fyxmll Hmwmtg ptatg 
 
 BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME 
 PROM THE 
 
 SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND 
 
 THE GIFT OF 
 
 3Henvg W. Sage 
 1 891 
 
 A-.Mmf tfUd&tiL 
 
 P»#«*W» 
 
Cornell University Library 
 MT 710.W66 1880 
 
 Change-ringin 
 
 i 
 
 disentangled with hints 
 
 3 1924 022 378 974 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924022378974 
 
CHANGE-RINGING DISENTANGLED. 
 
'OTbo rjmgs tf)v$ 1M{e 
 3Let t>]>m lofce incite 
 ■Eo fionne, ann i&enne, ann i&erte; 
 £e lionne for toerfee, 
 2Je ^etBe for idjtte, 
 £e Jerte for toorsojnpe.' 
 
 'Otte'H no our iesit 
 
 tto call ®on's folfe to prayer ann praise, 
 $Co teH tf&etr rest.' 
 
CJmnj^&tttsutjj 3BtsmtanflIetr: 
 
 WITH 
 
 HINTS ON THE DIRECTION OF BELFRIES, 
 ON THE MANAGEMENT OF BELLS, 
 
 ETC. ETC. ETC. 
 
 THE REV. WOOLMORE WIGRAM, M.A. 
 
 OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE ; 
 
 RECTOR OF ST. ANDREW, WITH ST. NICHOLAS AND ST. MARY, HERTFORD ; 
 
 RURAL DEAN OF HERTFORD J 
 
 A MEMBER OF THE ANCIENT SOCIETY OF COLLEGE YOUTHS. 
 
 &ttorBf t£tfitton. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 GEORGE BELL AND SONS, 
 
 YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN. 
 
 l880. 
 
 K 
 
LONDON. 
 
 PRINTED BY STEANSEWAYS AND SONS, 
 
 Tower Street, Upper St. Martin's Lane. 
 
€i>c 33ooh ii Mttiicattls, 
 
 BY PERMISSION, 
 TO THE 
 
 REV. HENRY THOMAS ELLACOMBE, M.A, F.S.A. 
 
 OF ORIEL COLLEGE, OXFORD, 
 
 RECTOR OF CLYST ST. GEORGE, DEVONSHIRE, 
 
 MEMBER OF THE ANCIENT SOCIETY OF COLLEGE YOUTHS, LONDON, 
 
 IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT 
 
 OF MUCH PERSONAL KINDNESS, 
 
 AND ALSO OF HIS UNWEARIED EFFORTS 
 
 TO RAISE THE TONE AND ASSOCIATIONS OF THE BELFRY, 
 
 TO VINDICATE FOR RINGERS THEIR POSITION 
 
 AMONG THE OFFICERS, 
 
 AND FOR THEIR ART HER PLACE 
 
 AMONG THE SERVICES, OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, 
 
 BY HIS OBLIGED AND GRATEFUL SERVANT, 
 
 WOOLMORE WIGRAM. 
 
TO THE READER. 
 
 THIS little book had its origin in a series of papers 
 communicated to Church Bells, and subsequently 
 republished. It was then limited to six bells, but 
 dealt with six different systems of ringing. My 
 aim in this Second Edition has been to produce a 
 complete Manual for Beginners. I have, therefore, 
 confined myself now to the two simplest methods of 
 ringing ; I have increased all the explanations very 
 materially, and have extended the work to eight bells. 
 
 Others must judge of my success. But I hope 
 and believe that any one wholly ignorant of the 
 subject can learn from the following pages all that 
 a book can teach of simple ringing ; and that he 
 can acquire also the rudiments of conducting. At 
 the same time I do not profess to save my reader 
 all trouble. On the contrary, I warn him before- 
 hand that ringing cannot be learned without con- 
 siderable pains and attention, both at home and 
 in the tower ; and I stipulate that he deal with 
 any treatise on the subject (whether mine or 
 another) as a student deals with a paper on mathe- 
 matics, namely, sit down to read the book at- 
 tentively, and work out with his own pen every 
 example given, whether it be printed in full or not. 
 
 No man writing on bells at the present day 
 can claim to be absolutely original. I, too, have 
 learned much from others in both the study and 
 
viii To the Reader. 
 
 the tower. But this general acknowledgment to 
 those who have gone before me may be sufficient ; 
 because, although yet a learner myself, I reproduce 
 nothing unacknowledged, excepting touches, peals, 
 and such general rules and statements as may be 
 fairly considered, like the formulae of mathematics, 
 to be public property. 
 
 My special thanks are due to Mr. F. W. J. Rees, 
 not only for help in selecting examples and in the 
 labour of preparing for the press, but also for his 
 valuable contributions to my Chapters XVII. and 
 XVIIL, without which indeed they could not have 
 appeared in their present form. 
 
 I venture to claim for this book four features of 
 its own, viz. ; 'The Tabular Statement of Methods,' 
 slightly altered in this edition in consequence of a 
 remark by Mr. W. Banister ; the explanations of 
 Pricking, in Chapter XVII. ; and of the manner in 
 which Peals are printed in Chapter XVIIL ; to 
 these I have alluded above. 
 
 Also the remarks on Towers and on Ringing, &c. 
 in Chapters XXI. and XXII. ; I believe that these 
 will be useful, not only to the Clergy and Church- 
 wardens, but even to Architects. I have had the 
 superintendence of four Church towers ; I have 
 visited many others, both officially and as an ama- 
 teur, and I know that the subject requires a degree 
 of attention which very few Architects have yet 
 bestowed upon its details. I submitted my manu- 
 script to a first-rate Bell-hanger. 
 
 W. W. 
 
 Hertford, 
 
 May, 1880. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 TABULAR STATEMENT OF METHODS . . XI 
 
 ON THE TOWER AND THE BELLS : 
 
 CHAPTERS I. II. . . . 1-4 
 
 „ xx. xxi. .... 94-97 
 
 EXPLANATIONS AND PRELIMINARY MATTER : 
 
 CHAPTERS III.-V. .... 4-I I 
 
 „ x. xi. . . . 24-30 
 
 HUNTING, PLACE-MAKING, AND DODGING : 
 
 CHAPTERS VI. -IX. . . . . 1 1 -2 4 
 
 HAND-BELLS AND THE STUDY OF RINGING, ETC. : 
 
 CHAPTERS X. XI. . . . 24-30 
 
 RINGING ON THREE AND ON FOUR BELLS : 
 
 CHAPTERS XII. XIII. .... 30-36 
 
 RINGING ON FIVE BELLS, GRANDSIRE DOUBLES, AND 
 ITS VARIATIONS : 
 CHAPTERS XIV. XV. . . . . 36-5 1 
 
 RINGING ON SIX BELLS, BOB MINOR : 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. . . . .51 
 
x Contents. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 RINGING ON SEVEN BELLS, GRANDSIRE TRIPLES : 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. . . . .66 
 
 RINGING ON EIGHT BELLS, BOB MAJOR : 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. . . . .83 
 
 ON RAISING AND FALLING IN PEAL : 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. . . . .91 
 
 RULES FOR A SOCIETY OF RINGERS : 
 
 CHAPTER XX. . . . .94 
 
 ON THE CARE OF THE CHURCH TOWER, THE 
 BELFRY, ETC. ETC. : 
 CHAPTER XXI. . . . .97 
 
 ON THE RINGERS AND RINGING : 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. . . . .109 
 
TABULAR STATEMENT 
 
 METHODS OR SYSTEMS BY WHICH THE CHANGES 
 OF BELLS ARE ARRANGED. 
 
 I. Methods which belong properly to the even 
 
 NUMBERS, ALTHOUGH THEY CAN BE ADAPTED TO THE 
 ODD NUMBERS ALSO : — 
 
 THE BOB METHOD, applicable to all numbers 
 from 4 to 12. This branches out into 
 
 Oxford Bob, which commences upon six bells ; 
 
 Court Bob, which also commences upon six bells, is 
 the most divergent from the original stock, and, 
 when applied to eight bells and upwards, is itself 
 subdivided into 
 
 London Court Bob and Norwich Court Bob. 
 
 In all the above the treble bell has a plain hunt, and 
 there is dodging at all the treble leads. In the method 
 called 
 
 TREBLE BOB, which commences on six bells, the 
 treble has a dodging hunt. 
 
xii Tabular Statement. 
 
 II. Odd bell methods, but which can be applied 
 
 TO THE EVEN NUMBERS : 
 
 t 
 
 GRANDSIRE, which commences on five bells. From 
 it is formed 
 
 Union, which commences on seven bells, but is never 
 rung. 
 
 In both of these methods, the treble has a plain hunt, 
 and there is dodging at the treble leads. 
 
 PLACE RINGING, in which the treble has a plain 
 hunt, and there is place-making, but no dodging. 
 
 STEDMAN'S PRINCIPLE, in which all bells do the 
 same work. From it are formed 
 
 Stedman's Slow Course, and 
 
 Shipway's Principle, which is an application of 
 Stedman's principle to the even numbers. 
 
 Thus there exist in scientific change-ringing five distinct 
 systems, of which all but one have several recognised varia- 
 tions, and all admit of three different arrangements, viz., the 
 simple, the reversed, and the double. Thus the changes 
 can be brought out into peals practically inexhaustible in 
 number, and of every degree of complication. 
 
 The Place Method may be said to apply to both odd and 
 even numbers equally. 
 
 N.B. — This Table is introduced here for convenience; the 
 technical terms employed are explained each in its proper 
 place. 
 
Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 I. A Church Bell at Rest. — The man who desires 
 to ring well must acquaint himself with the manner 
 in which a bell is fitted and hung. Let him there- 
 fore go into the belfry and examine carefully a bell 
 when at rest. Upon the crown are four small 
 handles or ears, called the ' canons,' by means of 
 which it is fastened to the under-side of a block of 
 wood, called 'the stock ;' this stock rests by means 
 of two pivots called ' the gudgeons,' in the ' brasses,' 
 or brass-sockets, which are let into the timbers of 
 the bell-frame or cage. It is upon these gudgeons 
 that the bell swings ; and the brasses, besides being 
 perfectly level, must be carefully supplied with oil or 
 grease, and kept quite free from grit or dirt of any 
 kind. To one end of the stock is attached a wheel, 
 provided with a groove on its outer circumference 
 to receive the rope, and thus to afford the means of 
 swinging the bell easily. That part which is called 
 the felloe of a carriage-wheel is called ' the sole ' of 
 the wheel of a bell ; the rope is so fastened as to 
 pull from a fixed point on the sole, called ' the 
 fillet;' and from the fillet it descends into the 
 
 B 
 
2 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 ringing-chamber below, over such fixed pulleys as 
 are necessary to guide it to the required spot 
 Ordinarily, the rope is passed through the sole at 
 the fillet, and tied securely to the upright spokes of 
 the wheel. From the top of the stock there rises a 
 strong upright piece of wood, called the 'stay ;' and 
 immediately below the bell's mouth, fixed to the 
 frame, is the ' slider ' or sliding rest, which can 
 move easily backwards and forwards between two 
 blocks, and by which the stay is caught when the 
 bell is thrown mouth uppermost. Another form of 
 stay is used at times, which it is unnecessary to 
 describe at present. 
 
 II. The Bell in Motion. — The learner should next 
 place himself at some point from which he can 
 conveniently watch the bell while it is being rung. 
 He will see, in the first place, that the clapper, 
 which rests on one side of the bell when she is set 
 mouth uppermost (bells are always spoken of in the 
 feminine gender), moves with her as she is swung 
 round ; and at the moment when the bell slackens 
 her motion as she turns mouth uppermost, being 
 about to balance, the clapper flies across, and, 
 striking the opposite side, lies still once more on 
 the place which it struck. 
 
 (2.) He will observe, in the second place, that as 
 the bell is set, the stay rests against the slider on 
 one side and on the other alternately ; and that the 
 rope at the one position crosses the wheel, merely 
 touching it ; but at the other position, the rope is 
 
The Bell in Motion. 
 
 wound round the wheel for the greater part of its 
 circumference. The former position is that of the 
 ' hand-stroke ; ' the ringer then has the tuffing of the 
 rope in hjs hand, and the slack part lies before him 
 on the floor in a large loop, the extreme end being 
 held in his left hand. The latter position is that of 
 the 'back-stroke ;' and the ringer then has only the 
 extreme end of the rope within reach, a large por- 
 tion being gathered round the wheel. 
 
 (3.) It may occur to the watcher that this ' set- 
 ting a bell at hand-stroke and back-stroke,' admits 
 of a good deal of nicety, (a) If the bell be swung 
 too hard, the stay will rebound from the slider, and 
 the bell will return, swinging down again, instead 
 of coming to rest. If the bell be checked too soon, 
 she will fail to balance, not rising sufficiently high ; 
 and again she will swing down before she is wanted. 
 (d) But that which is required is knack, not 
 strength — the weight of the bell does the work ; 
 the hand of the ringer interferes only at what a 
 mechanic would call 'the dead point;' i.e. the 
 moment at which the bell is on the balance, and 
 when a very slight force is required to send her 
 either way. (c) The exact position in which a bell 
 is brought to rest admits of some variety. She 
 may be allowed to go right up, and back, until the 
 stay rests against the slider ; in which case she has 
 passed the balance ; and if the stay broke would 
 swing down on the other side. She may be just 
 balanced, so that the touch of a finger will bring her 
 back again ; or she may be held by the rope in 
 
4 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 some position between these two. In the first case 
 the bell is said to be ' rung high ;' in the second to 
 be ' rung low.' It obviously will require more time 
 and labour to bring her back from the first position 
 than from the second ; hence the former is used in 
 slow ringing, the latter in quick ringing ; and the 
 expressions ' high compass' and 'low compass' mean 
 in the language of ringing exactly the same as 'slow 
 time ' and ' quick time ' in the language of music. 
 
 (4.) It may occur to him, also, that the bell is a 
 large pendulum, swung through the entire circle ; 
 and that, in the hands of a good ringer, she will be 
 balanced exactly each time she is set, without 
 resting any weight against the stay and slider, — 
 in fact, that a good ringer could dispense with 
 them both. And, lastly, that from the time 
 when the bell is pulled off the balance until she 
 goes up and balances again, she is beyond all con- 
 trol, and that during that interval the rope must be 
 left entirely free. 
 
 III. On the Management of the Rope. — No de- 
 scription can suffice without instruction in the belfry 
 from a good ringer ; still I will give a few hints and 
 cautions. (1.) Begin upon a bell which has been 
 rung up and set by your instructor : because, among 
 other reasons, as the bell turns mouth uppermost 
 she becomes almost stationary for a moment, 
 and therefore the rope also waits for the hand to 
 grasp it. 
 
 (2.) Let the instructor place the pupil in the 
 
On the Management of the Rope. 5 
 
 proper position for ringing the bell, and then stand 
 facing him. Let the rope be adjusted as nearly as 
 possible to the height of the pupil, and the end 
 placed in his hands. Let him be shown how to 
 draw the rope as stated in (6), and cautioned 
 neither to look up after it, nor to raise his hands as 
 though he would push it up, but allow the rope to 
 take up the hands until the bell balances. The 
 teacher will then pull the bell off at hand-stroke, 
 and the pupil will pull her off at back-stroke. After 
 a few strokes the pupil should be shown how ' to feel 
 the stay,' i.e. to allow the bell to draw him up on 
 tip-toe as she goes gently past the balance and 
 rests her stay against the slider. When this has 
 been done a few times, and he can also pull the rope 
 down steadily, the teacher and pupil should change 
 work (but not places), and the pupil learn to pull off 
 at hand-stroke and to ' feel the stay ' on that side 
 also, on the return of the tuffing to the grasp, while 
 the teacher manages the end of the rope. When the 
 learner can feel the stay at hand-stroke and back- 
 stroke, separately, he may be trusted to pull both 
 strokes ; but the teacher must stand by his side to 
 assist him in any difficulty which may arise, and to 
 give any cautions which may be necessary. 
 
 (3.) When about to ring alone, let the length 
 of the rope be adjusted carefully to your height 
 and reach. Ropes shrink in damp, and stretch 
 in dry, weather. Grasp the tuffing always at the 
 same place, and firmly, with the whole hand, 
 as distinguished from the ends of the fingers. Re- 
 
6 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 member that the knack which you have to acquire, 
 and which is absolutely indispensable to good 
 ringing, is that of pulling with the exact degree of 
 force required to make the bell go up and balance 
 herself. Nothing which you can do with the rope 
 when it returns to your grasp can really correct the 
 mistake of having pulled too hard or too lightly ; 
 although you can then control the motion of the 
 bell to a certain degree. The knack required in 
 ringing may be compared to that required in order 
 to throw open a gate .with- just so much force as 
 will make it stand open. 
 
 (4.) Hold the end of the rope, never insert your 
 hand in the loop, lest you should break a stay, and, 
 overturning the bell, be dragged up by it, unable to 
 loose your hold. 
 
 (5.) Stand upright. If you wish to throw your 
 weight upon the rope, do so by dropping a knee. 
 Never bend from the hips ; but a slight forward 
 motion, a bow in fact, looks well and is useful : you 
 thus cast upon the rope the weight of your head 
 and shoulders. Stand firm, — never lift a foot. You 
 require steadiness in ringing. And there is a risk 
 of putting your foot down upon, or on the other 
 side of, the rope as it falls upon the floor before 
 you ; in which case you would be instantly tripped 
 and thrown down as the bell gathered up the rope 
 in its swing. 
 
 (6.) Draw the bell rather than pull it, with a 
 continuous and steady strain ; no harder at one 
 time than at another. Bring your hands down in 
 
The Names and Places of the Bells. 7 
 
 front of your chest, as straight and as low as pos- 
 sible ; they may go down well before the waist 
 before quitting the rope. 
 
 (7.) Spare no pains to obtain perfect mastery of 
 the bell. Go alone into the tower and practise 
 until you can set her at hand and back-stroke with 
 ease and certainty. Count the time according to 
 the number of bells in the tower, and practise 
 bringing down your bell at different intervals of 
 time, — just when you wish to move it. Go up with 
 a friend and practise on two bells ; ringing one, 
 two ; two, one, &c, so as to acquire the habit of 
 following and of leading correctly. 
 
