and ring on It's far from ideal. The missing bell creates a noticeable ‘gap’ or ‘jump’ in the peal, but your award-winning ringers remain undaunted! We will be keeping up our regular Thursday practices and Sunday service ringing (occasionally decamping to ring at Saintbury church) and treating this historic event as an opportunity to tackle methods designed for one less bell. We hope you enjoy our bespoke ‘gappy’ versions!
- Chrissy Wainwright

TOWER TOUR OPEN MORNING AT ST PETER'S,

Bank Holiday Monday Morning, August 31^st 2026, from 10am See the bells inside the tower. Find out what goes on upstairs when the bells ring out over the village.
Learn a little about our wonderful tradition of English Change Ringing. Have a go at ringing a bell. Meet our friendly band of bellringers.
Spaces are limited, so pre-booking is essential. For more details, and to reserve your FREE one-hour tower and ringing experience, call or message Robert Chadburn (on WhatsApp) on 07805 892086, email him at rchadburn1@gmail.com, or leave your name and a contact number with Sue or Lou at the Bell Inn and he will get in touch with you.
“I had no idea it was anything like that!”
“It's so much more complicated than I ever imagined.”
“Great fun and interesting too.”
There will be a retiring collection in aid of the Bell 4 Restoration appeal.

Land's End to John o'Groats for a Cream Tea.

A virtual walk to help fund our church bell repair.
Oh no, I hear you say, that's miles. But with a 100 volunteers walking each day just 1.2 miles over 10 days, August 14^th to Sunday 23^rd, and lots have already committed, together we will have completed this iconic marathon distance with a donated celebratory cream tea in the village hall at 3.00pm on Sunday 23^rd August.
Lots of us Willersey folk are already walking this distance pretty much daily, and a ‘tenner’ to join in this community nonsense to raise a £1,000 to help fund the repair of the 4^th bell probably isn't going to break the bank? If you would be happy to join in this village effort to help, please chat to Maggie or Bob Topp or any of our ringers.

BRILLIANT! We now have 100 volunteer walkers taking part in our virtual walk to reach John o'Groats to help raise funds towards the repair of the 4^th bell. Thank you all.
Please bring your buff coloured recording card to show to the burly, but friendly, Scotsman on the door. For any queries chat to Maggie or Bob Topp.

What a great night of music and fun, listening to Libby Akerman singing some of her original compositions and the odd cover, with special guest Chrissy Wainwright duetting on a number of old favourites, thank you both. Many thanks to the Bell Inn for hosting us. A very big thank you to all who came and donated to our cause, we raised £474.

Our Churchwarden, Tower Captain and bell ringers agreed that Saint Peter's bells should be rung in memory of Pope Francis. Our bells rang out in an extended ring from 8:15pm on Tuesday evening, 22^nd April 2025 to pay our respects to a leading priest of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church to which all Christians belong and as an act of condolence to our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ.

Pope Francis respected all faiths and worked hard for peace and unity in our troubled world.
May he rest in peace and rise in glory.”

Thank you to the band of bell ringers

December 21^st is St. Thomas's day, and it has long been a tradition in the North Cotswolds to mark this day with the ringing of church bells at 6 o'clock in the morning. This act was originally seen as a prompt to start preparing for Christmas, and also a signal that alms should be given to the poor. Here in Willersey we have been ringing for St. Thomas's day for longer than anyone can remember, and we hope that this year, as every year, you will enjoy sharing our celebration of this long-standing tradition in our village.
If you use facebook you can hear our bells here:-
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1367908354359117

There was a nationwide ringing of bells on Thursday 6^th of June 2024 for peace.
Saintbury church bells were also rung at 3.00pm and St Peter's Willersey rang at 6.30pm.
The 6^th of June 2024 marks the 80^th anniversary of D-Day, when Allied forces mounted the largest amphibious invasion the world has ever witnessed. In 1944, Operation Overlord saw over 5,000 ships and landing craft set down more than 130,000 troops on five Normandy beaches in an action that would bring about the liberation of north-west Europe.