 In all this preliminary practice, the bell is used 
 dumb. The clapper being tied with two light 
 cords so as to stand fast in the centre of the bell : 
 if its weight incline to either side, it will affect the 
 balance. Cords of the right length, with a loop at 
 one end to fit over the ' flight ' or tail-piece of the 
 clapper may be kept under each bell ; or one cord, 
 with a large knot at one end, may be passed through 
 a canon, secured to the clapper by two half hitches 
 and then tied to the canon on the opposite side. 
 This is, to a practised hand, the quickest mode of 
 tying a clapper, if he be alone in the tower ; and it 
 employs the shortest length of line. 
 
 IV. On the Names and Places of the Bells. — The 
 
 smallest bell is called the treble, and the largest 
 the tenor; whatever the number of the ring or 
 its key-note. The others are called the second, 
 
8 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 the third, and so on, counting from the treble to 
 the tenor. 
 
 The bell which is struck first is said 'to lead;' 
 that which is struck last, 'to be behind' in the 
 change. The others are said to be in second's 
 place, in third's place, &c. ; or, more shortly, to be 
 'in two,' 'in three,' &c, according to the order in 
 which they are struck. Example. In the change 
 2 . !> 3) S) 4> the second bell leads; the treble is 'in 
 two;' the third is at home 'in three;' the tenor is 
 'in four;' and the fourth is 'behind.' Any bell 
 struck (like the third in the example) in her own 
 place is ' at home ; ' and it is essential that the 
 ringer know at every moment the place in which 
 his bell is then struck. The expression 'home' is 
 used in another sense also, which it is unnecessary 
 to explain at present. 
 
 Hand-stroke and Back-stroke. — The bells 
 having been rung up and set mouth uppermost, 
 each is struck twice before it returns to the same 
 position. The first of these blows is called the 
 hand-stroke, the second the back-stroke (see above 
 under II.). And when the bell, having been struck 
 twice, has been brought back to the position from 
 which she started, a whole pull has been made with 
 her. Example (two whole pulls) : — 
 
 Hand-stroke. Back-stroke. Hand-stroke. Back-stroke. 
 
 i, 2, 3, 4, 5, i, 2, 3, 4. S 5 I, 2, 3, 4, 5, h 2 , 3. 4, 5, &c. 
 
 The bells should be struck at exactly equal in- 
 tervals of time one after the other, upon both hand- 
 
On Rounds and Changes. 
 
 stroke and back-stroke. Then exactly double that 
 interval must be allowed before the next hand- 
 stroke is made. For example, in ringing five 
 bells, if they be struck i, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ; 
 i» 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, S ; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, &c, each 
 bell exactly half a second after the other, a whole 
 second must be allowed before the treble strikes 
 again. This is shown by the spaces left between 
 the figures. 
 
 The operation of raising and sinking or falling 
 a bell in peal is omitted for the present, as a feat 
 better unattempted by the beginner until he has 
 acquired some proficiency. 
 
 V. On Rounds and Changes. — When bells are 
 struck in their regular order, each at home in her 
 own place, as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, they are said to be rung 
 ' in rounds ; ' when that order is varied, and they 
 exchange places, as 2, 1, 3, 5, 4, they are rung ' in 
 changes.' A ' call-peal ' is one in which the con- 
 ductor tells each man his work, and they continue 
 repeating the same over and over again, until the 
 conductor calls the variation which is to be made. 
 But in ringing thus, men acquire habits absolutely 
 fatal to true change-ringing, therefore call-peals 
 should be positively forbidden in every tower. 
 
 Rounds must be rung, as the scale must be 
 practised by those who are learning music ; with the 
 same object, and with that alone, viz., to train the 
 ear and the hand. The beginner, as he rings 
 rounds, should always count the time ; he should 
 
io Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 accustom himself to watch all the bell-ropes, as 
 well as that which he follows immediately ; and he 
 should ring sometimes one bell, sometimes another, 
 so as to be able, in whatever part of the ringing 
 chamber he may stand, to see at a glance what 
 every other person in it may be doing. The eye 
 assists the ear very materially in keeping true com- 
 pass (i. e. time) ; even the man at the lead, who 
 strikes his first or hand-stroke by ear alone, often 
 uses the eye at the second or back-stroke, following 
 the bell which is behind at that change, just as the 
 other bells follow each other. Still the ear must 
 never be idle. It is a great assistance to a ringer 
 to know by listening alone the moment when the 
 treble leads ; but this is by no means indispensable. 
 Many men ring very well without it. 
 
 It is to be remembered that the larger the bell, 
 the longer is the time which she requires to swing ; 
 therefore in following a bell smaller than his own, the 
 ringer treads closely on her heels, if the expression 
 may be used : if there be a great difference in size, 
 the larger bell will be required to be moved before 
 that which she is to follow, in order to preserve the 
 proper interval between their actual blows. The 
 reverse holds good in the case of a smaller bell 
 following one larger than itself. And if the ropes 
 of a large bell and of a small bell come down into 
 the ringing-room at the same time, the smaller bell 
 strikes the first of those two. 
 
 The set or family of bells in a tower is commonly 
 called a ' ring,' as a ' ring of six, or of eight bells.' 
 
Hunting, Place-making, and Dodging. 1 1 
 
 ' A peal ' means the full number of changes 
 which can be produced upon the ring of bells : but 
 in the case of eight bells and upwards, 5000 changes 
 are considered a peal ; any smaller number a ' touch 
 or flourish.' 
 
 Changes. — Strictly speaking, if one pair of 
 bells alone change places, it is called a single 
 change ; if two pair, a double change ; if three 
 pair or more, a triple change or cross-peal. But 
 these expressions are now obsolete, although traces 
 of them survive in the names by which peals are 
 distinguished. Thus the changes on four bells are 
 called 'singles;' those on five, 'doubles;' on six, 
 ' minor ;' on seven, ' triples ;' on eight, ' major ;' on 
 nine, ' caters ' (i. e. quarters) ; on ten, ' royal ; ' on 
 eleven, 'cinques;' on twelve, 'maximus.' The 
 rule or system by which the changes are produced, 
 is called ' the method.' Thus, the expression, ' A 
 peal of grandsire doubles,' means 120 changes in 
 the method called ' grandsire,' rung upon five bells. 
 ' A peal of grandsire triples,' means 5040 changes in 
 the same method upon seven bells. 'A peal of 
 treble bob minor,' means 720 changes in the method 
 called ' treble bob,' upon six bells. ' A peal of 
 treble bob major,' means 5000 changes or upwards 
 in the treble bob method, rung upon eight bells. 
 
 VI. On Hunting, Place-making, and Dodging. — 
 
 The manner in which bells change can be explained 
 by a simple illustration. Suppose five men to take 
 their stand on the five steps of a short but broad 
 
1 2 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 staircase. Let each carry a number corresponding 
 with that of his step ; No. I standing at the bottom, 
 No. s at the top. Let these men mark time with 
 their feet, without moving from their steps, i, 2, 3, 
 4, 5. They resemble bells rung in rounds. Next* 
 let them leave their steps, and still beating time, 
 exchange places one with another on the staircase. 
 The manner in which they will move so as to 
 change thus, admits of three or four variations, e. g. 
 one man may ascend from the bottom, step by step, 
 changing places regularly with each other man as 
 he meets him on his way ; and, having reached the 
 top, pause there one beat, and then descend in like 
 manner ; make a similar pause at the bottom, and 
 repeat the process. Another man may walk, in the 
 same manner, down and up ; i. e. begin by descend- 
 ing. A third may begin with the pause ; waiting 
 on his step for the space of one beat, and then 
 starting on his path. The two men remaining may 
 begin as a separate pair, exchange places one with 
 another as though setting to partners, before they 
 fall in with the movements of the others. But if 
 all these varied movements be properly arranged, 
 the direct paths, the pauses, and changing of any 
 separate pair, and if the men move in correct time, 
 they will be able to exchange places continuously 
 without jostling one another, and without any 
 two men ever being on the same step at the same 
 moment. 
 
 Thus changing, they resemble bells rung in 
 changes. 
 
Hunting, Place-making, and Dodging. 13 
 
 Let the columns represent the steps in the stair- 
 case ; and the figures the men, according to the 
 numbers which they carry. The first 
 two lines give the position of rounds ; 
 the remainder those of changes. 
 
 It will be seen that No. 1 pursues 
 the direct path from the bottom up 
 to the top, changing places regularly 
 with each other number as he meets 
 them on his way. On arriving at the 
 top, he pauses one beat, and returns 
 as he had come ; to make a similar 
 pause at the bottom and to repeat 
 the process. No. 2 does the same, 
 except that he begins by walking 
 down. No. 3 begins with a pause ; 
 he waits upon his own step for the 
 space of one beat ; then descends. 
 The two remaining, 4 and 5, begin as a separate 
 pair ; they exchange places once as though they 
 were setting to partners, then they, too, move by 
 the same rule as the others. 
 
 The direct path is termed the ' hunting-course,' 
 or ' plain hunt,' and may be thus defined in technical 
 language. A bell hunts when she leads a whole 
 pull, strikes once in the place of each bell in 
 succession, lies behind a whole pull, and then 
 returns in the same manner step by step to the 
 lead. 
 
 A pause such as that made by 3 is termed 
 ' place-making.' A bell makes a place when she 
 
 en 
 
 ci 
 
 CO 
 
 <*■ 
 
 0> 
 73 
 
 
 
 w 
 
 0. 
 
 W 
 
 0. 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 S 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 .4 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
14 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 strikes twice in succession in any place except at 
 the lead or behind ; that being part of the hunting- 
 course. 
 
 The changing of a separate pair is called ' dodg- 
 ing.' A bell dodges when she moves a step back- 
 ward in her path, and then goes on as before. This 
 will be understood more clearly from the following 
 ****** example: — Here 5 is hunting up 
 351624 from the lead towards tenor's place; 
 315264 2 is hunting down from behind (i.e. 
 132546 tenor's place) to the lead. But 
 135264 when 5 arrives at fourth's place, 
 312546 she steps back into third's ; then 
 321456 remounts into fourth's ; and goes 
 ****** on her way. In like manner, when 
 2 has hunted down as far as third's place, she steps 
 up again and back into fourth's, then down into 
 third's a second time, and so through second's to 
 the lead. 
 
 In this example the dodging is made between 
 the third and fourth places ; therefore it is said to 
 be ' in three and four.' Bell 5 is hunting up when 
 she dodges, therefore she is said to 'dodge in 
 three-four up.' Bell 2 being on her way down to 
 the lead, is said to ' dodge in three-four down.' 
 The full description of the work is as follows : — 
 The treble has a plain hunting course ; bell 3 
 makes second's place ; 5 dodges in three-four up ; 2 
 dodges in three-four down ; 4 and 6 dodge together 
 behind. 
 
 Additional explanations are given below, which 
 
Hunting Up and Down. 1 5 
 
 relate especially to the work of this last-mentioned 
 pair. 
 
 Dodging may be repeated twice, and is then 
 called double-dodging, as in the annexed example : 
 where also two bells make third's * * * # 
 
 place in succession. 4 J 3 2 5 
 
 Examples may be rendered more 14352 
 clear by copying them, and using red 13425 
 ink for one number and black for the 31452 
 remainder; or by drawing lines of 3 4 1 2 5 
 red, black, green, &c. through the * * * * 
 numbers : the paths of the bells will thus be 
 marked out each in its own colour. 
 
 VII. Hunting up and down. Rules for Hunting— 
 
 Hunting consists of two parts, — hunting up from the 
 lead to the tenor's place, and hunting down from 
 the tenor's place, or behind, to the lead. 
 
 Rules for Hunting.— Suppose the beginner 
 to ring the treble in a party of five. Let him stand 
 well back from his rope, and so that he can see all 
 the other ropes in the ringing-chamber. So long 
 as rounds are rung he will have no bells below, and 
 four above him, as he is always at the lead. Let 
 him watch with both eye and ear the bell which 
 follows his ; and, on commencing changes, let him 
 follow that bell by striking after her. He is now in 
 second's place, has one bell below and three above 
 him. Let him watch (with eye and ear) the three, 
 notice which follows him, and follow her. He is 
 now in third's place, has two bells below and two 
 
1 6 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 above him. Let him watch the two, notice which 
 follows him, and follow her next time. He is now 
 in fourth's place, and has but one bell above him ; 
 let him follow her next time ; this is his first blow 
 behind. He has now four bells below and none 
 above him. Let him watch the four, and follow that 
 which strikes fourth ; this is his second blow behind. 
 He has four bells below him. Let him watch the 
 four, and as soon as three of them move, let him 
 follow that which strikes third ; thus allowing the 
 bell which he last followed to pass him. He has 
 now stepped down into fourth's place, and has three 
 bells below him. Let him watch the three, and as 
 soon as two of them move let him follow that 
 which strikes second ; thus allowing the bell which 
 he last followed to pass him. He has now stepped 
 down into third's place, and has only two bells 
 below him. Let him watch those two, and follow 
 that which leads ; thus allowing the other to pass 
 him. He has now stepped down into second's 
 place, and has but one bell below him. Let him 
 strike first of all next time. This is his first blow 
 at the lead, and after leading a second blow, he 
 must hunt up and down again as before. 
 
 These ' directions ' may be expressed, briefly, 
 thus : — In hunting up, strike on the bell which 
 strikes on you, until you come out behind. In 
 hunting down, see four bells move and follow the 
 last ; three, and follow the third ; two, and follow 
 the second ; one, and follow that one : lead. 
 
 He need pay no attention to the order in which 
 
Rules for Hunting. 17 
 
 the bells below him strike ; he counts merely the 
 number of ropes which move before his own. And 
 inasmuch as he notices those bells alone which are 
 below him, he neglects each in turn as soon as he 
 has followed it, that is, struck next after it, because 
 she then passes out behind him. This habit of 
 recollecting which bells do not concern him is 
 obviously of great assistance to the beginner in 
 finding out those bells with which he has to work, 
 because it reduces the number which he has to 
 watch. 
 
 While hunting, he must count his way thus : — 
 Lead ; into two ; into three ; into four ; into five ; 
 in five, four, three, two, lead, lead, &c. In change- 
 ringing it is absolutely necessary for a man to know, 
 at each moment, in what place he strikes his bell, 
 and whether he is working upwards or downwards. 
 A beginner cannot know this without counting, 
 any more than a child can learn to read without 
 spelling. It is perfectly true that a practised 
 ringer can see at a glance the order in which six 
 ropes, or more than six ropes, are moving, and can 
 tell his own place without counting his way. It is 
 equally true that he can read a word of six letters, 
 or more than six letters, without stopping to spell 
 it : also that a practised accountant can read off a 
 column of figures and write down their sum total 
 without adding them all up one by one. Still a 
 beginner must spell. 
 
 My own experience is that the beginner's first 
 difficulty is to perceive that in change- ringing each 
 
 c 
 
18 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 bell has her path among the others. To overcome 
 this difficulty the changes upon three bells should 
 be written out before him, and he should be shown 
 how to follow a bell in her path ; counting her 
 place up and down in the hunting-course. He 
 should then take the treble in three hand-bells, his 
 instructor taking two, and should be made to ring 
 the six changes ; until he can see clearly that his 
 bell is struck twice in front of the other pair, 123, 
 123 ; once between them, 213 ; then after the pair, 
 231 ; then after them again, the pair having 
 changed places one with another, 321 ; next, that 
 his bell is struck second, or again between the other 
 pair, 312 ; then first 132 ; then first again, the other 
 pair changing once more, 123 ; which brings them 
 into rounds. This must be repeated again and 
 again. When perfect upon three hand-bells, he 
 must proceed in like manner to four, to five, and to 
 six hand-bells. He will then be ready for practice 
 in the tower. I am quite aware that to hunt up 
 and down, and to count your way, as described 
 above, is very difficult at first; but the difficulty 
 soon gives way before perseverance. An easier 
 plan can be found readily; but it costs far more 
 trouble as you advance to the higher stages ; be- 
 cause counting is (like spelling) the one sound 
 foundation ; any attempt to evade a difficulty simply 
 because it .is a difficulty must fail ; and any sug- 
 gestion that a man can learn to ring without 
 trouble, or without exerting himself to think, is 
 only misleading. Besides the fact, which will 
 
Rules for Hunting. 1 9 
 
 appear in the next chapter, that the learner who 
 has thus mastered thoroughly this first stage, the 
 hunting-course, has made sure of the two next steps 
 also. At the same time I stipulate that a man 
 begin to learn upon a small ring of bells, and that 
 he proceed gradually ; from three bells, to four, and 
 to five, before he attempt six. 
 
 It will be noticed that you are instructed to 
 count slowly when hunting up ; ' Lead ; lead ; into 
 two ; into three ; into four ; &c, but rapidly when 
 hunting down : ' in five, four, three, two, lead.' For 
 this reason. It will be seen from the first example on 
 
 12345 
 five bells 21354 that when a bell is hunting up 
 
 2314S 
 and has struck once, she has to wait for five others 
 before striking again ; e.g. the treble having struck 
 once in second's place (21354), waits for 3, 5, 4, 2, 
 and 3 before she strikes again (23145) : the reason 
 being that she has advanced a step over the 3. It 
 is the same with every change until she reaches the 
 last place. But in hunting down from behind to 
 the lead, she has to wait for three bells only instead 
 
 of five between any two blows of her own * \ \ \ \ ; 
 
 viz. in this case the 4, 5, and 3, because, in stepping 
 down into fourth's place, she has anticipated the 2, 
 or allowed the 2 to pass her. It is the same with 
 every change until she reaches the lead ; and what 
 is true of one hunting bell is true of all. Thus in 
 hunting up a bell is struck at longer intervals of 
 time, or slowly, and is therefore rung high ; a bell 
 
20 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 in hunting down is struck at shorter intervals of 
 time, or quickly, and is therefore rung low. (See 
 under II.) Hence we count as described in order to 
 keep time correctly. 
 
 When a man has learnt to hunt the treble by 
 this rule on five or six bells he should take another 
 bell, and practise with it ; then yet another, so as to 
 accustom him from the first to variety in his work 
 and to change of position in the tower. A beginner 
 will probably ring the treble for some weeks, and 
 there is no reason against his learning to hunt her 
 throughout a touch with the full number of bells in 
 the tower. But as soon as he wishes to practise 
 the work of an in bell, the company must return to 
 the use of some smaller number, four or five : I 
 strongly recommend them to use the hand-bells in 
 the first instance, and I can assure them that to 
 proceed thus carefully and by system will in the 
 end save both time and trouble. 
 
 VIII. Eules for Place-making.— If the hunting- 
 course has been learnt thus, place-making and 
 dodging will be easy. For the man who knows at 
 every moment the place in which his own bell is 
 struck, and who is also accustomed to watch the 
 bells above and below his own, will be ' able to 
 change with them in any way required by the peal 
 which he is ringing. For instance, if he be ringing 
 the bob method, and wishes to strike two blows 
 instead of one in second's place, that is to make 
 second's place, he will proceed thus : he will lead, 
 
Rules for Plate-making. 21 
 
 and as he leads at the back-stroke, he will notice 
 that the treble follows him and then leads herself, 
 or, as it is expressed, takes his bell off the lead. 
 Thus he follows the treble at the hand-stroke, and 
 being in second's place he follows the treble at the 
 back-stroke also, then leads again at the hand- 
 stroke. An example is given below. If he wishes 
 to make third's place, some bell, which will gener- 
 ally be the treble, takes him off the lead at the 
 hand-stroke. He goes into third's place on some 
 other bell, at the back-stroke : he watches these two 
 bells, he sees them move, he follows at the hand- 
 stroke that which moves second ; he follows the 
 other at the back-stroke ; then he leads at the hand- 
 stroke. To make third's place is simply to ring the 
 plain hunting-course on three bells ; to make 
 fourth's place is to ring the plain hunting-course on 
 four bells. In all cases the treble will be one of the 
 bells below you. 
 
 I give two examples of this work. In the first, 
 bell 3 makes second's place ; in the other, bells 
 4 and S each make third's place, but with different 
 bells below them, and return to the lead. 
 
 
 Ex. 
 
 1. 
 
 
 
 
 EX. a. 
 
 
 3 
 
 S 1 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 1 3 
 
 t 
 
 3 
 
 1 5 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 S 
 
 1 
 
 4 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 3 2 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 S 
 
 4 3 
 
 -» 
 
 1 
 
 3 S 
 
 -> 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 5 2 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 1 2 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 S 3 
 
 •> 
 
 3 
 
 2 1 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 s 
 
 S 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 1 2 
 
 2 I 
 
 4 3 
 
 3 
 3 
 1 
 
2 2 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 The ringer would count thus : ' Lead ; lead ; 
 into two; in two, lead, &c. :' and 'into two; into 
 three ; in three, two, lead, &c.' 
 
 IX. Dodging. — I refer my reader to the ex- 
 planations to be found in Chapter VI. I assume 
 that he has learnt to hunt by the rules which I have 
 given so thoroughly as to know at each moment 
 the ' place ' in which his bell is then struck, and also 
 the bell which he has followed at his last blow. 
 Dodging is simply a backward step ; you are 
 hunting up, or you are hunting down ; you have 
 reached a certain point in your course ; you retrace 
 one step, then proceed. In double dodging you 
 retrace this step twice over ; this is the whole — 
 
 Examples. 
 
 I. 
 
 
 
 
 II. 
 
 Single Dodging. 
 
 Double Dodging. 
 
 4 S 3 
 
 i 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 S 3 i 2 
 
 5 4 i 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 SI32 
 
 5 i 4 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 S 
 
 1423 
 
 I s 2 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 I 
 
 5 4 3 2 
 
 I 2 5 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 I 
 
 4523 
 
 2 I 5 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 15 3 2 
 
 2 s i 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 5123 
 
 5 2 3 
 
 i 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 4213 
 
 It is to be remembered also that a bell is 
 hunting up until she has both reached the last place 
 and also struck two consecutive blows in that 
 place ; and that she begins to hunt down as soon 
 as ever' the second blow behind has been struck. 
 Therefore a bell which has to dodge behind as she 
 
Dodging. 2 3 
 
 goes up (like the 4 in example i), hunts up to the 
 last place, steps back immediately into the last 
 place but one, steps up again into the last place, 
 strikes a second consecutive blow in that last place, 
 and then hunts down. Thus she has hunted out 
 behind and made one backward step, before com- 
 pleting her hunting-course by striking two consecu- 
 tive blows behind. If she is dodging doubly on her 
 way up (as the 3 in the second example) she steps 
 down a second time from the last place into the 
 last but one ; then up again into the last place, 
 strikes her other blow behind, and hunts down. 
 
 On the other hand, the bell which has to dodge 
 behind as she comes down, like the 3 in the first 
 example and the 2 in the second example, com- 
 pletes her hunting-course by striking the two 
 blows behind, takes one step in her downward 
 path, then retraces that step, either once or twice 
 as may be required. Thus, in dodging behind as 
 you go up, you dodge with the bell which you find 
 in the last place. In dodging as you come down, 
 you dodge with the bell which comes up to meet you. 
 The two men who are dodging together should 
 look at each other, and each catch the eye of the 
 other. This practice gives confidence to both ; and 
 also enables the one to put the other right if he 
 fall into any mistake. And beginners are very apt, 
 to forget whether they should hunt up or hunt 
 down after the dodging is completed, especially in 
 double dodging. 
 
 In ringing upon four bells, or five bells, the 
 
24 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 dodging is in the two last places alone ; but in 
 ringing on six bells, you dodge in three-four as 
 well as in five-six ; and on seven bells, in four-five 
 and six-seven, both up and down. But the man 
 who has learned to hunt by counting his place, will 
 be able to watch the bell with which he is to dodge, 
 and those below him also, and to step alternately 
 up and down, or down and up, as may be neces- 
 sary, passing his companion in the dodge, or allow- 
 ing that companion to pass him, as explained in the 
 rules for hunting. Explanations as to the time at 
 which to dodge will be given in their proper place. 
 
 X. On the Study of Ringing. — Very much can be 
 accomplished outside the belfry ; so much indeed, 
 that it may almost be said that a man should learn 
 his work at home on paper, with the help of a book 
 or of a friend, and should go to the tower to prac- 
 tise only. Also, although all ringers have been 
 learners themselves, and should therefore be willing 
 to teach, yet teaching is very dull and irksome, 
 and the whole band is kept back to the level of the 
 learner ; therefore the beginner should feel bound 
 for the sake of all concerned to spare no pains or 
 trouble which may quicken his progress. He must 
 lean upon others, but he should tax their patience 
 as little as possible. 
 
 The learner should habitually ' prick' peals, i.e. 
 write them down, working out their changes by the 
 rules given for them ; a slate is more convenient 
 than paper for this purpose. When a peal has been 
 
On the Study of Ringing. 25 
 
 pricked, the work of the bell which he intends to 
 ring should be analysed, as in an example which 
 will be given further on. Then, having learned 
 thus the work which his bell has to do, the beginner 
 should take his place behind some good ringer em- 
 ployed with that bell, and watch the bell as the 
 work is actually done. He will thus rehearse the 
 work of hunting, place making, and dodging, and 
 soon be ready to take the rope himself. 
 
 A peal can be rehearsed in imagination, thus : 
 Suppose the learner to be one of five ringers, let 
 him imagine himself to be standing at his own bell ; 
 let him take four points in positions suitable to 
 represent the four other ropes in the tower : sticks, 
 the corners of a table, anything will mark the points. 
 Then, with the figures before him, let him study his 
 own bell's work ; looking from point to point as he 
 would look from rope to rope, and imagining them 
 to move as the ropes do in reality. It is not neces- 
 sary to mark the points at all ; and, with changes 
 pricked on a [card, I have thus often rehearsed a 
 peal during a walk. 
 
 It is also very useful to practise counting in the 
 street, &c. Many men find at first much difficulty 
 in counting backwards ; five, four, three, two, lead. 
 
 Peals are never printed in full ; ordinarily the 
 ' lead ends ' only are given, i. e. those changes when 
 the treble leads at her back stroke ; and the treble's 
 figure (1) is omitted, because, as it is always in 
 the same place (the first) at that stroke, the repe- 
 tition of the figure would be useless. It is to be 
 
26 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 understood that figures printed thus, 2534, mean 
 12534, an d represent a change rung when the 
 treble led at her back-stroke. The lead-ends enable 
 a man to test the correctness of his pricking at every 
 few lines. 
 
 ' A lead, or treble lead,' means the changes rung 
 between that at which the treble leaves the lead to 
 begin her hunting-course, and that at which she 
 completes her lead after coming down again. In 
 simple methods all the bells hunt during the first 
 lead. The changes thus made are, in number, 
 exactly double that of the bells changing ; and 
 their order can easily be so arranged, that when the 
 treble returns to the lead, they shall either come 
 into rounds again, at her back-stroke, or else, as she 
 moves up into second's place, they begin to repeat 
 the changes already made. Hence the hunting- 
 course can be learned on every bell in turn ; viz. 
 by ringing a treble lead over and over again re- 
 peatedly. 
 
 And I strongly advise a man who has learned 
 to hunt upon one bell, then to take another and 
 learn upon her ; then a third, and to continue this 
 practice until he can take any bell indifferently, 
 without being confused by standing in a different 
 place in the tower, or by commencing his work at 
 another point in the hunting-course. For the same 
 reason the treble lead "should be rung over and over 
 again repeatedly, so as to avoid the idea that the 
 learner has always to begin in one and the same 
 manner. 
 
On the Study of Ringing. 27 
 
 A bell is said to 'turn another from the lead,' 
 or to ' take the lead from her,' when she leads next 
 after the bell thus turned away or taken off. And, 
 in like manner, to ' turn another from behind,' when 
 she goes ' behind,' i. e. into the last or tenor's place, 
 next after the bell thus turned away from that place. 
 When two bells, the one hunting up and the other 
 hunting down, exchange places elsewhere than at 
 the lead or behind, they are said to pass each 
 other in those places where they thus 
 
 1 J Example. 
 
 exchanged:— 45312 
 
 Here ' the 4 passes the treble in 
 
 54132 
 two-three,' or ' the 4 meets the treble 
 
 S ! 4 2 3 
 in two,' or 'treble turns four into 
 
 three.' All these modes of expression are used ; 
 
 but among them I prefer the first. 
 
 The number of changes which can be rung is 
 decided by the arithmetical law of permutations, and 
 is equal to the product of the numbers multiplied 
 one into the other. Thus, the changes on three bells 
 are 1x2x3=6: those on four, 1x2x3x4= 24: 
 on five, 1x2x3x4x5 = 120, and so on for any 
 numbers. The object of the composer is to pro- 
 duce a peal which shall be at once correct and 
 musical. 
 
 I would now request attention to the fact, that 
 each advance in the art of change-ringing follows 
 upon that which has gone before, in a manner so 
 direct and natural that they may be truly said 
 to grow one out of the other. Hence it possesses 
 that high interest which properly belongs to the 
 
28 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 development of a science ; and the learner may be 
 assured that he will be able to master this art pro- 
 vided that he will be at the pains to ground himself 
 in the hunting-course, and that he will take care to 
 understand every forward step as it is made before 
 he attempts to make another. 
 
 Hence, also, appears the extreme importance 
 of mastering the hunting-course. Counting your 
 place is to ringing that which spelling is to reading. 
 It is evident already that the man who has learned 
 thus to hunt, has, in so doing, made sure of two steps 
 additional, viz. place making and dodging. I am 
 quite aware that a plan can be proposed which is 
 at first sight easier. But my earnest advice to a 
 beginner is to grapple manfully with a difficulty, — 
 to have nothing to do with royal roads or easy 
 modes of learning, nor with any ' aid,' so long as 
 he is ringing on a small number of bells. Aids 
 have their proper place in which they are most 
 useful ; but their proper place is most certainly not 
 at the outset. If employed then they will tend to 
 prevent a man from learning his work thoroughly, 
 and will therefore, in the long run, entail far more 
 trouble than they save. 
 
 A man must know at each moment the place in 
 which his bell is then struck. A beginner cannot 
 know this without counting. Counting his place 
 is all that he requires in learning to hunt on a small 
 number of bells ; and if he does so learn on five 
 bells, he will find also that he needs no other aid 
 on seven. Therefore once more I advise him stren- 
 
Hand-bells. 29 
 
 uously to learn by counting alone, and I can assure 
 all concerned that if this course requires at first 
 patience and application in the learner himself, and 
 in those with whom he rings, nevertheless, that 
 the work once done will never be any trouble 
 again ; that the time occupied in laying a thorough 
 foundation is not spent, but invested ; and that it 
 will be repaid manifold as the party advances to 
 the higher branches of the art. The beginner will 
 be rewarded with that confidence and ease which 
 (in ringing as in more important matters), are 
 reserved for those only who master their subjects : 
 the company will gain a recruit on whom they can 
 rely and who will never be a drag upon them, 
 keeping them back from methods which he cannot 
 understand, because new to him. 
 
 X I . Hand -hells. — Any method can be thoroughly 
 learned on hand-bells. These cost, according to 
 their size, from 3/. to 61. for a set of eight ; they can 
 be purchased from any bell-founder who pays 
 especial attention to their manufacture. They are 
 used as follows : — The ringers sit in a circle, each 
 holding one bell ; they strike upwards towards the 
 shoulder and downwards towards the knee, to 
 represent the hand and back-strokes, stopping 
 the bell each time with a slight jerk. At the up- 
 stroke the bell is stopped against the thumb, which 
 is held straight and rigid ; and the bell is held 
 mouth uppermost but pointing slightly towards 
 the person, so that the clapper also leans inwards. 
 
30 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 Then all is ready for the down-stroke. They 
 follow the same rules as in the church-tower. 
 
 The use of hand-bells economises the ropes, &c. 
 in the tower ; spares the residents adjoining much 
 noise and annoyance, and enables the ringers to 
 obtain far more practice in the same time, because 
 they are struck so very much more quickly than 
 the large bells can be rung by inexperienced 
 hands. 
 
 The practice on the church-bells with clappers 
 tied can be continued to any extent desired. I 
 have myself had all the eight bells in our tower 
 thus rung dumb. An ingenious apparatus has been 
 constructed (although I have never seen it), by 
 which at each stroke a small gong is sounded so 
 that the party in the belfry can practically hear 
 their bells while they are inaudible to all the world 
 besides. 
 
 XII. Changes on Three Bells. — These are six in 
 number, viz. 
 
 They are all produced by hunting 
 
 1 2 3 alone : therefore all description has been 
 
 2 i 3 anticipated under VI. and VII. It is not 
 
 2 3 i likely that they will be rung excepting as 
 321a beginner's first essay, and upon harid- 
 
 3 l 2 bells. 
 
 132 I may remark here, once for all, that 
 
 ! 2 3 when changes are rung upon three or 
 
 four only of the bells in a tower, the 
 
 full number of the bells are struck ; the others being 
 
Changes upon Four Bells. 
 
 struck ' at home,' or each in their own place. Thus 
 the ringers are practised in the compass or time of 
 the full ring of bells, and the effect out-of-doors is 
 much better. 
 
 Covering. — The tenor is said to 'cover' the 
 other bells when she is struck constantly ' at home ' 
 in the last place, without changing with them. In 
 this case, each man as he leads knows that the 
 tenor is necessarily ' at the opposite end ' of the 
 change which is struck ; therefore in leading he can 
 follow the tenor, or, as it is expressed, lead off the 
 tenor. 
 
 XIII. Changes upon Four Bells ; or Bob Singles ; 
 24 in number. — The hunting-course alone will pro- 
 duce all the changes possible upon three bells, but 
 in those upon four it is necessary to employ in 
 addition both the other variations already ex- 
 plained ; viz. place-making and dodging. This is 
 done upon a method extremely simple, and yet 
 capable of being applied to any number of bells 
 from four to twelve. It is especially suited to the 
 even numbers, but can be adapted to the odd 
 numbers also. It is called the ' bob method,' and 
 its rule is as follows : — All the bells hunt until the 
 treble leads ; the bell which she turns from the lead 
 makes second's place, and leads again ; those above 
 second's place making at the same time a single 
 dodge. 
 
 The whole peal is here given, viz. : — 
 
32 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 I 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 
 2 I 
 
 4 
 
 I 3 
 
 2 4, 
 
 i 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 I 
 
 2 3 
 
 4 2 
 
 3 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 4 
 
 3 2 
 
 4 3 
 
 2 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 4 
 
 2 3 
 
 3 4 
 
 I 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 i 
 
 3 2 
 
 3 i 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 I 2 
 
 i 3 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 2 I 
 
 i 3 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 4 I 
 
 3 i 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 I 4 
 
 3 2 
 
 I 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 i 
 
 3 4 
 
 2 3 
 
 4 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 2 
 
 4 3 
 
 2 4 
 
 3 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 2 
 
 3 4 
 
 The learner will observe that the treble, and she 
 alone, has a plain hunting-course throughout. Hence 
 her work has been explained already. All the other 
 bells have to vary, each taking her turn in making 
 second's place, and in dodging in three-four. 
 
 Analysis of the work, e.g. that of bell 4. She 
 hunts down and leads ; hunts up, passes the treble 
 in two-three, dodges with the 2 in three-four up, is 
 turned from the lead by the treble, makes second's 
 place and leads again ; hunts up, passes the treble 
 in three-four, dodges with the 3 in three-four down, 
 which completes the peal N.B. — On dodging up 
 and dodging down, see pages 22 and 23. 
 
 Rules for Ringing. — It will be seen from the 
 figures, that the treble has an uniform course 
 throughout ; therefore she can be used by the 
 others as a guide. It can be ascertained from an 
 analysis that the various parts of each bell's work 
 follow each other in a regular order. Therefore, if 
 
Changes upon Four Bells. 33 
 
 a man has learnt that order in which his work 
 comes to him, he will know after completing each 
 portion, what he has to do next. Hence we 
 obtain the two rules following, both of which 
 should be committed to memory, and used while 
 ringing, for, although either is a sufficient guide, it 
 is well to have ' two strings to the bow.' 
 
 Rule 1. To ring by meeting the treble. If you 
 pass the treble in one-two (2. e. if she take you off 
 the lead), make second's place, and lead again. If 
 you pass her in two-three, dodge in three-four up. 
 If you pass her in three-four, dodge in three-four 
 down. See Chapters VIII. and IX. 
 
 Rule 2. To ring by the course method. After 
 making second's place, dodge next lead in three- 
 four down ; then, the next lead, dodge in three- 
 four up. 
 
 It will be seen from the figures, that bell 3 does 
 the work exactly as described. The other bells 
 keep to the same order, but commence at different 
 points, e.g. the 2 dodges in three-four down, 
 then in three-four up, and lastly, makes second's 
 place. The 4 begins with dodging in three-four 
 up. 
 