Bell Ringing at St Peter's Church, Willersey Village and also St Nicholas' Church in Saintbury.

St Peter's from the Churchyard

Our Parish Church is beautifully positioned at the end of Church Lane and is surrounded by a traditional churchyard.
There is a car park at the rear of St Peter's Church, with access from Church Street alongside the Church, opened in January 2018 with generous support from a local charity. It is for the use of those attending services or functions at the Church and will provide a much needed and long awaited facility. It will always be open for those visiting the Church for any reason, but not for overnight parking.

Our rector is the The Rev'd Jon Harwood

After covid Willersey bells started ringing again properly once lockdown eased on 21^st June 2021 (Government regulations permitting). You may have heard some of the bells being rung before this date, as the local ringing band started to flex its ringing muscles in readiness for the big day. Some of the bells were rung on the morning of Sunday 6^th June 2021. We looked forward to that moment when all 6 bells once again rung out over our village, after an absence of 15 months, in a glorious celebration (we hope) of a return to a better life for us all.

There was a Willersey band quarter peel rung 23^rd December 2023, another one in the afternoon and an extended ring on Christmas Eve 2023 after the service. There will be another long ring on New Year's Day.

On New Year's Eve 2023 at 11:30pm we had a 45 minutes ring until the following morning to ring in the New Year 2024. About midnight this was accompanied by fireworks and barking dogs.

Church bells are the largest and loudest musical instruments in the world. Their sound can be heard miles away from their towers. Bells are rung to call people to Church, to celebrate happy occasions and commemorate important events. They are also rung simply for the enjoyment of hearing their sound. Most UK church towers have bells. A set of bells is called a ‘ring’ or a ‘peal’. Village churches may have a small ring of bells, comprising five or six bells. Larger churches and cathedrals usually have more bells in their ring. Worcester Cathedral as 16 bells. Rudhalls, the bell foundry supplied nearly 5000 bells to chuches in Gloucestershire and elsewhere in the UK. Three churches in Gloucestershire have peals of twelve bells, three have ten and over a hundred like Willersey have six.
The bells in any tower are deliberately not mounted with their bearings in the same direction to reduce any strain on the bell tower when they are being rung.

St Peter's has a famous peal of six bells which are rung regularly.

As well as being rung on Sunday service days, bell ringing practice is on Thursdays each week from 7:30 to 9:00pm and occasionally on Tuesday afternoons. Bell ringing has been part of Willersey Village life for 300 years. As there is a midnight mass on Christmas Eve the bells are rung at about 11:00pm that day. The bells may also be rung from time to time by visiting bands of ringers who are most welcome, and also on special occasions. Three weddings were planned in April 2015 and we marked the 80^th birthday of a longstanding ringer. We also took up the challenge of ringing a full peal which lasted for three hours on Saturday 23^rd May 2015 beginning at midday. In Willersey, the regular sound of church bells continues to be a traditional feature of village life. Originally there were three large bells but in 1712 they were melted down by Abraham Rudhall and recast into the six beautiful bells we have today. An inscription on the tenor bell reads ‘ring for peace merily’ to celebrate the signing of the Peace of Utrecht.

Church bells are the biggest and loudest musical instruments in the world. Their sound can be heard miles away from their towers. Bells are rung to call people to church, to celebrate happy occasions and commemorate important events. They are also rung simply for the enjoyment of hearing their sound. Most church towers have bells. A set of bells is called a ring or a peal. Village churches may have a small ring of bells, comprising five or six bells as in Willersey. Larger churches and cathedrals usually have a larger ring.
It has been said that there are three typically British activities - Morris Dancing, Playing Cricket and Church Bell Ringing.

Listen to the sound of St Peter's Bells.

St Peter's bells were rung for the first time since the Coronavirus began on Sunday 12^th July 2020.
Because of social distancing we could only ring three bells. The hand bells were also rung to greet the congregation.