 I beg attention to these points. 1. The bell 
 which makes second's place, and takes the treble off 
 the lead, dodges invariably in three-four down. 
 2. The bell, other than the treble, which a man 
 takes off the lead, is that which he will also turn 
 from the last place, or from behind, and which will 
 be his partner if he dodge in three-four up. 3. The 
 
 D 
 
34 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 bell (again other than the treble) which takes him 
 off the lead, is that which will come up to him when 
 he is behind, and will be his partner if he dodge in 
 three-four down. 
 
 Reverse Bob. — The twenty- four changes may- 
 be produced by a rule the exact opposite of the 
 foregoing, viz., the bell which the treble 
 
 1 2 3 4 turns from behind makes third's place 
 
 2 1 4 3 and goes behind again ; the two bells 
 2 4 i 3 below third's place making a single 
 4 2 3 * dodge. I give one lead complete, and 
 2 4 3 ! the backstroke leads of the treble for 
 4 2 ' 3 the remainder of the peal. 
 
 4 i 2 3 Rules for Ringing. — (i.) By 
 
 i 4 3 2 meeting the treble. The bell which in 
 1342 hunting down takes the treble off the 
 lead, leads at once, and dodges in front 
 I , 4 » 2 # 3 as sne hunts up. That which in hunt- 
 1234 m S down passes the treble in three- 
 two, dodges in front as she hunts 
 down, and then leads. That which meets the 
 treble in four-three, or is turned from behind by 
 the treble, makes third's place and goes behind 
 again. 
 
 (2.) The course method. Make third's place as 
 you come down, and go behind again. Dodge 
 in one-two up, i. e. after striking twice at the 
 lead ; then dodge in one-two down, i. e. before 
 leading. 
 
 I say no more about reverse bob, because no 
 company is likely to ring it, and I insert it here 
 
Changes upon Four Bells. 35 
 
 simply as an introduction to aid in understanding 
 that which follows, viz., 
 
 Double Bob, which is a combination of the two 
 modes of producing the twenty-four changes, a 
 method very musical in its effect, because of the 
 continuous dodging, and perfectly first-rate piece of 
 practice for ringers who wish to master their art. 
 
 Rule of the Method. — The bell which the 
 treble turns from behind makes third's place and 
 goes behind again, those below third's 
 place making a single dodge. Also, 1234 
 the bell which the treble takes off the 2143 
 lead makes second's place and leads 2413 
 again, those above second's place mak- 4231 
 ing a single dodge. 2431 
 
 Rules for Ringing. — (i.) By 4 2 r 3 
 meeting the treble. If you turn the 4 r 2 ' 3 
 treble from either the lead or from 1 2 
 
 behind, strike two blows, one after % % 
 the other, in that place; then dodge * * » 
 with the bell which comes to you. If 1342 
 you turn any other bell from the lead * * * 
 or from behind, dodge with that bell ; l 2 3 4 
 then strike the two blows in that place. 
 If the treble turn you from the lead or from behind, 
 make a place and go back again (see figures). 
 
 (2.) The course method. Dodge in front as you 
 hunt up, dodge behind as you hunt up; make 
 third's place ; dodge behind as you hunt down ; 
 dodge in front as you hunt down ; make second's 
 place. 
 
3 5 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 More briefly, dodge before up, behind up and 
 make thirds. Dodge behind down, before down and 
 make seconds. 
 
 The above is the work of bell 2. Bell 3 begins. 
 Make thirds. Dodge behind, as you come down, 
 &c. Bell 4 begins. Dodge in front as you come 
 down ; make second's place, &c. A bell dodges in 
 front down, if she dodges in one-two before leading 
 her two blows, and in front up, if she dodges after 
 leading. 
 
 Thus the course method is a certain guide in 
 ringing, provided that it is learnt by heart so per- 
 fectly that a man can take it up at 
 12345 J r 
 
 any point. 
 
 2 1 3 5 4 
 
 2 3 1 4 5 XIV. — Changes upon Five Bells, 
 
 3 2 4 1 5 Grandsire Doubles, 120 in number. 
 34251 Rule of the Method. — All 
 43521 the bells hunt until the treble has 
 45312 finished leading ; then the bell which 
 5 4 1 3 2 she turned from the lead makes 
 5 r 4 2 3 third's place, and returns to the lead, 
 15243 while the bells above third's place 
 • 2 5 3 4 make a single dodge. The learner 
 21543 should prick the changes at once, 
 25134 and for this purpose I give one lead 
 
 entire, and the lead ends of the 
 12453 remainder, 
 j 2 Peculiarities of the Method. (1.) 
 
 One pair of bells are always hunt- 
 ing, viz., the treble and another, in this case the 2 ; 
 
Changes upon Five Bells. 3 7 
 
 which is said to be ' in the hunt with the treble.' 
 (2.) One pair of bells are dodging as the treble 
 leaves the lead. In the case of seven bells two 
 pair, and in the case of nine three pair, dodge at 
 this time. (3.) And one bell makes third's place. 
 Hence this method is essentially adapted to the 
 odd numbers. 
 
 In the case of four bells, the rule of the method 
 alone produces all the changes possible. In this 
 case it produces but three treble leads of ten 
 changes each ; then the bells come round. Hence 
 it is necessary to introduce two new variations 
 called bobs and singles in order to obtain the whole 
 120 changes. 
 
 A bob is a variation in the rule. Bobs are em- 
 ployed in all methods ; the manner in which they 
 are made varies with the method, 
 and forms one of its distinctive A Bob - 
 
 features. 34512 
 
 A bob in grandsire is made 
 
 thus : — The bell which in hunting 
 
 up passes the treble in two-three, as 
 
 she is hunting down ; makes third's 
 
 place and returns to the lead. Im- 
 
 r 31452 
 
 mediately afterwards the bell which 
 
 34125 
 the treble takes off the lead makes # * * 
 
 thirds and returns to the lead, and 
 the bells above third's place make a double dodge. 
 Hence it is commonly said that ' a bob in grand- 
 sire is two third's places.' 
 
 By the use of these bobs alone sixty changes 
 
38 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 can be obtained. It is then necessary to introduce 
 yet another variation, called a single, to prevent the 
 bells from coming round ; in this way we are able 
 to ring the whole 120, when a second single com- 
 pletes the peal. 
 
 A single on five bells is that which its name 
 implies, a single change ; two bells lie still and one 
 pair change, the remaining bell leading. Its effect 
 is to cause two bells to exchange their work, or, as 
 it is expressed, to 'shift their courses ;' so that the 
 second half of a peal thus rung, with 
 
 A Single. a s j n gi e j n thg middle, is exactly 
 
 like the first ; except that the 2 is 
 32154 ' r 
 
 throughout in the place which the "? 
 31245 & r J 
 
 did fill, and the % in the place of the 
 13254 ' , 
 
 2. The name single is retained on 
 13245 ° 
 
 higher numbers, even after it has 
 31254° 
 " ceased to be strictly accurate, when- 
 
 ever bells lie still to allow others to 
 
 exchange work or 'shift courses.' 
 
 It is made thus. The bell which meets the treble 
 
 in two-three strikes four blows in third's place, and 
 
 returns to the lead. That which the treble turns 
 
 from the lead makes second's place and leads again. 
 
 The bells above third's place make a double dodge ; 
 
 exactly as they do at a bob. 
 
 The word 'course' is used by ringers to express 
 
 several different ideas ; an inaccurate habit which 
 
 is often very perplexing to beginners. As applied 
 
 to a peal, the word ' course ' or ' plain coiirse ' 
 
 means the number of changes which can be pro- 
 
Changes upon Five Bells. 39 
 
 duced by the rule of the method alone without the 
 use of either a bob or a single. The grandsire 
 method produces thus, treble leads in number less 
 by two than that of the bells which are changing, 
 i. e., three leads on five bells, five leads on seven 
 bells, &c. The bob method produces leads less by 
 one than the numbers of the bells, i. e., three leads 
 on four bells, five leads on six, &c. 
 
 The word course, when applied to a single bell, 
 describes her work in the plain course, or her path 
 among the other bells. Thus the expressions, the 
 ' hunting course,' or ' to run a plain course,' mean 
 the same as ' to be in the hunt, or to hunt.' To 
 'learn the course of a bell' means to commit to 
 memory the order in which the different portions of 
 her work are done, viz. the dodging, place-making, 
 &c. Thus, if two bells blunder in their dodging, 
 that which ought to hunt up hunts down, and vice 
 versa, they will have ' exchanged courses,' i. e., each 
 will have stumbled into the path which belongs to 
 the other. 
 
 The word ' course ' has yet other meanings, but 
 I need not speak of them at present. 
 
 I will now give the lead-ends of a peal of 120 
 changes, the first lead of which has been already 
 printed at length, distinguishing the bobs by the 
 letter B, and the singles by the letter S. The two 
 parts being placed side by side, the resemblance 
 between them, and the exchange of work by the 2 
 and 3, caused by the single, are readily seen. The 
 learner should prick the peal in full. 
 
40 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 ist Part. 
 
 
 
 2nd Part. 
 
 2 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 2 S 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 
 3 5 2 4 
 
 B 3. 4 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 B 
 
 2 4 3S 
 
 3 5 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 
 2 S 4 3 
 
 B 4 2 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 B 
 
 4325 
 
 4 S 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 
 4 5 3 2 
 
 S 3 2 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 S 
 
 2 3 4 5 
 
 Rules for Ringing. — I strongly advise the 
 learner to ring this method by the rule of meeting 
 the treble alone ; the practice will be very useful to 
 him in acquiring a good ' rope-sight,' or skill in 
 watching bells at work ; also the bobs and singles 
 are introduced so frequently that the course method 
 is of but little use. 
 
 To ring by ' Meeting the Treble.' If you pass 
 the treble in one-two (2. e., if she takes you off the 
 lead), make third's place and return to the lead. 
 
 If you pass her in two-three, dodge in four-five 
 as you go up. 
 
 If you pass her in three-four, dodge in four-five 
 as you come down. 
 
 If you pass her in four-five, run in the plain 
 hunt. 
 
 At a bob : 
 
 If you pass the treble in one-two, make third's 
 place, and return to the lead. 
 
 If you pass her in two-three, make third's place, 
 and return to the lead. 
 
 If you pass her in three-four, dodge twice in 
 four-five as you go up. 
 
Changes upon Five Bells. 4 1 
 
 If you pass her in four-five, dodge twice in four- 
 five as you come down. 
 
 At a single: 
 
 If you pass the treble in one-two, make second's 
 place, and lead again. 
 
 If you pass her in two-three make thirds twice 
 over (strike four blows in thirds), and return to the 
 lead. 
 
 If you pass her above third's place, dodge as at 
 the bob. 
 
 The Course Method. — It will be seen from 
 the plain course that the bells work thus : Make 
 thirds, dodge in four-five down, then in four-five up. 
 It is said commonly that a bob shortens this work 
 one lead, which means that a bell does at the plain 
 lead next after a bob, work which would not have 
 come to it until the following lead, excepting through 
 the action of the bob. But this applies really to 
 one bell only in the five. The treble never varies, 
 the bell which, in her ordinary work makes third's 
 place, is unaltered ; one bell is stopped by the bob 
 in third's place, and thrown into the hunt ; the bell 
 which had been in the hunt with the treble is made 
 to dodge twice in four-five down, and thrown out 
 of the hunt. In the same way the single shortens 
 by one lead, the work of two bells. Hence both 
 bobs and singles are best rung by the rule of 
 meeting the treble only. 
 
 To find the Bell with which to Dodge. 
 — The bell which you take off the lead is that which 
 you will also turn from behind, and she will be your 
 
42 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 partner if you dodge in four-five up ; the bell which 
 takes you off the lead will come up to you behind, 
 and will be your partner if you dodge in four-five 
 down. The bell which has been in the hunt with 
 the treble always dodges twice in four-five down at 
 both a bob and a single. 
 
 I would now refer my reader to the explana- 
 tions of the place-making and the dodging given 
 already in chapters VIII. and IX. Especially 
 should he bear in mind that dodging is simply a 
 backward step in the hunting-course, taken once, 
 or in double dodging twice, and that the hunting is 
 then resumed. 
 
 He should also watch for the treble when he is 
 dodging or making a place. It will be seen from 
 the figures that (in grandsire doubles) the treble, in 
 all cases, separates the bells which are dodging in 
 four-five. That which has been dodging in four- 
 five down, on coming into fourth's place at the end 
 of her dodge strikes the treble, and knows at once 
 that she must hunt down to the lead. The bell 
 which has been dodging in four-five up loses her 
 partner, and strikes her second blow behind on the 
 treble, then goes down, the reason being that the 
 treble never varies from her path, and all others 
 must make way. 
 
 The bell which has been stopped in third's place 
 by a bob, or in the second place by a single, goes 
 into the hunt, and continues there until the next 
 call ; then she dodges twice in four-five down. 
 
 There are four different events in which a bell 
 
Changes upon Five Bells. 43 
 
 has to make a place in grandsire ringing, viz., 
 third's place in the ordinary work, at a bob, at a 
 single (twice over), and second's place at a single. 
 The treble is always one of the bells below you, 
 and in three cases out of the four she is the bell 
 which you strike last in the place which you are 
 making. Here, as in the dodging, the treble comes 
 up to you, and thus shows that the special work is 
 done, and that it is time for you to go down to the 
 lead. 
 
 Other memoranda of the like kind might be 
 added, but it will be more useful to the practitioner 
 to search them out for himself by careful study of 
 the peals which he pricks, especially in connexion 
 with the observation bell (on which see below) as 
 well as the treble. 
 
 On Conducting. — In ringing on five bells a 
 conductor is necessary. It is his business to call 
 the bobs and singles at the proper time, for which 
 purpose he guides himself by watching one bell in 
 particular, called the observation bell ; and makes 
 his calls as she enters certain positions with respect 
 to the others ; according to rules which he carries in 
 his memory. In the above peal the tenor is the 
 observation bell, and the rule as follows : call a bob 
 when the tenor dodges behind, and a single when 
 she and the 4 are both at home. 
 
 The observation bell is defined by Mr. Troyte 
 to be 'That bell whose work in the peal is the 
 most regular.' Any bell can be selected for the 
 observation, the treble excepted. And the right 
 
44 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 . - ~, 
 
 moment at which to call is, in grandsire, just before 
 the treble srrikes in the third place on her way- 
 down. 
 
 A young conductor will do well to ring the 
 observation bell himself. One of skill and experi- 
 ence will watch her work, and also will look round 
 at the other bells to see whether they are struck in 
 their proper places at the end of each division of 
 the peal, and if a mistake has occurred he will alter 
 his calls until he brings the bells into the order 
 which he wishes. It is really wonderful how much 
 a first-rate conductor can effect in this way, even on 
 high numbers of bells, and in very complicated 
 methods. 
 
 Although it is very difficult to conduct a peal 
 thus, the mere calling can be accomplished on 
 grandsire doubles by memory alone, and by one's 
 own bell, without much reference to the observation. 
 Suppose the peal runs thus : a plain lead, a single, 
 a bob, and a single, twice repeated. This order 
 can be recollected without difficulty, and if a man 
 notices the place in which he meets the treble as he 
 comes down to the lead, the position of his own bell 
 will inform him of the moment at which the treble 
 is about to enter third's place. 
 
 Let us look once more at the figures. Suppose 
 that you have been dodging in four-five up, the bell 
 with which you have dodged goes down, the treble 
 comes up, and, as you strike your second blow in 
 fifth's place, you see the treble in fourth's, or you 
 strike on the treble when she is in four. She 
 
Changes upon Five Bells. 45 
 
 follows you down, and as you strike in the second 
 place, she strikes in the fourth, consequently, if you 
 call a bob or single after your blow in the second 
 place, and before you lead, you will call just before 
 the treble strikes in three. If you have been 
 dodging in four-five down, you will meet the treble 
 when she strikes in third's place and yourself in 
 fourth's, or one step lower than in the last instance. 
 Then when you lead at the back-stroke she will 
 strike in fourth's (see the figures). Consequently a 
 call immediately after your back-stroke lead, will 
 be uttered as the treble is about to strike in third's 
 place. For the same reason, if you meet her one 
 step lower, viz., when she is in two, you will call im- 
 mediately after your blow in third's place as you 
 hunt up, and if you take her off the lead then you 
 will call immediately after your first blow in fifth's 
 or when you turn her from behind. And we obtain 
 these memoranda : 
 
 If you meet treble in five-four, call before you 
 lead. 
 
 If you meet her in four-three, call after back- 
 stroke lead. 
 
 If you meet her in three-two, call after your 
 blow in three. 
 
 If you meet her in two-one, call after your blow 
 in five. 
 
 Or, more briefly, four, after two, three, after 
 back-stroke, two, after three, one after five. Each 
 place lower, two blows later. 
 
 Of course this work is not ' conducting,' it is 
 
46 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 only ' calling.' It may serve as an introduction to 
 conducting if you ring the observation bell, and 
 take careful notice of her work as well as employ 
 your memory. And without the observation no 
 touches can be called on higher numbers than five 
 bells. The ringer gains so much by acquiring the 
 habit of watching other bells besides his own, and 
 it is so great a convenience to have more conductors 
 than one in a company that all practitioners should 
 study this branch of the art. 
 
 Peals are divided into ' parts,' which may be 
 described as repetitions if the bells are considered 
 all together : for the plain leads Bobs and singles 
 follow one another in the same order in each part, 
 although individual bells exchange work one with 
 another. It is usual to print the lead-ends of the 
 first part only of a peal, and to add the words 
 ' repeated ' for a two-part peal, and ' twice repeated' 
 for one in three parts. I give examples of two and 
 of three-part peals ; two of which have their lead- 
 ends printed in full, the remainder as above. 
 
 Bell 5, the Observation. 
 
 1st Part. 2nd Part. 
 
 2 3 4 5 
 
 2 5 3 4 2543 
 
 S4325 S3425 
 
 4 5 3 2 3542 
 
 B3245 B4235 
 
 3524 4523 
 
 B2435 B2345 
 
Changes upon Five Bells. 47 
 
 Bell 5, the Observation. 
 1st Part 2nd Part 3rd Part 
 
 2 3 4 5 
 
 B4523 B3542 B2534 
 
 S3245 S2435 S4325 
 
 3S24 2543 4532 
 
 S4235 S342S S2345 
 
 Bell 3, the Observation. 
 2 3 4S 234s 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 s 5 4 2 3 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 b 2 3 s 4 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 S 4 5 2 3 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 4 3 5 2 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 Twice repeated, 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 
 Repeated. 
 
 Bell 5, the Observation. 
 2345 2345 2345 
 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 2 5 3 4 
 
 s 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 B 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 S 4 3 2 5 
 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 B 2 5 4 3 
 
 B 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 S 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 s 3 4 2 5 
 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 Twice repeated, 
 
 B 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 B 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 
 Each to be repeated. 
 
 Double grandsire cannot be rung upon five bells, 
 and the reverse of the method is no improvement 
 upon its simple form. 
 
 Other peals in addition to the above can easily 
 be arranged. 
 
48 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 XV. Variations upon the Grandsire Method. — This 
 chapter may be omitted by beginners. It is inserted 
 at this place because most convenient, and it intro- 
 duces peals which will be of use to those alone who 
 have made some considerable progress in ringing. 
 But as there are very many towers which possess 
 no more than five bells, I wish to show that a great 
 deal can be accomplished with that number, even 
 although the company be so weak as to consist of 
 only four change-ringers and a treble-man. 
 
 The peals which follow are produced by rules 
 which differ very materially from those of Chapter 
 XIV. and yet retain the leading characteristics of 
 the grandsire system. I shall now study brevity 
 because I am writing for those only to whom ex- 
 planation, properly so called, is unnecessary. 
 
 Antelope. — This will be esteemed generally 
 a ' cramped,' that is, a difficult peal. But there is 
 
 1 2 3 4 5 52413 
 
 21354 S4231 
 23145 *** 
 
 32415 3425s 
 34251 # * * 
 
 3524 
 
 * * * 
 
 4235s 
 
 * * * 
 
 4 3 5 2 1 
 45312 
 54132 
 51423 
 15243 
 12543 4532 
 
 21534 * * * 
 
 25143 3 2 4 5B 
 
 Repeated. 
 
Variations upon the Grandsire Method. 49 
 
 nothing in it which need frighten a man who can 
 count his place and ring by meeting the treble. 
 
 Observation bell 5. The bell which meets the 
 observation and treble as she leaves the lead makes 
 fourth's place, strikes once only behind, and hunts 
 down. That which meets the same pair as she 
 leaves the second place strikes thrice behind, and 
 dodges into fourth's place ; then strikes twice be- 
 hind, and hunts down. A single is called whenever 
 the observation dodges behind, and a bob when she 
 and 4 are both at home. 
 
 Cambridge Delight produces very beautiful 
 music, and is a most useful piece of practice, be- 
 cause it introduces ringers to dodging in front as 
 well as behind. 
 
 12345 #** 
 
 4 2 3 5 B 
 21354 
 
 23145 * * * 
 
 32415 2 5 3 4 B 
 
 23451 * * * 
 
 32541 3425B 
 
 3S214 * * * 
 
 ■53124 
 
 4523B 
 S 1 3 4 2 s 
 
 1 5 3 2 4 b * * * 
 
 13542 324SS 
 
 Repeated. 
 
 Observation bell 5. A snap is called whenever 
 the observation and treble are together behind : the 
 bell in third's then makes that place and returns 
 behind, and those before dodge once. A bob is 
 
 E 
 
50 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 called whenever the observation and treble are to- 
 gether before, and also whenever the former dodges 
 behind. A single is called when the 4 and 5 are 
 both at home. 
 
 Mem. — When a snap is called, if your bell turned 
 the treble from the lead, you lead two blows and 
 dodge afterwards ; if any other bell, you dodge first 
 and lead two blows after dodging. There are no 
 plain leads. 
 
 St. Dunstan's Doubles. — This is the most 
 difficult peal of the three, but it is both interesting 
 and amusing, as it introduces work entirely new. 
 We used to ring it habitually in a purely agri- 
 cultural parish. 
 
 2345 Examples. 
 The 1st Extreme. 
 
 4 5 2 3 b 32514 
 
 * * * 23154 
 324SS 21345 
 
 * * * 12354 
 4 S 3 2 B 12534 
 
 *** 21543 
 
 2534E 25134 
 
 Twice S2314 
 
 repeated. &c. &c. 
 
 Observation bell 2. Peculiarity : the extremes 
 which are made thus. The bell which the treble 
 displaces from the lead makes second's place and 
 leads again. That which meets the treble in two- 
 three makes third's in going up, and strikes once 
 only behind ; that which meets her in three-four 
 strikes once only behind, and makes third's place 
 
Changes upon Six Bells. 
 
 in coming home ; that which meets her in four-five 
 strikes twice behind and once in fourth's continu- 
 ously, until the treble comes back and turns her 
 from behind. 
 
 If the treble and the observation bell are met 
 on their way down, the latter coming before the 
 former, an extreme is at hand : this call is made as 
 the treble takes the lead from the observation. 
 
 Singles may be substituted for bobs. 
 
 XVI. Changes upon Six Bells, — 720 in number. — 
 I have entered very fully into all preliminary matter. 
 This has been intentional. In the future I shall 
 proceed upon the assumption that my reader takes 
 care to master thoroughly all that has gone before ; 
 and that if he meet with anything which he does 
 not understand, he will turn back to the paragraph 
 in which it has been made clear. For although I 
 shall set forth carefully the meaning of any ad- 
 ditional technical expressions which I may have to 
 employ, I shall not repeat any explanations given 
 already. 
 
 Bob MINOR. — Six bells are rung according to 
 this method, by the same rules as are four, subject 
 only to the variations arising out of the greater 
 number of bells, and out of the necessity of em- 
 ploying bobs and singles. 
 
 The Hunting-course. The first step necessary 
 is for the learner to make quite sure that he is 
 perfect in the hunting-course upon six bells, as any 
 addition to the number to which one is accustomed 
 
5 2 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 is perplexing at first. I strongly advise my pupil 
 to hunt by counting his place alone, according to 
 the rules given in Chapters VI. and VII. The eye 
 can take in with ease motions far more rapid, and 
 far more numerous and more complicated than 
 those of six bell ropes around a circle ; and there 
 is no real difficulty in accustoming yourself to 
 follow the man who followed you, until you work 
 your way into the sixth place. Then to see five 
 ropes move, and to follow that which moves fifth ; 
 to see four ropes move, and to follow that which 
 moves fourth ; to see three move, and to follow that 
 which moves third ; to see two move, and to follow 
 that which moves second ; to see one move, and to 
 follow that one ; then lead, counting your way 
 down as described already. No other plan ensures 
 so ' good a sight of ropes,' which means ease and 
 readiness in watching other bells ; or lays so secure 
 a foundation for all future work. 
 
 To perfect the learner in hunting, the first lead, 
 i. e. first twelve changes, of the course should be 
 rung over and over again. Or the changes may be 
 commenced thus, 213456, when the lead will 
 repeat itself if the place-making be omitted at the 
 thirteenth change, and thus every bell will hunt 
 continuously without ever coming into rounds. 
 But as the back-stroke lead of the treble produces 
 I 23465, they can readily be brought out into 
 rounds by signal from the conductor. Whichever 
 way this lead be rung, it should be repeated many 
 times without stopping, so as to prevent the learner 
 
Changes upon Six Bells. 
 
 53 
 
 234 
 
 # # * 
 
 5 6 34 
 
 # * # 
 6452 
 
 # * # 
 4263 
 
 # # * 
 
 2 3 4 5 
 
 acquiring the idea that his hunting begins at some 
 particular point of the work, and to set it before 
 him as a continuous path among all the other bells. 
 
 Rule of the Method. — All the bells hunt 
 until the treble comes back to the lead. . That 
 which the treble turns from the 
 lead, makes second's place and : 
 leads again ; the bells above 2 
 second's place make a single 2 
 dodge. 4 
 
 The plain course thus rung, 4 
 contains sixty changes ; of which 5 
 I give the first lead entire, and 5 
 the lead ends of the remainder. 
 
 The learner should, at once, 
 write out this plain course for 
 himself, when he will be able to 
 see that at each leading of the 
 treble the bells are arranged in 
 three couples. The treble and 
 the bell which she takes off the 
 lead form one couple, another 
 pair is dodging in three- four, and 
 the third pair is dodging in five- 
 six. So that a man who can 
 ring bob-singles, or this method 
 upon four bells, has only to learn 
 the additional work of dodging in five-six up and 
 in five-six down, in order to be able to ring upon six. 
 
 Rules for Ringing. — (1.) By meeting the 
 treble. 
 
54 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 If you pass the treble in one-two, make 
 second's place and lead again. 
 
 If you pass the treble in two-three, dodge in 
 three-four as you go up. 
 
 If you pass the treble in three-four, dodge in 
 five-six as you go up. 
 
 If you pass the treble in four-five, dodge in 
 five-six as you come down. 
 
 If you pass the treble in five-six, dodge in 
 three-four as you come down. 
 
 (2.) The course method. After making second's 
 place, dodge in three-four down ; at the next lead, 
 dodge in five-six down ; at the next lead, dodge in 
 five-six up ; at the next lead, dodge in three-four 
 up ; and then begin again with making second's 
 place ; or, expressed shortly, make seconds ; dodge 
 in three-four down, in five-six down ; in five-six up, 
 and in three-four up. 
 
 This work on six bells should be compared with 
 that on four. It will be seen that much which has 
 been learned already, holds good still. For in- 
 stance : — Besides the rule that the bell which the 
 treble takes off the lead, makes second's place and 
 leads again. The bell which goes behind on the 
 treble has a second blow behind, and dodges in 
 three-four down. The bell which is turned away 
 from the last place by the treble is also taken off 
 the lead by the treble. 
 
 It is a rule invariable on any number of bells, 
 that if you dodge behind as you go up, you dodge 
 with the bell which you find in the last place ; if 
 
Changes upon Six Bells. 55 
 
 you dodge behind as you come down, you strike a 
 second blow in the last place, and dodge with the 
 bell which comes up to you. Directions are given 
 below by which to find the partner with whom to 
 dodge. 
 
 The plain course should be rung repeatedly 
 until the learner be quite familiar with the work ; 
 but it will be well if he change his bell sometimes, 
 because as the same bells will of necessity be met 
 in the same order, again and again, men are certain 
 to learn their part by heart at all events to a great 
 extent, and therefore to trust to their memory 
 rather than acquire the power of looking for and 
 finding their bells. 
 
 The learner should know both the above rules 
 for ringing so perfectly as to have them quite at his 
 fingers' ends, and be able to commence working 
 with either at any point. He should make use of 
 them both, and he will find, naturally, that they 
 assist each other mutually. For instance : — Sup- 
 posing a man has dodged in five-six down ; he 
 knows (by the one rule, the course-method) that he 
 will dodge at the next lead in five-six up ; there- 
 fore he knows also (by the other rule) that when 
 he strikes in the third's place, the treble will meet 
 him in fourth's, and he is spared the trouble of 
 looking for her. Other points may be remarked 
 with advantage,— such as the place in which the 
 treble is met after a man has finished dodging in 
 five-six or in three-four, and up or down respec- 
 tively, because meeting the treble separates the 
 
56 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 dodging bells and warns the bell which strikes her 
 
 to go down to the lead at once. Knowledge of 
 
 such details not only gives confidence by assuring 
 
 the practitioner that he is doing right, but may 
 
 often save him from a mistake as to whether he is 
 
 to hunt up or to hunt down after dodging ; or may 
 
 enable him to put right a partner who is in doubt. 
 
 At the same time, it will be more useful to a learner 
 
 to work out these matters forhimself, by a careful study 
 
 of the figures than that I should do it all for him. 
 
 Bobs and Singles. — At a bob, the fourth 
 
 examples. P lace « ■ made instead of the 
 
 a Bob. second. The bell which was 
 
 * * * * about to dodge in three-four 
 3 5 ' ° 2 4 U p makes fourth's place, and 
 315264 returns to the lead. That which 
 1 3 2 s 4 6 b was a bout to dodge with it (i.e.. 
 
 1 2 3 5 6 4 in three-four down) comes down' 
 
 2 r 5 3 4 6 to the lead. That which was 
 
 2 5 ' 4 3 6 about to make seconds omits 
 
 * " <f doing so, and hunts out behind. 
 
 A Single ^ a sm gl e three bells lie still, 
 
 * * * * viz., those in the third and in 
 
 3 l 4 2 5 6 the fourth places in addition to 
 132465s that in the second place (which 
 1 3 2 4 5 6 the treble has just taken off the 
 3 J 4 2 6 5 lead), and the former, that which 
 341625 should have dodged in three- 
 
 * K four down, goes back behind; 
 while the latter, that which should have dodged in 
 three-four up, returns to the lead. The bells 
 
Changes upon Six Bells. 5 7 
 
 above fourth's place are affected by neither bob 
 nor single. This single introduces the learner 
 to work wholly new, viz., to hunt down as far 
 as third's place, make that place, then to hunt 
 up again and to strike his two blows in sixths. 
 This work should be written out, and to assist the 
 learner in doing so I give the lead ends of two 
 touches. The first will afford him practice in 
 pricking bobs and singles, the second will enable 
 him also to study the work of a bell at the plain 
 lead which follows either of those variations, so as 
 to perceive the extent to which the plan of ringing 
 by the course method is affected by them. 
 
 144 
 23456 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 72 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 2 B 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 S 
 
 6 
 4 b 
 
 S 
 4 
 
 4 
 2. 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 S B 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 5 B 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 s 
 4 b 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 6 s 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 S 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 5 b 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 2 B 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 s 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 32564 
 
 3 2 6 4 s B 
 23456s 
 
 The following additional rules will have to be 
 remembered in ringing by meeting the treble. 
 
58 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 (a) At a bob. 
 
 If you pass the treble in one-two, hunt out be- 
 hind and back again. 
 
 If you pass her in two-three, make fourth's place 
 and return to the lead. 
 
 If you pass her in five-six, hunt straight down 
 to the lead. 
 
 (b) At a single. 
 
 If you pass the treble in one-two, make second's 
 place, and return to the lead. 
 
 If you pass her in two-three, make fourth's place, 
 and return to the lead. 
 
 If you pass her in five-six, make third's place, 
 and go back again behind. 
 
 If you pass her in three-four or four-five the 
 work is unaltered by either bob or single. 
 
 In ringing by the course method, (a), At a bob. 
 Three bells only are affected, viz., those which 
 respectively run in quick to the lead and out quick 
 to the last place or behind, and that which makes 
 fourth's place. Of these the first two do at the lead 
 next after the bob the work which they were pre- 
 vented from doing by the bob, the other dodges in 
 five-six down. Or the work of the first two is 
 lengthened by one lead, the work of the bell which 
 made the bob is lengthened by two leads. 
 
 (b) At a single. 
 
 The bell which makes second's place is thrown 
 forward one lead in her work, that which makes 
 third's place, is thrown back one lead, that which 
 makes fourth's place works as after a bob. The bells 
 
Changes upon Six Bells. 59 
 
 above fourth's place are again unaffected. In other 
 words, at the plain lead next after a single, the bell 
 which, in her regular work, was about to make 
 second's place, now dodges in three-four down, that 
 which was about to dodge in three-four down, now 
 makes seconds, that which was about to dodge in 
 three-four up, now dodges in three-four down. 
 
 I must add that, in my opinion, it is far easier 
 to ring by meeting the treble than to burthen the 
 memory with all these variations. 
 
 To find the Bell with which to Dodge. — 
 If you dodge in five-six up, your partner will be 
 the bell which you took off the lead ; if in five-six 
 down, that which took you off the lead ; the treble 
 excepted in each case. If you dodge in three-four 
 up your partner is the bell which you meet next 
 after the treble as you go up ; if in three-four 
 down, that which you passed in three-four up, or 
 that which you find in three when you come down 
 into four. Also the bell which makes second's 
 place and takes the treble off the lead dodges 
 invariably in three-four down, so she has ample 
 warning of her work, and time in which to look 
 out for her partner. 
 
 On Pricking by the Lead Ends. — Changes 
 on bob minor are pricked thus, a plan which econo- 
 mises time and labour. Take the first plain lead 
 end, and write it down in a line immediately below 
 
 the round, thus : * * 3 4 \ . It will be seen by 
 135264 
 
 comparison of the two lines of figures that the bells 
 
60 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 have been removed as follows : that which was in 
 second's place, viz., the 2, into fourth's place, that 
 which was in third's, viz., the 3, into second's, that 
 which was in fourth's place, viz., the 4, into sixth's, 
 that which was in fifth's place, viz., the 5, into 
 third's, that which was in sixth's place, viz., the 6, 
 into fifth's. The treble is at the lead, of necessity, 
 and therefore, as she is always in the same place 
 at the lead end, further notice of her may be 
 omitted. Let us continue to work according to the 
 rule thus indicated, and transpose the lead end 
 3 5 2 6 4 in the same manner as that by which it 
 was obtained. In this case the 3 will be moved 
 from second's place into fourth's ; the 2 from 
 fourth's into sixth's ; the 4 from sixth's into 
 fifth's ; the 6 from fifth's into third's ; and the 5 
 from third's into second's place, 56342. Trans- 
 pose once again in the same way, 645 23. 
 Repeat the process once again, 42635. Repeat 
 it yet once more, 23456. Thus all the lead 
 ends of the plain course have been obtained in 
 a few lines ; and when any lead end is known, 
 the next plain lead end may be written off at 
 once. 
 
 The bob changes are made with equal ease : the 
 first lead end, if plain, is 3 5 2 6 4 ; if made with a 
 bob, it is 2 3 5 6 4. Thus the bob transfers to 
 second's place the bell which would otherwise have 
 been in fourth's : and, by so doing, moves up to the 
 third and the fourth places those bells which would 
 otherwise have been in the second and the third 
 
Changes upon Six Bells. 6 1 
 
 places. Therefore a plain lead end is converted 
 into a bob change by simply erasing the figure in 
 that fourth place, and rewriting it in the second 
 place. 
 
 The single is yet simpler : it affects two places 
 only, the third and fourth : and is produced from a 
 plain lead end by merely transposing the bells in 
 those places. Thus, plain lead end, 3 2456; 
 single, 34256. Hence we obtain these memo- 
 randa : To write a plain lead end move the bells 
 thus, — from second's to fourth's ; from fourth's to 
 sixth's ; from sixth's to fifth's ; from fifth's to 
 third's ; from third's to second's. 
 
 The lead end being thus known, to convert it 
 into a bob change move the bell from fourth's to 
 second's. To convert it into a single, move from 
 fourth's to third's. 
 