Two photographs of Willersey hand bell ringers taken outside Rose Cottage, Church Street. One is from 2021 and the other from 1900. There is a better sexual balance now!
One might say a happy looking bunch of campanologists, who probably weren't used to smiling in front of the camera. Today, as we still have a very active group of bell ringers in the village - Willersey Hand Bell and Tower Bell Ringers, we decided to retake the scene, outside the same cottage, and as close to the same positioning as the original. There is nothing nicer than listening to the tower bells peeling on Thursday evenings, special occasions and on Sunday mornings. It's part of what makes Willersey such a beautiful place to live. If you are interested in following or joining the group, they meet for practices on Thursday evenings 7.30-9pm at Willersey Church. The Bell Tower Captain is Robert Chadburn. Email: rchadburn1@gmail.com .

On Tuesday 19^th July 2022 St Peter's six bells were rung from 7.30pm to 8.15pm by six of Willersey's local bell ringing band led by the tower captain Robert Chadburn. This continuous ring was one of two (The second one was on the 31^st July 2022.) to mark and thank the Reverend Scott Watts for all that he and Ros have done for Willersey and the surrounding communities and to wish them well with the next chapter of their lives in Cambridge.

Mediaeval bells still ring out over the Cotswolds and make a wonderful company for there are about 100. In several villages we come acroos the tombs of the Rudhalls who made Gloucester famous with their foundry and from the 17^th to the 19^th century supplied nearly 5000 bells still swinging in the belfries of the land. Three churches in Gloucestershire have rare peals at twelve bells, three have ten and over 100 have six.

Handbell ringing during the restrictions throughout the earlier months of the pandemic in 2020 enabled the Willersey Church bell ringers to meet outside and remain active. It was particularly interesting for some of us to meet up recently with Marie Dow and learn about the Buckle Street Handbell Ringers long history of ringing locally between 1982-2016. Marie now lives in the village, but along with her husband Robert was a key member of the Buckle Street Handbell Band performing widely during those years at local events, festivals and even in Long Lartin prison.

Tower Captain's Report about the year 2021 in May 2022.

The tower contains a peal of six bells (originally there were three). In 1712 the bells were melted down by the Gloucestershire firm of Abraham Rudhall, who recast them into a peal of six in time for them to be rung as an act of thanksgiving for the end of the War of the Spanish Succession. These bells are unique, being perfectly in tune having never been tuned by milling or ‘chipping’.

You may have seen in a recent edition of the Church and Village News that as part of a national campaign we are ‘recruiting’ for bell ringers now.
Why not come and try your hand or have another go at this taster session on
Bank Holiday Monday - 7^th May 2018 between 2.00 & 3.00pm? You can also come to any of our practice sessions on Thursday evenings.

Bell ringing does not require huge strength - it's about controlling the bell with technique.
Being able to count is all the maths you need and you can become a ringer knowing nothing about music.
A few weeks tuition enables new ringers to join in with the band and become part of our village's 300 year old tradition.

November 2018 marked 100 years since the end of the First World War where 1400 bell ringers lost their lives. On Armistice Sunday bells across the country rang out to remember this special occasion, and new ringers were able to join in this memorable national event.

Willersey, which has six bells, has ten regular ringers to call upon to maintain this valued tradition; although interestingly only two who currently ring were Willersey ringers five years ago. Eight of the current band have all learnt their ringing in that time, helping to maintain ringing in our village. So continuing to grow our band of ringers is important, allowing us to bring something distinctive to the village, and all of us still have time for family commitments, holidays, other interests etc. Willersey bells can be heard clearly in nearby Broadway.

Many people came along on a Bank Holiday Monday and met the ringers - Robert, Helen, Pete, Beccie, Chris, Anita, Mark, Margaret, Ken and Bob to see if it's something they'd like to do. Just ‘having a go’ at least means you join a select group of locals to have rung a Willersey bell. You can contact Robert Chadburn at rchadburn1@gmail.com.

Muffles are leather pads fitted to a bell's clapper to reduce the volume. They attenuate the bell's strike note whilst retaining the hum. By only muffling the clapper on one side you get an echo effect as blows are alternately loud and soft. Bells fitted with muffles in this way are said to be half-muffled.