 On Conducting. — It is impossible to call bob 
 minor by memory alone, as may be done upon 
 grandsire doubles, therefore the conductor must 
 ring the observation bell himself, or else watch her 
 work. As the young conductor will naturally begin 
 with calling by his own bell, and may not wish to 
 ring the tenor, I give below a variety of touches 
 called by some of the smaller bells. 
 
 The proper moment for calling a bob or a single 
 is that at which the treble is about to strike in the 
 second place. And the lead at which a call is 
 uttered is known by the position of the observation 
 bell, according to the rule by which the touch is 
 arranged. 
 
62 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 But there are yet two more technical expressions 
 to be mastered. 
 
 The terms ' Right ' and ' Wrong.' — A bell 
 is said to dodge ' the wrong ' when she is in fifth's 
 place at the lead end ; and to dodge ' the right ' 
 when she is then in tenor's place. In the case of 
 the tenor, 'home' is equivalent to 'the right.' 
 These expressions may have originated in the idea 
 that it is correct to begin at the hand-stroke, and, 
 therefore, that the bell which dodges into fifth's 
 at back-stroke and out at hand dodges wrong ; 
 that which goes in at hand and out at back dodging 
 the right way. I append several examples of these 
 expressions, and advise the learner to prick the 
 following touches by the rules alone, using my 
 figures merely to test the correctness of his own. 
 And if, as is to be assumed will be the case, he is 
 by this time expert at pricking ; he will prick 
 from lead end to lead end as described above, and 
 will know by the position of the observation bell 
 the lead at which the call is due. 
 
 When ringing, the conductor may remember 
 that if he wishes to call the observation bell to 
 dodge ' the wrong,' he will call the lead after she has 
 dodged in five-six down. 
 
 If he wishes to call her to dodge ' home or the 
 right,' he will call the lead after she has dodged in 
 three-four down, or the lead after she has made 
 fourth's place if there was a call the previous lead. 
 
 Also, as was explained in treating of grandsire 
 doubles, the position in which he meets the treble 
 
Changes upon Six Bells. 63 
 
 as he comes down from the sixth or tenor's place 
 towards the lead, will enable him to know by his 
 own bell the moment at which the treble is about 
 to strike in the second place, and, therefore, the 
 moment at which to call a bob or a single. It will 
 be seen by the figures that if you pass the treble in 
 six-five down, you must call immediately after 
 leading at the hand-stroke, as she will then have 
 struck in third's place, and will be about to strike 
 in second's. For the same reason, if you pass her 
 in five-four down, you must call after your own 
 blow in second's place as you come up. If you pass 
 her in four-three down, you must call after striking 
 in fourth's place up. If you pass her in three-two, 
 you call after your first blow in sixth's place, or 
 behind. If you pass her in two-one, i. e., take her 
 off the lead, you call after your blow in fifth's place 
 as you are coming down again. And we obtain 
 the following memoranda : If I see the treble in 
 five, I call after my hand lead, in four, after two up, 
 in three, after four up, in two, after six up, in one, 
 after five down ; each place lower, two blows later. 
 
 Touches for Practice. — As the plain course 
 in bob minor contains sixty changes, the expression 
 'two courses' is equivalent to 120 changes, and 
 ' three courses ' to 1 80 changes. It is usual to 
 print the bob changes only, that is, the back stroke 
 treble leads at which a bob or a single has been 
 made. I have frequently given all the lead ends 
 because I am writing for beginners. 
 
 If small numbers are attached to the lines of 
 
64 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 figures, these indicate the number of leads after the 
 last bob change at which the next call is to be made. 
 The half-peal (360) is the maximum which can be 
 obtained by bobs alone ; it is then necessary to 
 introduce a single. 
 
 Three Courses. 
 Call the Observation Wrong, Right, Wrong, Right. 
 
 Bell 
 
 2. 
 
 
 Bell 3. 
 
 
 Bell 
 
 4- 
 
 The Observation. 
 
 The 
 
 Observation. 
 
 The Observation. 
 
 2 3 4 
 
 5 6 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 3 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 2 3 4 
 
 5 6 
 
 3 S 2 
 
 64 
 
 S 2 
 
 6 
 
 3 5 2 
 
 64 
 
 5 6 3 
 
 4 2 
 
 5 
 
 63 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 3 5 6 
 
 4 2 B 
 
 S 6 4 
 
 2 3 B 
 
 6 
 
 4 5 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 S 4 3 
 
 2 6 
 
 625 
 
 3 4 
 
 6 
 
 4 2 
 
 3 
 
 5 E 
 
 425 
 
 63 
 
 236 
 
 4 5 
 
 4 
 
 3 6 
 
 S 
 
 2 
 
 264 
 
 3 5 
 
 3 4 2 
 
 5 6 
 
 3 
 
 5 4 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 263 
 
 5 4 b 
 
 3 4 5 
 
 6 2 B 
 
 5 
 
 2 3 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 265 
 
 4 3 b 
 
 3 4 6 
 
 2 5 B 
 
 S 
 
 2 6 
 
 4 
 
 3 B 
 
 642 
 
 3 5 
 
 423 
 
 5 6 
 
 S 
 
 2 4 
 
 3 
 
 6 B 
 
 4 3 6 
 
 5 2 
 
 2 5 4 
 
 6 3 
 
 2 
 
 3 S 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 3 S 4 
 
 2 6 
 
 562 
 
 3 4 
 
 3 
 
 6 2 
 
 4 5 
 
 3 5 2 
 
 6 4 B 
 
 5 63 
 
 4 2 B 
 
 6 
 
 4 3 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 5 6 3 
 
 4 2 
 
 6 4 5 
 
 2 3 
 
 6 
 
 4 5 
 
 2 
 
 3 B 
 
 6 4 s 
 
 2 3 
 
 426 
 
 3 5 
 
 4 
 
 2 6 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 426 
 
 3 5 
 
 2 3 4 5 6 
 
 2 
 
 3 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 2 3 4 
 
 S 6 
 
 Three Courses by the Bob Changes. 
 Call the Observation Wrong, three times. 
 
 Bell 2. Bell 4. Tenor. 
 
 The Observation. The Observation, The Observation. 
 
 23456 23456 23456 
 
 3 5 6 4 2 2 2 3 5 6 4 1 
 4562 3 5 6354 2 5 5236 4 6 
 6452 3 6 5634 2 5 3526 4 6 
 
Changes upon Six Bells. 65 
 
 Call her Right, three times. 
 23456 23456 23456 
 
 3564 2 3 2356 4 1 4235 6 5 
 
 6354 2 6 5236 4 6 3425 6 6 
 
 5634 2 6 3526 4 5 2345 6 5 
 
 Each of these six touches, excepting the last, runs out at a plain lead. 
 
 The tenor the Observation, unless another bell 
 be named as such : — 
 
 2 Courses by 
 
 the 
 
 3 Courses by 
 
 
 s 
 
 Courses by 
 
 Lead-ends. 
 
 
 Lead- ends. 
 
 
 Bob Changes. 
 
 
 
 
 
 ■d 
 
 2 
 3 
 
 3 4 5 6 
 
 
 2 
 
 hi 
 c 
 
 
 5 
 
 264 
 
 3 4 5 6 £ 
 
 2 3 4 5 
 
 6 
 
 a; 
 
 <L> 
 Q, 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 3 4 2 
 
 
 2 
 
 3 5 6 4 1 f 
 
 
 
 
 B 2 3 
 3 6 
 
 5 
 2 
 
 6 
 4 
 
 4 
 5 
 
 .S? 
 
 6 
 
 ' 4 
 
 4523 
 2635 
 
 u 
 
 .3 
 
 0) 
 
 4 
 
 O 
 
 5 2 3 6«| 
 
 6 4 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 
 B 4 
 
 2 
 
 3 5 6 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 4 5 3&~ 
 
 4 5 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 O 
 
 a 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 463 
 
 IP 
 
 •X3 
 O 
 
 5 
 
 2 4 3 6 5 t 
 
 B 4 5 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 ■0 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 2 3 4 
 
 TJ 
 
 
 , 1 £ 
 
 B 4 5 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 5 4 2 
 
 c 
 
 5 
 
 2 3 6 4 1 
 
 
 56 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 c 
 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 625 
 
 
 3 
 
 5264^ 
 
 6 2 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 .g 
 
 B 3 
 
 4 
 
 256 
 
 1 
 
 
 to 
 c 
 
 
 2 3 
 
 6 
 
 4 5 
 
 K 
 
 4 5 
 
 362 
 
 O 
 
 
 % 
 
 b 2 3 4 5 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 c 
 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 423 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 "c3 
 U 
 
 6 
 2 
 
 2 
 3 
 
 5 3 4 
 
 6 4 5 
 
 "3 
 U 
 
 
 • 8 
 
 c 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 B 2 
 
 3 4 5 6 
 
 
 
 
66 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 ■j2o. Call when the 6th dodges 
 
 behind, unless the 5th 
 
 be with her. 
 
 Then a single. 
 
 23456 M 
 
 2 3 5 6 4 1 £ 
 4 5 2 3 6 4 I 
 4 5 3 6 2 1 § 
 
 3 4 5 6 2* S I 
 2 5 3 4 6 4 | I 
 
 2 5 4 6 3 1 J g 
 
 4 2 5 6 3 5 g | 
 
 3 5 4 2 6 4 ^ 
 3 5 2 6 4 1 I 
 2 4 3 5 6* I 
 Repeated, a 
 
 5th, the Observation. 
 
 Call when she is behind, 
 
 unless the 6th be with her. 
 
 Then a single. 
 
 234565 
 
 6 
 6 
 
 2 
 6 
 6 
 
 3 
 6 
 6 
 
 4 
 s 2 
 
 
 Repeated, c 
 
 XVII. — Changes upon Seven Bells, — 5040 in 
 number. Grandsire Triples. — Everything which has 
 been said of grandsire-doubles applies, so far as it 
 goes, to grandsire-triples. The man who has 
 learned to ring upon five bells, has only to become 
 accustomed to the increased number of ropes and 
 to the additional dodging in six-seven, he will then 
 be able to ring upon seven bells. 
 
 The COURSE Bell is a very valuable aid in 
 ringing upon seven bells and upwards ; it can be 
 employed in all methods and upon all numbers. 
 The course-bell is that which you turn away from 
 behind ; she will be your guide from that moment 
 until you come down to the lead. Keep your eye 
 upon the bell which you turn from the last place. 
 
Changes upon Seven Bells. 67 
 
 At every change allow one bell to strike between 
 that bell and your own until you see and hear her 
 (your course bell) lead ; then strike her at the back 
 stroke as you come down into two, and lead your- 
 self. If the first lead of the plain course be studied 
 it will be seen that, the 7 courses 6, 5 courses 7, 
 treble courses 5, 2 courses treble, 3 courses 2, and 
 4 courses 3. 
 
 The course-bell will be useful at other times 
 also, besides while hunting. If ever you are in per- 
 plexity as you are coming down, look for your 
 course-bell and follow her down, allowing one bell 
 to strike in between her and your own bell ; she 
 will guide you safely down to the lead. 
 
 At the same time, I believe that men who have 
 once learned to ring by counting their place, will 
 work by that rule in preference to any other, and 
 will employ the course-bell only when in doubt. 
 It is nevertheless of great value to conductors ; and 
 a mistake can often be corrected by directing the 
 man in error to course such and such a bell. I 
 have not mentioned the course-bell earlier, because 
 my belfry experience has made me feel very strongly 
 the danger of entrusting a beginner with any ' aids ' 
 whatever. Men trust to them and to memory, and 
 thus fail to acquire any real or intelligent grasp of 
 the subject. Shipway mentions, as a frequent 
 occurrence in his day, that men followed their 
 course-bell with so little attention, that while they 
 allowed time for another to strike between her and 
 their own, they were altogether ignorant which bell 
 
68 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 thus interposed. I believe that one chief reason 
 why, out of all the many men in England who can 
 ring, so few comparatively either can ring well or 
 ever will do so, is, that they are insufficiently 
 grounded at the outset. They work by a ' rule of 
 thumb ' which they do not understand, and there- 
 fore cannot vary, nor apply to any method but that 
 for which it is taught to them. And no man can 
 become a really good ringer unless he will take the 
 trouble to understand the work which he has to do, 
 and will learn how to do it for himself, without 
 depending on another to show him the way. 
 
 The Rule of the Method upon seven bells 
 is exactly the same as upon five ; so also are the 
 rules for making bobs and singles. Therefore I 
 refer my reader to the chapter on ' Grandsire- 
 Doubles.' 
 
 I now give three examples, viz. the first lead 
 and the lead-ends of (A) the plain-course ; and the 
 lead-ends of (B) a bob, and of (C) a single, inter- 
 posed between plain leads. 
 
Changes upon Seven Bells. 69 
 
 
 
 
 A 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 B 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 S 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 2 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 & 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 4 
 
 4 
 5 
 
 3 
 c, 
 
 7 
 &c. 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 S 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 3 
 
 2 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 1 
 
 5 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 6 
 
 4 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 7 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 7 
 
 7 
 6 
 
 4 
 5 
 
 5 
 4 
 
 3 
 1 
 
 1 
 3 
 
 2 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 # 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 # 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 # 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 S 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 S 
 
 2 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 # 
 
 7 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 
 C 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 * 
 
 2 
 
 * 
 
 7 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 # 
 
 7 
 
 # 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 # 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 3 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 # 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 # 
 
 7 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 # 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 * 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 # 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 S 
 
 1 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 # 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 * 
 
 3 S 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 S 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 1 
 
 7 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 To Ring by meeting the Treble. 
 
 (1.) At a plain lead. 
 
 If you meet her in one-two, make third's place 
 and return to the lead. 
 
 If you meet her in two-three, dodge in four-five 
 as you go up. 
 
 If you meet, her in three-four, dodge in six- 
 seven as you go up. 
 
jo Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 If you meet her in four-five, dodge in six-seven 
 as you come down. 
 
 If you meet her in five-six, dodge in four-five as 
 you come down. 
 
 If you meet her in six-seven, run in the plain 
 hunt. 
 
 (2.) At a Bob. 
 
 If you meet the treble in one-two, make third's 
 place, and return to the lead. 
 
 If you meet the treble in two-three, make third's 
 place and return to the lead. 
 
 If you meet the treble in three-four, dodge 
 twice in four-five up. 
 
 If you meet the treble in four-five, dodge twice 
 in six-seven up. 
 
 If you meet the treble in five-six, dodge twice 
 in six-seven down. 
 
 If you meet the treble in six-seven, dodge twice 
 in four-five down. 
 
 (3.) At a Single. 
 
 If you meet the treble in one-two, make second's 
 place and lead again. 
 
 If you meet the treble in two-three, make third's 
 twice over, and return to the lead. 
 
 If you meet the treble above third's place, work 
 as at a bob. 
 
 To Ring by the Course-method. — After 
 making third's place, dodge in four-five down, then 
 in six-seven down, next in six -seven up, and then 
 in four-five up. A bob or a single shortens this 
 work by one lead ; but there are, as in grandsire- 
 
Changes upon Seven Bells. 7 1 
 
 doubles, bells to which this does not apply, viz. 
 At a Bob, that which the call throws out of the 
 hunt, that which the call throws into the hunt, and 
 that which, in its regular work, was about to make 
 third's place and go to the lead again. At a 
 Single, the first two of these three. 
 
 See also the explanations given at pp. 42, 43. 
 A bell may be in the hunt for five leads. 
 
 The learner will notice that the course-method 
 is of much greater use on seven bells than on five, 
 or six, because of the increased length of the course. 
 I would urge him to be on the watch for all memo- 
 randa which may help him in his work, e.g. to notice 
 which bell is in the hunt after each call (it is that 
 met next after the treble), which bell he is coursing, 
 and the place in which he meets the treble when he 
 has finished dodging. 
 
 To know the Bell with which to Dodge. — 
 If you dodge in six-seven up, your partner will be 
 the bell which you took off the lead, i.e. your course- 
 bell ; if in six-seven down, the bell which took you 
 off the lead. If in four-five up, your partner will 
 be at a plain lead, the bell which you meet next 
 but one after meeting the treble, i. e. next after the 
 bell in the hunt ; but if there be a call, then the 
 bell which you meet next after the treble, i.e. 
 that which is called out of the hunt. If you dodge 
 in four-five down, your partner is the bell which 
 you see in the fourth place when you strike in the 
 fifth. If you cannot find her, then dodge by count- 
 ing alone, until, at your last dodging blow in 
 
72 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 fourth's, you strike the treble, which warns you to 
 go down to the lead at once. 
 
 It will be of use to notice also which bells you may 
 neglect, as those with which it is impossible that 
 you should have to dodge, and the place in which 
 you meet the treble after dodging in six-seven, both 
 up and down, so as to be assured that you are doing 
 right. But I fear lest I should perplex if I give too 
 many directions. 
 
 On Pricking and Conducting Touches. — 
 The short method of pricking, which has been ex- 
 plained in the chapter on bob minor, can be applied 
 to grandsire triples also. If, in the plain course) 
 we compare the round with the first lead end, 
 
 234567 . 
 
 ; we see at once that the latter is pro- 
 
 2 5 3 7 4 6 
 
 duced from the former by this formula : — ' Move 
 the bells from 2 to 2, 3 to 4, 4 to 6, 5 to 3, 6 to 7, 
 7 to 5.' And that all the five lead ends can thus 
 be written off, each from that which preceded it : 
 but pricking becomes very complicated when bobs 
 are introduced. 
 
 Definitions.— The bell which, at the back- 
 stroke lead of the treble, strikes in the second place, 
 is said to be ' in,' because she is ' in the hunt with 
 the treble.' 
 
 That which strikes in the third place, is said to 
 be ' before,' because she has just made third's and is 
 going to lead again. 
 
 In the fourth place, is said to be ' out,' because 
 
Changes upon Seven Bells. 73 
 
 that is the position into which a bell is brought 
 when compelled by the call to dodge twice in four- 
 five down, and go out of the hunt. 
 
 In the fifth place, is said to be ' in the middle,'— 
 she is dodging in four-five up. 
 
 In the sixth place, is said to be ) These two 
 'wrong.' ( ex P res f<™ 
 
 > are explained 
 
 In the seventh place, is said to be I in 
 
 ' right,' or ' home.' ) Chapter xvi. 
 
 Expressed briefly : — 
 
 £ n o S £ 2 X 
 
 Now prick the first lead with a bob, and com- 
 pare the two rows of figures. 
 