Bells are usually muffled on the backstroke as the handstroke gap emphasises the echo effect. Traditionally muffles have leather straps, and these must be buckled very tightly to avoid the very annoying sound if one slips round while ringing. For safety reasons, muffles should always be fitted and removed with the bells down. To muffle the backstroke, put the muffle on the side of the clapper that is furthest away from the pulley. To muffle the handstroke, put the muffle on the side of the clapper that is nearest to the pulley.

Bells are often rung half-muffled at funerals, in memorial of someone and on Remembrance Sunday as it gives a mournful effect, especially on heavy mellow bells. Bells are only rung fully-muffled (with the backstroke of the tenor left open) for the death of the Sovereign, the incumbent Vicar (Parish Priest), or the Bishop of the dioceses.

Willersey Bells leather muffler on bell clapper

On a recent Saturday afternoon, in a 12^th century village church only as wide as a sitting room, I watched my godson and his brothers and their father take off their suit jackets and place them, folded, on the flagstone floor in the corner. Tucking their ties between the buttons on their dress shirts, they stood at the back, near the entrance, and pulled on hemp ropes to ring the church bells for their grandmother. We were celebrating her life as she'd lived it, together, in music.

Music historian Katherine Butler a campanologist writes that come the May 2023 Coronation, bellringers in the nation's 38,000 churches will stand in similar groupings. They will pull on similarly old ropes with tufted woollen sallies, colourfully striped on the diagonal, like boiled sweets. They will count out similar patterns, or methods, to herald the country's new king. Ringing the changes is a tradition so steadfast in these parts, Handel is credited with saying once, of Britain, that we are a “ringing isle”. You don't have to be ecclesiastically minded to join in.

BELL RINGING AND BEER

Now let's be clear from the off that there is no compulsion to consume beer to be a bell ringer. Although a little modest refreshment for some of the ringers after a Thursday practice night is not uncommon.

However, now I have got your attention, you might be interested to know that in the early years of bell ringing it was something of a macho sport for young men who would imbibe quite heavily before ringing and then ‘topple’ into the church service. If you look carefully at lots of churches - including St Peter's -you can see where the entrance from the ringing chamber into the church has been bricked up to keep the rowdy ringers out of the service. Nowadays ringers are far more well behaved!

Before the turn of the 18^th century St Peter's had only three bells, but in 1712 three more were added to give the six that we have today. The smallest bell weighs 4cwt, with the tenor being the largest bell at just over 11cwt - the approximate weight of an original mini.

But ringing does not require huge strength - it's about controlling the bell you are ringing with technique. Being able to count is all the maths needed and you can become a very good ringer knowing nothing about music. A few weeks of tuition enables new ringers to join in with the band on a Sunday morning and become part of a three hundred year old village tradition. Pete Kavanagh, Beccie Williams - our latest ringing recruit, Bob Topp or Robert Chadburn at rchadburn1@gmail.com . would be happy to chat further - with or without a beer.

Ringing Remembers Recruitment

Armistice Day this in November 2018 helped commemorate the 100 years since the end of the First World war in 1918, and church bells rang out in unison across the land on Sunday 11^th November. 1400 bell ringers lost their lives during the conflict and it is intended that the same number will be recruited nationally in 2018 under the heading of Ringing Remembers.
Willersey, which has six bells, has nine regular ringers to call upon to maintain this tradition; although interestingly only two of these who currently ring were Willersey ringers five years ago. Seven of the current band have all learnt their ringing in that time, helping to maintain ringing in our village. So continuing to grow our band of ringers is important.
Willersey ringers contributed to this campaign and will be offering opportunities for those who might be interested in learning a new skill and taking part in this year's special Armistice Day ringing.
Bell ringing does not require huge strength - it's about controlling the bell with technique. Being able to count is all the maths you need and you can become a ringer knowing nothing about music. A few weeks tuition enables new ringers to join in with the band and become part of our village's 300 year old tradition.
Pete Kavanagh, Ken Spensley, Beccie Williams - our most recent new ringer - or Bob Topp would be happy to chat further. Look out for further news of planned taster sessions. You can also email: Robert Chadburn at rchadburn1@gmail.com .