 234567 
 
 From rounds we get ; and it is 
 
 " B 7 5 2 6 3 4 1 
 
 evident that by means of the bob the following 
 alterations have been produced : — 
 
 The bell which was in the position known as 
 ' in,' i. e. in the hunt, has been called to the position 
 known as ' out,' i.e. has been called < out of the hunt.' 
 
 The bell which was ' before,' has been called to 
 ' the wrong.' 
 
 The bell which was 'out,' has been called to 
 ' the right,' or ' home.' 
 
 The bell which was ' in the middle,' has been 
 called ' before.' 
 
 The bell which was ' wrong,' has been called ' to 
 
 the middle.' 
 
74 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 The bell which was ' right/ or ' home,' has been 
 called ' in,' or ' into the hunt.' 
 
 Now, let the learner write out for himself the 
 table, which shows the effect produced by a bob, 
 and also the rule of the touch which he wishes to 
 prick, thus : — 
 
 ta 
 3 
 
 s 
 m o 
 
 'a 
 •a 
 
 ho 
 a 
 
 2 
 
 ■a E 
 tog 
 
 S 
 
 ? 
 
 cxE 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 And as an example ' call the 7th before, wrong 
 and home. Repeated.' 
 
 Let him then prick from lead end to lead end, 
 by the directions given above ; and as each row of 
 figures is produced let him notice whether the 
 observation bell has come into such a position that 
 the bob will bring her, at the next lead end, into 
 the position required by the rule of that touch, 
 thus : — Call the 7th before, wrong and home. Re- 
 peated. 
 
 234567 
 
 ( The 7 is now in the ' middle ;' therefore call 
 
 253746 ) a Bob, because it will bring a bell from ' the 
 
 ( m iddle ' to tne position ' before. ' 
 6 7 2 45 3 2 B ] The 7 is now before ; so call a Bob to bring 
 
 , her ' wrong. ' 
 
 346572^ 
 
 354267 
 
 325746 
 
 372654 
 
 3 6 7 4 2 5 \ '^' ie 7 ' s now ' out • therefore call a Bob to 
 J 3 <■ bring her 'home.' 
 
 5 4 3 2 6 7 6 B 
 
Changes upon Seven Bells. 75 
 
 The small figures indicate the number of leads 
 between the calls, also the number of leads during 
 which the bell in the hunt remains in the 
 hunt. 
 
 This touch contains 16 leads ; the learner should 
 complete the other half for himself. Any similar 
 touch can be pricked in the same manner, e.g. 
 Call S twice before, and twice in the middle, 
 repeated. 
 
 There is another mode of pricking much shorter, 
 but not nearly so useful to the beginner. 
 
 A single is produced from the bob-change by 
 transposing the bells in the second and third places, 
 thus : — 6 7 2 4 s 3 b 
 762453s 
 
 But I do not think it necessary to say much 
 about singles at present, because a half peal, or 
 2520 changes, can be obtained by bobs alone. 
 
 On CONDUCTING. — Two expressions remain to 
 be explained, viz., To call a bell into a certain place 
 ' with a double,' means that you call by the position 
 of the observation bell, so as to bring her into the 
 place specified, and that you call again at the 
 next lead, no matter what the position of the 
 observation. 
 
 To call the observation ' in and out at two, or 
 at three, &c.,' means that she is to be called into the 
 hunt, and called out again, at the second or the 
 third lead, &c, after she has been called in. 
 
76 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 
 
 
 
 bo 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 C 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1-. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -3 
 
 
 
 
 ^5 
 
 fo 
 
 
 
 
 -a 
 
 X! 
 
 
 
 •a 
 
 
 
 
 § 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 § 
 
 
 
 
 
 <u 
 
 - 
 
 
 
 <u 
 
 Xi 
 
 
 
 
 Xl 
 
 s 
 
 
 
 XI 
 
 4-> 
 
 
 
 
 -*-» 
 
 £ 
 
 
 
 -*-> 
 
 l-i 
 
 
 
 
 i-c 
 
 o 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 u, 
 
 o 
 
 
 0) 
 
 3 
 
 o 
 
 -a 
 c 
 
 CD 
 
 
 a 
 o 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 s-l 
 
 3 
 
 > 
 
 
 -a 
 
 3 
 
 
 < 
 
 h 
 
 C 
 
 > 
 
 u 
 ■ 
 
 o 
 
 u 
 
 CD 
 > 
 
 G 
 
 > 
 
 Q 
 
 x; 
 
 <u 
 
 id 
 
 £ 
 
 cd 
 
 m 
 
 <43 
 
 <u 
 
 £ 
 
 -4-1 
 
 OT 
 
 
 "<7J 
 
 "a 
 
 i 
 
 u 
 
 c/) 
 
 i 
 
 $ 
 
 O 
 
 bJ3 
 
 'c/J 
 
 3 
 
 '55 
 
 3 
 
 xl 
 
 en 
 
 13 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 '35 
 
 e 
 
 w 
 
 O 
 
 bo 
 
 ho 
 
 bo 
 
 4-» 
 
 bo 
 
 bo 
 
 bo 
 
 g 
 
 u 
 
 C 
 
 c 
 
 c 
 
 bo 
 
 c 
 
 c 
 
 a 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 'C 
 
 
 
 
 C/3 
 
 C 
 
 "So 
 
 bo 
 
 bo 
 
 
 bo 
 
 bo 
 
 bo 
 
 - '« 
 
 xi 
 
 "O 
 
 T3 
 
 -a 
 
 13 
 
 T3 
 
 TD 
 
 -o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 nj 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 O 
 H 
 
 P 
 
 P 
 
 p 
 
 S 
 
 p 
 
 p 
 
 p 
 
 (J 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 P 
 
 13 
 o 
 
 
 J34JH pB3J 3^; H B D 
 
 
 o 
 
 / 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ~\ 
 
 U 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1) 
 
 
 w 
 
 
 XI 
 
 
 
 
 
 "bo 
 
 
 a 
 
 
 O 
 
 
 
 
 
 c 
 
 
 H 
 
 -t-> 
 
 c 
 
 3 
 
 l> 
 X! 
 
 m 
 
 n) 
 XI 
 
 -4-> 
 
 c 
 
 3 
 <u 
 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 CO 
 
 XI 
 -t-» 
 
 '? 
 
 c 
 
 3 
 
 CD 
 
 "3d 
 
 c 
 
 CO 
 XI 
 
 
 o 
 
 3 
 
 o 
 
 +-» 
 
 o 
 c 
 
 l-H 
 
 1) 
 
 u 
 
 & 
 4) 
 
 pq 
 
 
 bo 
 
 c 
 o 
 
 1-1 
 
 <L> 
 
 S 
 
 o 
 
 X 
 
 o 
 
 c 
 
 l-H 
 
 CD 
 
 pp 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ; 
 
 'IPS uo;;EAj3sqo 3l H II BD °1 PI°} JI 
 
Changes upon Seven Bells. jy 
 
 The above table was first published by Mr. 
 Troyte in 1869 ; it should be studied carefully, and 
 it may be summed up thus : out, when coursing, -in, 
 after six-seven up, before, after four-five up, middle, 
 after six-seven down, wrong, after third's, home, 
 after four-five down. 
 
 If a man notices the place in which he meets 
 the treble when coming down, he will be able to 
 know by his own bell the moment at which the 
 treble is about to strike in' third's place, and there- 
 fore the moment at which the call is due. See 
 page 45. The condensed memoranda for triples 
 are as follows : — 
 
 Meet treble when in seven, call when in two, in 
 six after leading ; five, three ; four, five ; three, 
 seven ; two, six down. 
 
 When men have rung the plain course, the next 
 step is to ring the three courses ; this is given 
 below, together with a few other simple touches for 
 practice. The two touches which I selected as 
 illustrations of the mode of pricking will be useful 
 for this purpose also. But as soon as a company 
 of ringers begins to make progress, they, will need 
 some book more advanced than mine. 
 
 The course of triples contains five leads (see 
 p. 39) ; but the three courses contain only twelve 
 leads, or 168 changes ; because there are three 
 bobs, each of which shortens the course by one 
 lead. 
 
 Touches of Grandsire Triples given by the Bob 
 Changes : 
 
78 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 68. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 the Observation. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Call her, 
 
 out, 
 
 in and out, in and 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 out, in. 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 1 68. 
 
 4 S 
 
 6 
 6 
 
 7 
 7 4 
 
 c/i 
 
 S 
 
 <u 
 
 
 2 3 
 
 7 5 
 2 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 4 1 
 
 3 
 
 2 5 
 
 6 3 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 3 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 4 
 
 s 
 
 
 6 5 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 7 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 S 
 
 6 
 
 7 4 
 
 O 
 
 
 2 3 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 4 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 t^ 
 
 
 4 S 
 
 2 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 6 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 2 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 350- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Call the 
 
 ■ 3rd, 4th, 5tr. 
 
 1, 6th, or 7th, 
 
 Before 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 five times, , 
 
 '■■g- 
 
 the 5th. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 7 
 
 3 
 S 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 7 
 3 4 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 6- 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 4 
 
 2 3 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 7 2 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 6 7 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 4 6 6 
 
 
 
 
 
 The last call brings the bells back into the plain 
 course at the change, which was prevented from 
 coming up by the first bob, and of course rounds 
 come at the fourth lead end without a call. 
 
Changes upon Seven Bells. 79 
 
 
 
 35°- 
 
 
 
 
 7th Observation 
 
 
 Call her, : 
 
 in and out at 2, 
 
 five times. 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 4 1 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 5 2 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 2 3 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 6 2 
 
 7 
 
 4 
 
 S 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 3 3 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 S 
 
 2 
 
 4 2 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 2 2 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 6 3 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 3 2 
 
 This is the third lead end in the plain course, and 
 the touch runs out without a call in two more leads. 
 
 The next is a very musical touch in three parts, 
 taken from Mr. Hubbard's work. The calling is 
 the same in each part, but is applied to a different 
 bell in each part, viz., in the first part to the 7th, in 
 the second part to the bell which at the first part 
 end occupies the same place as the 7th in rounds, 
 viz., the 6th, and similarly in the third part to 
 
 the 4th. 
 
 504. 
 234567 357246 526374 
 
 75263 4 1 623457! 43572 6 1 
 
 527634* 236457* 354726* 
 
 73524 6 3 65237 4 3 42356 7 3 
 
 357246* 526374* 23456 7 1 
 
 1st part end. 2nd part end. 3rd part end. 
 
 1st part, 7th in and out at 4. Repeated. 
 
 2nd part, 6th ,, ,, ,, 
 
 3rd part, 4th ,, ,, ,, 
 
80 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 It is hoped that this arrangement of the parts 
 (in which each part end is carried forward succes- 
 sively) will attract the attention of the young con- 
 ductor to the regularity of the calling. He will 
 also observe that the touch may be called by this 
 observation. 
 
 ist part. The 4th twice right and twice wrong. 
 2nd part. The 7th. Ditto. 
 3rd part. The 6th. Ditto. 
 
 Or again, 
 
 ist part. The 6th twice middle and twice right. 
 
 2nd part. . The 4th. Ditto. 
 
 3rd part. The 7th. Ditto. 
 
 Again, it may be called by one bell throughout, 
 e.g., by the 4th. 
 
 ist part. Twice right, twice wrong. 
 2nd part. Twice middle, twice right. 
 3rd part. In and out at four, twice. 
 Or by the sixth. 
 
 ist part. Twice middle, twice right. 
 2nd part. In and out at four, twice. 
 3rd part. Twice right, twice wrong. 
 
 Or by the seventh, 
 ist part. In and out at four, twice. 
 2nd part. Twice right, twice wrong. 
 3rd part. Twice middle, twice home. 
 
 The part ends of the ist and 2nd parts of this 
 touch are known respectively as the Queen's change 
 
Changes upon Seven Bells. 8 1 
 
 and Tittums change, and are universal favourites. 
 The shortest touch into which they can be both 
 introduced is one of 168 changes, produced by- 
 calling a single every second lead. 
 
 The next touch is one of 504 changes, in three 
 parts, the parts placed side by side for the learner 
 to see how they may be called. 
 
 234567 342567 423567 
 
 46237 5 3 26347 5 3 36427 5 3 
 
 7542. 3 6 2 75234 6 2 7 53426 s 
 
 62735 4 1 63745 2 1 64725 3 1 
 
 32647 5 6 43627 5 5 24637 5 5 
 
 One plain lead. Plain lead gives Plain lead. 
 
 342567 423567 234567 
 
 1st part end. 2nd part end. 
 
 Observe 5, 6, 7, all come into their places at the 
 part end, and each does the same work in the 2nd 
 and 3rd parts that it did in the 1st; hence any 
 one of the three may be used as the observation ; 
 thus, call the 7th wrong, in and out, wrong, twice 
 repeated ; or call the 6th before, right with a 
 double, out at 5, twice ; or call the 5th right, 
 before with a double, right, twice. 
 
 In the remaining touches it will be enough to 
 give the first part only. 
 
 672 in three parts. Sixth the observation. Call 
 her before with a double, in and out, in and out, 
 before with a double, twice repeated. 
 
 G 
 
82 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 234567 
 
 
 46237s 3 
 
 
 5 3 4 7 6 2 1 
 
 This may also be called by the 7th, thus : 
 
 625473* 
 
 Wrong with a double, 
 Wrong with a double, 
 
 34672s 1 
 
 Home with a double, 
 
 6 2 3 4 s 7 3 
 
 Out at four leads and Home, 
 
 7 4 6 5 2 3 1 
 
 Twice repeated. 
 
 4 6 7 s 2 3 4 
 
 
 3 5 4 2 6 7 1 
 
 
 672, in three 
 
 parts. 
 
 234567 
 
 
 7 5 2 6 3 4 1 
 
 Call 7 th. 
 
 4 6 7 3 5 2 1 
 
 In and out twice, 
 
 7 5 4 6 2 3 3 
 
 Before with a double twice. 
 
 3672S4 1 
 
 All repeated twice. 
 
 673254* 
 
 
 4 2 6 5 7 3 1 
 
 Or call sixth, 
 
 6 7 4 2 3 5 3 
 
 Middle with a double twice, 
 
 5 2 6 3 7 4 1 
 
 In and out, twice. 
 
 Plain lead. 
 
 All repeated twice. 
 
 532467 
 
 
 Part end. 
 
 
 882, in three 
 
 parts. 
 
 234567 
 
 
 7 5 2 6 3 4 1 
 
 
 2 3 7 5 4 6 3 
 7 4 2 3 6 5 3 
 
 Call 7 th. 
 
 In and out at three, in and out. 
 
 5 3 7 6 4 2 1 
 
 Wrong twice. 
 
 6 3 5 2 7 4 6 
 
 Middle and right, 
 
 356274* 
 
 All twice repeated. 
 
 4 2 3 7 5 6 1 
 
 
 3 5 4 2 6 7 3 
 
 
 Part end. 
 
 
Changes on Eight Bells. 83 
 
 A conductor often learns by heart, and carries in 
 his memory the position of the bells at each part end, 
 he then satisfies himself by a glance round the belfry 
 at those times that the touch is being rung without 
 any mistake. To describe his work when mistakes 
 do occur is quite beyond the scope of this book. 
 
 XVIII. — Changes on Eight Bells, 40,320 in 
 
 Number. — Bob Major. — The rules of both the 
 
 method and for making the bob are Lead ends of the 
 
 exactly the same as in bob minor ; Plain Course. 
 
 therefore it is unnecessary to print 2345678 
 
 more than the lead-ends of the eTT^ 8 6 
 
 plain course. As 13,440 changes can e 7 ? 8 2 6 4 
 
 be obtained by bobs alone, and with g , 
 
 bell 7 coursing bell 8 throughout, it 86 
 
 is unnecessary to employ the single, , „ 
 
 and the 'two tenors' (as they are , „ 
 
 4263857 
 
 often called) are never separated. 
 Hence the work is much simplified ; 
 the course method of ringing is used with in- 
 creased advantage owing to the increased length 
 of the plain course, and the use of the course bell 
 becomes almost necessary, owing to the greater 
 number of ropes. 
 
 To Ring by Meeting the Treble. — (1.) 
 The plain course. 
 
 If you pass the treble in one-two, make second's 
 place and lead again. 
 
 If you pass the treble in two^three, dodge in 
 three-four up. 
 
84 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 If you pass the treble in three-four, dodge in 
 five-six up. 
 
 If you pass the treble in four-five, dodge in 
 seven-eight up. 
 
 If you pass the treble in five-six, dodge in seven- 
 eight down. 
 
 If you pass the treble in six-seven, dodge in 
 five-six down. 
 
 If you pass the treble in seven-eight, dodge in 
 three-four down. 
 
 (2.) At a Bob. 
 
 If you pass the treble in one-two, hunt out 
 behind. 
 
 If you pass the treble in two-three, make fourth's 
 place and return to the lead. 
 
 If you pass the treble in seven-eight, hunt down 
 to the lead. 
 
 If you pass her in any other place, work as in 
 the plain course. 
 
 To Ring by the Course Method. — After 
 making second's place, dodge in three-four down, 
 in five-six down, in seven-eight down, then in 
 Seven-eight up, in five-six up, and in three-four up. 
 
 A Bob lengthens this work by one lead as in 
 bob minor (which see). 
 
 On Pricking and Printing Peals, &c. — 
 The plain lead ends can be found, each from the 
 lead end preceding it, by this formula. Transfer 
 the bells, from two to four, four to six, six to eight, 
 eight to seven, seven to five, five to three, three to 
 two. 
 
Changes on Eight Bells. 
 
 85 
 
 At a Bob change : two to two, three to three, 
 five to four ; the rest as above. 
 