An Invitation from the Bell Ringers

Last year 2019, over thirty locals came to our first ‘Open Tower’ event, to see what the ringing chamber looks like and what happens when the bells are rung for a wedding or on a Sunday. Many who came have lived in Willersey for many years and not had an opportunity to see the bells for themselves, and lots who visited tried their hand at ringing too. So, if you're new to the village, missed out last year or fancy another go we invite you to join us on Saturday July 22^nd between 5.00-7.00 pm.

This is not a recruitment drive, although we are always keen to welcome new ringers, but more of an opportunity to demystify what bell ringing is and how it's been done in Willersey for over 300 hundred years.
The circular staircase to the ringing chamber is a little steep, so you might need to be steady on your ‘pins’, but you can be sure of a warm welcome and a chance to ‘have a go’ if the fancy takes you.
Please talk to Bob Topp, Chris Gooding or Pete Kavanagh for more information. We look forward to welcoming you.

There are over 5,000 bell towers for change ringing in England, with less than 300 in the rest of the world.
Despite coming in many shapes, sizes and materials, most bell towers have a familiar layout. At the top are the bells, spreading the sound out to the community, below which is usually a clock room. The bell ringers usually stand on the ground floor, or first floor if there is a lobby below. At the top of the tower, the bells are hung in a wooden or metal frame with each bell fixed to the axle of a large wooden wheel that pivots in ball bearings on the frame. A rope is tied to the wheel spokes, runs partly round the rim and falls through holes and pulleys to the ringing chamber below. When not ringing, the bell is parked with its mouth upwards. Pulling the rope attached to the wheel rotates the bell firstly in one direction and then in the other.

Church Bell Parts

The main parts of the mechanism of a bell hung for change ringing are:-

FRAME This may be made of wood or iron in substantial proportions to support the weight of the bells. Each of the spaces where the bells hang is called a pit.
HEADSTOCK attaches the bell to the wheel and is pivoted on two gudgeon pins into the bearings.
WHEEL has a deep channel for the rope around its circumference. The size of the wheel is adjusted so that different bells of different weights all have the same feel on the ropes.
GARTER HOLE A hole in the wheel that allows the rope to pass through. The rope is then tied around the wheel spokes.
CLAPPER is mounted on a bearing just below the crown of the bell. It swings from side to side as the bell rotates and strikes on the sound bow. Often wrongly called a Bell Clanger, Bell Donger, Bell Tinckler (in ornamental bells)
SOUND BOW is the name given to the thick metal area on the mouth of the bell.
GUDGEON is a strong pin fixed to the headstock and carries the weight of the bell into the bearing.
BEARING The two bearings allow the bell to rotate easily. Nowadays roller bearings are fitted, however in the past, other designs were used that required regular greasing to work efficiently.
STAY is the device that keeps the bell in an upright position between ringing, when the bell is stood. It needs to be sturdy enough to support the bell. If the bell is mishandled and it violently comes to rest the stay is designed to break and protect the bell, which could otherwise crack across its crown. One end of the stay bolts into the headstock and the other engages with the slider as the bell approach the balance point.
SLIDER does as its name suggests and slides across a track between two end stops on the lower part of the frame. In conjunction with the stay or bar, it allows the bell to be parked with its mouth upward just slightly past the point of balance no matter which direction the bell swung before it was parked.

Saintbury Church is visible from St Peter's Churchyard.

Saintbury Church has a peal of eight bells which are occasionally rung.

On a lovely afternoon on Sunday 10^th July 1983 with a light breeze to counter the hot sun, there were about 120 people in the congregation for the rededication of St Nicholas' bells by the Arch-deacon of Cheltenham, the Venerable Reic Evans. The bells were then offically rung after a gap of forty years to have them refurbished. We could also hear them while having tea in the garden of “The Old Orchard”.

Willersey, St Peter, 6 bells, Tenor 12 cwt, Grid Ref:SP107397
These weights below are in imperial measures - hundredweight (cwt), quarter(qr) and pound (lb). (14lb to one stone, 8 stones to a hundredweight) These are the only complete maiden (untuned) ring by Abraham Rudhall in the country. The metal frame and the modern style fittings are by Mears & Stainbank of London, and date from 1936. The bells were not tuned or weighed at this time. They go well and sound nice. The metal for the bells came from three larger bells already in the Church. The ringing chamber entrance is outside in the south east corner of the tower up some (slippy) outside narrow steps.

Bell details

Maker	Date	Weight
Abraham Rudhall I, Gloucester	1712	4.75 cwt
Abraham Rudhall I, Gloucester	1712	5.25 cwt
Abraham Rudhall I, Gloucester	1712	5.75 cwt
Abraham Rudhall I, Gloucester	1712	6.75 cwt
Abraham Rudhall I, Gloucester	1712	8.25 cwt
Abraham Rudhall I, Gloucester	1712	12 cwt in G

Saintbury, St Nicholas, 8 bells, Tenor 11-0-24, Grid Ref:SP117394
These bells were unringable for many years, and were rehung in 1983 by the Whitechapel Foundry. They are now a very nice ring, and are pleasant to listen to. There is no parking near the church, but it is possible to leave cars in the lane, and walk up the path towards the church by the side of the private drive. The ground floor ringing chamber is reached through the church. The third bell bears a Latin inscription, which is rare for a Rudhall bell. The ring was augmented in 1999 to 8 bells, and dedicated on 31^st October 1999.

Maker	Date	Weight
Whitechapel	1999	3 cwt 2 quarters 5 lbs
Whitechapel	1999	3 cwt 3 quarters 27 lbs
John Rudhall, Gloucester	1835	4 cwt 1 quarters 16 lbs
Henry Bagley I, Chacombe	1678	4 cwt 3 quarters 14 lbs
Henry Bagley I, Chacombe	1678	5 cwt 2 quarters 4 lbs
John Taylor, Loughborough	1902	7 cwt 1 quarters 6 lbs
Henry Bagley I, Chacombe	1678	8 cwt 2 quarters 16 lbs
Henry Bagley I, Chacombe	1678	11 cwt 0 quarters 24 lbs in G

Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a controlled manner to produce variations in their striking sequences. This may be by method ringing in which the ringers commit to memory the rules for generating each change, or by call changes, where the ringers are instructed how to generate each new change by calls from a conductor. This creates a form of bell music which is continually changing, but which cannot be discerned as a conventional melody.

Change ringing originated following the invention of English full-circle tower bell ringing in the early 17^th century, when bell ringers found that swinging a bell through a much larger arc than that required for swing-chiming gave control over the time between successive strikes of the clapper. This culminated in the technique of ringing bells through a full circle, which enabled ringers to accurately ring continually changing mathematical permutations, known as “changes”.

Speed control of a tower bell is exerted by the ringer only when each bell is mouth upwards and moving slowly near the balance point. Each bell has its own ringer. The considerable weights of full-circle tower bells also means they cannot be easily stopped or started, and the change of speed between successive strikes is limited. This in turn places basic limitations on the rules for generating easily-rung changes; each bell must strike once in each sequence, but its order of striking in successive changes can only change by one place.

Change ringing is practised worldwide, but it is by far most common on church bells in English churches, where it first developed.

During the Second World War all church bells were silenced so they could be used to warn of a Nazi invasion. The restriction was not eased until Victory in Europe Day on 8^th May 1945.

Our bell ringers have had their own newsletter in the past.

St Peter's Ringers Magazine

For further copies look here .

Tower Grabbers are ringers who like to visit as many towers as possible.

Willersey has a facebook page. Go to top | Menu & Search Page Email us here:-

St Peter's Church, Willersey St Nicholas' Church SaintburyBell Ringing

St Peter's has a famous peal of six bells which are rung regularly.

Saintbury Church is visible from St Peter's Churchyard.

St Peter's Church, Willersey
St Nicholas' Church Saintbury
Bell Ringing