 In Bob Major the tenor is invariably the obser- 
 vation bell, and she is called so, that at the back- 
 stroke lead of the treble she shall occupy one of 
 four places, viz., ' Before,' ' Middle,' ' Wrong,' 
 'Right or Home,' which are the places occupied 
 respectively by the 3rd, 6th, 7th, and 8th bells in 
 rounds, thus : 
 
 J3 t, S 
 MO o 
 
 As we prick from lead end to lead end, we must 
 notice whether the observation bell has come into 
 such a position that the bob will bring her, at the 
 next lead end, into the position required by the 
 rule of the touch. Therefore, if we are told to call 
 the observation (1) Before, (2) Middle, (3) Wrong, 
 or (4) Right, we must call the lead after she has 
 been in (1) the third place, (2) the fourth, (3) the 
 eighth, or (4) the sixth place at the lead end. Hence 
 these memoranda : 
 
 u 
 
 43 
 
 u 
 
 ■a 
 "o 
 
 Before 
 Middle 
 Wrong 
 Right 
 
 or 
 Home 
 
 
 4) 
 
 
 
 
 V 
 
 \ a 
 
 43 
 
 1 43 
 
 en 
 
 \ 
 
 ' +■» 
 
 u 
 
 1 
 
 *— 1 
 
 
 
 rt 
 
 <£ 
 
 ) 
 
 u 
 
 cS 
 
 j 
 
 
 
 dodged in three-four up 
 
 „ down 
 
 „ seven-eight down 
 
 five-six down 
 
86 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 Touches and peals of Bob Major are given, in 
 order to save printing, not by the lead ends but by 
 the course ends, that is, the lead ends at which the 
 two tenors (i. e., 7 and 8) are both at home in their 
 own places, 7 and 8 ; then also the figures are 
 reduced to five in number by omitting those which 
 represent these tenors as well as the treble ; thus, 
 5 2 4 3 6 is an abbreviation for the lead end, 
 1 5243678. 
 
 After a call has been made the bells are sup- 
 posed to run on till a course end turns up, which is 
 then recorded as resulting from the call, for in- 
 stance : call the tenor wrong, and let the bells run 
 on ; we get this result expressed in the lead ends. 
 
 2345678 
 
 2 3 5 7 4 8 6 A Bob 1st lead produces the 'wrong.' 
 
 3728564 
 
 7836245 
 
 8674352 
 
 6485723 
 
 4562837 
 
 5243678 
 
 This last change is written 52436, and is called 
 the course end resulting from a bob the wrong. 
 
 The following course ends result from the bobs 
 noted against each. 
 
 A Bob before results in 13526478, written 35264 
 
 A Bob wrong „ 1 43678 „ 52436 
 
 A Bob middle „ 14365278 „ 43652 
 
 A Bob home „ 14235678 „ 42356 
 
Changes on Eight Bells. 
 
 87 
 
 Bobs wrong and middle 
 
 result in. . . 14263578, written 42635 
 Bobs wrong and home 
 
 result in. . .14523678 „ 45236 
 Bobs wrong, middle, 
 
 and home result in. 16423578 „ 64235 
 Bobs middle and home 
 
 result in. . .16435278 „ 643-52 
 
 The expressions Wrong, Before, Middle, and 
 Home, are denoted by their initial letters, W, B, M, 
 and H, and a whole touch would be 
 
 720. W. B. M. H. 
 
 42563 - - - 
 
 35426 - - - 
 
 Twice repeated. 
 
 In which each ( — ) would indicate a bob calling 
 the tenor into the position pointed out by the letter 
 above. So that the instructed ringer would under- 
 stand that the tenor is called Before, Middle, and 
 Home, and that these calls result in the course end, 
 14256378. She is then called Wrong, Middle, 
 and Home, which results in the course end, 
 13542678, and that, when the whole has been 
 twice repeated, the bells will come round at the 
 720th change. 
 
 Starting with rounds 
 
 gives course-end 
 
 changes into 
 
 changes into 
 
 Wrong produces 
 
 we find a Bob before 
 this the Bob Middle 
 this the Bob Home 
 as given. The Bob 
 Middle give us 
 Home produces 
 the Part-end given. 
 
88 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 Repeating the calling for the 2nd part, 
 Bob before changes 35426 into 52364 
 Bob Middle . . . gives 32465 
 Bob Home . . . gives 43265 
 
 Bob Wrong, Middle, and Home 
 
 (see table) gives 52436, 
 which is the Second Part end. 
 
 Repeating calling the third time as before. 
 Bobs before middle and home turn 52436 
 into 45362. 
 
 Bobs wrong, middle, and home turn 45362 
 into 2 3 4 5 6 or rounds. 
 
 The Part ends can be found, each from its pre- 
 decessor, by transferring the bells on the same 
 principle which has been applied to the lead ends 
 of the plain course. Thus : the calling of the first 
 part of the above touch 
 
 turns 23456 
 
 into 35426. Transfer the bells by 
 the same rule; and we obtain 52436 the second part end. 
 Repeat the process, and we obtain 2 3 4 5 6 the third part end. 
 
 Thus all that is necessary to describe to the 
 initiated a touch of 720 changes on eight- bells can 
 be printed in three lines of five figures each, 
 whereas the full lead ends of each part would 
 require fifteen lines of eight figures each, or forty- 
 five such lines in all. 
 
 In the same manner the calling of 5040 can be 
 indicated most clearly in a very small compass, as 
 in the following peal by H. Hubbard. 
 
Changes on Eight Bells. 89 
 
 W. M. H. 23456 
 
 1 1 gives 64235 Since this calling turns 23456 
 
 „ 36245 into 62345, when repeated 
 
 43265 '' gives these part ends in 
 
 1 „ 26435 succession > viz - : 
 
 ,,32465 S6234 
 
 ,,63425 45623 
 
 1 ,,42635 34562 
 
 ,,34625 234S6 
 
 1 „ 62345 the first part end. 
 Four times repeated. 
 
 Figures are often used instead of dashes to 
 express the bobs, and when the same kind of bob 
 is used twice in succession it is denoted by the 
 figure 2, as in the following example. 
 
 A Date Touch, 1856, by H. Hubbard. 
 W. B. M. H. 23456 
 
 2 I X C 6 A 2 i *'■'" two bobs before, and one home, 
 
 3 3 4 ^ bring up this course end. 
 
 I 63542 
 
 I 56342 
 
 I 134562 
 
 I 53462 
 
 I I I 24536 
 
 I 52436 
 
 I 45236 
 
 Repeated. 
 
 The Part ends. 
 Since the at>ove calling from . , 23456 
 
 gives 45236 
 When repeated we have . . 23456 
 
90 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 As in bob minor, calls are made when the 
 treble is about to strike in the second place, and if 
 the conductor takes notice of the position in which 
 he meets the treble as he comes down to the lead, 
 he will be able to tell readily by his own bell the 
 moment at which the call is due. 
 
 Touches for Practice. 
 224. W. B. M. 
 
 II. 
 
 III. 
 
 45236 
 2 3 4S6 
 
 224. 
 
 6 4 3 5 2 
 23456 
 
 240. 
 4 5 3 6 2 
 23456 
 
 IV. 336. 
 
 42356 
 34256 
 
 v. 336. 
 52436 
 35426 
 23456 
 
 VI. 336. 
 
 43652 
 63254 
 23456 
 
 VII. 448. 
 
 42635 
 56423 
 
 W. B. 
 
 W. 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 w. 
 
 w. 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 w. 
 
 w. 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 B. 
 1 
 
 B. 
 
 B. 
 
 M. 
 1 
 1 
 
 M. 
 1 
 1 
 
 M. 
 
 M. 
 
 M. 
 1 
 1 
 1 
 
 M. 
 1 
 1 
 
 H. 
 
 H. 
 
 H. 
 
 H. 
 
 H. 
 
 H. 
 
 H. 
 
 Repeated. 
 
On Raising and Falling. 
 
 9i 
 
 VIII. 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 s 
 
 3 
 2 
 
 X, 
 
 560. 
 5 2 3 
 S 3 
 4 3 
 4 2 
 4 5 
 
 IX. 
 
 720. 
 5 3 6 
 4 2 s 
 
 W. 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 W. 
 1 
 1 
 
 Five courses. 
 
 W. B. M. H 
 
 6423S 
 S2643 
 
 36524 
 4 5 3 6 2 
 2 3 4 5 6 
 
 B. 
 
 B. 
 1 
 
 M. 
 
 M. 
 1 
 
 H. 
 1 
 1 
 1 
 
 H. 
 1 
 
 Twice repeated. 
 W. B. M. H. 
 
 42635 
 
 64523 
 56342 
 35264 
 2 3 4 5 6 
 
 XIX. — On Raising and Palling, or Ceasing in Peal. 
 
 — Bells should be ' rung down ' at the conclusion 
 of each practice, and left with their mouths down- 
 wards. To leave them ' set ' is, generally speaking, 
 an idle and also a dangerous habit, especially 
 where the ropes hang down to the ground-floor 
 near a door of the church ; ignorant persons may 
 easily 'pull a bell off/ and meet with a bad or 
 possibly even fatal accident. If it be necessary to 
 leave the bells ' upon their stays,' the ropes should 
 be secured under lock and key. 
 
 The learner should begin his practice on a bell 
 
 when ' set,' and not trouble himself with raising her 
 
 until he has acquired some proficiency. He may 
 
 then take some lessons, the clapper being free, from 
 
 I 
 
92 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 an experienced ringer. He will do well to watch 
 the bell as she rises, and also his instructor as he 
 works, so as to see both what is done and how it 
 is done. He must next be shown how to hold the 
 rope in his left hand, and practise until he acquires 
 the knack of pulling correctly and of checking cor- 
 rectly, so as to regulate the swing of the bell in 
 both directions, and also to let her take up the 
 rope from the coil in his left hand, inch by inch, in 
 the exact quantities required. Then let him raise, 
 and fall the bell repeatedly, but always very gradu- 
 ally, so as to make each operation last several 
 minutes. 
 
 Before the learner join the company ' to raise or 
 fall in peal,' he may with advantage station himself 
 in the bell-chamber and watch the bells while that 
 feat is performed by the others. He will observe 
 that each bell is swung through portions of the 
 circle larger and larger continuously, or, in other 
 words, is rung higher and higher, until she reaches 
 a position in which she will balance mouth upper- 
 most. The clapper strikes twice in each such 
 motion, viz., at the moments when the bell has 
 reached the highest point to which she is then about 
 to go, and just before she begins to descend. The 
 higher the bell rises, the more slowly will the 
 clapper strike, that is, there will be a longer interval 
 of time between any two blows ; the lower the bell 
 is rung the more quickly will the blows succeed 
 each other. The ringer, by pulling his rope, can 
 send the bell as much higher as he may wish, and 
 
On Raising and Falling. 93 
 
 cause the clapper to strike slowly, or, by checking 
 his rope, he can stop her ascent, and thus cause 
 the clapper to strike at any instant which he may 
 choose ; at the same time, he, by so doing, causes 
 the bell to drop and the blows of the clapper to 
 follow one another more quickly. 
 
 Thus, as bells are raised, the time in which they 
 are struck is at first very quick indeed, and gradu- 
 ally becomes more slow ; as they are lowered, the 
 time gradually becomes so extremely quick that it 
 cannot be counted. The object is, of course, that 
 the performance be throughout perfectly regular, 
 and then the effect is extremely musical. 
 
 In actual ringing, the practitioner must watch the 
 ropes and hands of the men below him, because 
 to check correctly is as important as to pull in 
 exact time and with the exact force. It is also ne- 
 cessary when the bell is low to pull and to check at 
 each blow, because the clapper will otherwise 
 swing inside the bell without striking. 
 
 In raising, if the practitioner find that his bell is 
 too quick, 2. e., striking too near that next smaller 
 than his own, he must pull a little harder. But if 
 too slow, *. <?., too near that next larger, he must 
 not check the rope, but endeavour to keep on at 
 exactly the same rate : for this reason ; all the bells 
 are rising, hence the larger are going away from 
 him and the smaller are coming up to him. There- 
 fore, if he can only remain stationary, he will soon 
 find himself striking at the correct interval. He 
 must then go on with the rest. In the same 
 
94 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 manner in falling, if he find his bell too quick, i. e., 
 too near those below him, she is too low, and he 
 must, as before, endeavour to remain stationary 
 until he hear his bell striking in right time ; because 
 as all the bells are going down, those below are 
 going away from his, and will soon widen the in- 
 terval if allowed to do so. 
 
 If the man next below get out of time, the 
 learner cannot help and must not follow him ; but 
 must watch the bell next but one below his own 
 and follow that ; allowing, by ear, a space of time 
 sufficient for his immediate neighbour to strike in 
 between, if he can succeed in regaining his place. 
 
 It is unwise for one, not fully master ot his bell, 
 to raise her in peal, because to commence the 
 evening badly is vexatious and dispiriting ; also 
 because a beginner in this work may gall his hands 
 quite sufficiently to mar his after performance. 
 
 XX. — Rules for Ringing Societies. — As I have 
 frequently been consulted on Rules for Ringers, I 
 give the following specimen. These rules in their 
 present shape are in use in a Municipal Town, which 
 contains two Parish Churches, each possessing a 
 fine ring of bells ; but they embody the result of 
 many careful experiments, extending over several 
 years in both town and country parishes. See 
 also Chapter XXII. 
 
 In some places it will be necessary to provide, 
 under Rule 6, for the payment of wages forfeited in 
 
Rules for Ringing Societies . 95 
 
 order to ring. But this is better avoided if possible, 
 and, when necessary, all wages should be paid at 
 one uniform rate ; this is imperative, and the rate 
 should be clearly understood and embodied in some 
 rule or bye-law. The bye-laws afford a ready 
 means of dealing with local circumstances : all 
 money matters must be clearly understood from the 
 very beginning. 
 
 THE HERTFORD CHANGE-RINGERS. 
 Rules. 
 
 1. That this Society consist of Ringing Members who 
 attend practice, and of Honorary Members who subscribe 
 not less than Ten Shillings and Sixpence annually to its 
 funds. 
 
 2. That the Mayor of Hertford be President during his 
 year of office. That the Clergy and Churchwardens of the 
 Churches of St. Andrew and All Saints be Vice-Presidents 
 ex officio j and such other Official Persons as the Society 
 shall appoint, by special vote, be Members. 
 
 That the management of the Society be vested in a Com- 
 mittee, to consist of six Members, one of whom shall be 
 Secretary, elected by the Society ; and the Chairman, who 
 shall be the Rector of St. Andrew's. 
 
 3. That the Annual Meeting of the Society be held in 
 the Month of November, to audit the accounts and on 
 general business. That at each such Annual Meeting all 
 elected officers vacate their offices, but be capable of re- 
 election. And that a special Meeting may be summoned, 
 at the request of any three Members in the manner directed 
 by the Bye Laws (Rule 8) ; but at such Special Meeting no 
 business be transacted excepting that for which it is sum- 
 moned, which shall be duly notified to all Members. All 
 votes shall be taken by ballot. 
 
 4. Minutes shall be kept of the proceedings at all Meet- 
 
96 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 ings ; also a Register of the Attendance of Members at prac- 
 tice. Any Ringing Member who shall be absent for three 
 consecutive weeks shall be considered to have left the 
 Society, and must be re-elected ; except in the case of illness 
 or absence from Hertford. But it shall be in the power of 
 the Society, by special vote, to grant exemption from this 
 Rule for a definite time. 
 
 5. Candidates for admission must be proposed and 
 seconded, their names entered in the Minute-book, and an- 
 nounced to the Society. They may then be admitted at the 
 next practice night as probationers for one or two months ; 
 during which time the Proposer and Seconder are to take 
 part in instructing them. Probationers to be elected into the 
 Society by the Ringing Members only. One black ball in- 
 four to exclude. 
 
 6. All fees earned by the Society for ringing are to be 
 divided into equal portions, so as to allow of their being 
 distributed as follows, viz. : — 
 
 The Bell Box to receive one share. 
 
 A Probationer, half a share. 
 
 Any Ringing Member who rang once only, that is to say, 
 in the morning or evening alone, while others rang twice 
 (i.e. in the morning and evening) or more than twice, half a 
 share. 
 
 The remainder of those who rang, one share each. 
 
 Each Ringing Member shall have a right to ring on these 
 occasions, if present ; and to take precedence in the ringing 
 of a Probationer. 
 
 7. The Bell Box shall bear the expense of any ringing 
 expedition or festival. 
 
 8. Bye Laws may be made, after due notice to all Mem- 
 bers, at a Special Meeting summoned for the purpose ; such 
 Bye Laws shall regulate all matters relating to the affairs of 
 the Society for which no express provision is made in these 
 Rules ; but they shall be reconsidered at the General Meet- 
 ing next ensuing. 
 
 9. Any Member of this Society who shall take part in 
 
The Church Tower. 97 
 
 any ringing in Hertford with any Band of Ringers not being 
 members of this Society, on any occasion when a fee is 
 given, shall be liable to expulsion. 
 
 XXL The Church Tower. — The opinion was ex- 
 pressed, by a late Astronomer Royal, that a tower 
 which will stand any wind which, blows, will carry 
 also any bells which are likely to be hung. I believe 
 this to be the simple truth, and that no well-built 
 and sound tower is injured by bells well hung. If 
 a tower become unsafe, the causes will be some 
 such as those which actually brought down that of 
 Chichester in 1861, and from which that of St 
 Albans was only just preserved a few years later 
 The towers have been increased to a height never 
 contemplated by their original builders ; they stand 
 on piers of the style of 1150, or earlier ; the main 
 strength of which is in their outer shell, the core 
 being only rubble, not masonry. This outer shell 
 has been cut into, to enlarge the chancel arch, as at 
 St. Albans ; to accommodate a staircase, as at 
 Chichester, or at Weston, Herts ; or some other like 
 carelessness has been allowed, — settlement ensues, 
 cracks open, and the blame is cast upon the bells. 
 Towers can rock to an extent really wonderful and 
 yet be perfectly safe, so great is the elasticity of 
 their material, especially of flint. Still, a bell-frame 
 ought not to be built into the fabric so as to be part 
 of it ; but to stand, complete in itself, upon corbels, 
 or upon a set off in the walls, — because it must have 
 room to move under the tremendous strain of bells 
 in full swing. 
 
 H 
 
98 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 At the same time, it is undeniable that mischief 
 has been done in many a belfry, — as by recklessly 
 cutting in order to squeeze into the tower a frame 
 larger than it can hold properly, or of a shape which 
 cannot fit the base of the spire. Often, also, an at- 
 tempt has been made to strengthen a rickety bell- 
 frame by wedges driven between it and the outer 
 walls, an act which has a direct tendency to rend 
 the building ; for the walls were not constructed to 
 bear a lateral thrust. But both these sources of 
 mischief may be avoided ; because there is no reason 
 at all against one or more bells being placed above the 
 others, either in a separate frame on corbels of its 
 own, or in an upper division of the main frame. 
 Neither is there any difficulty in strengthening a 
 bell-frame to any degree necessary ; it can be drawn 
 together from within by long bolts with square- 
 threaded screws. 
 
 The Windows of a Belfry are expected to 
 perform two contradictory functions, viz. to exclude 
 rain and snow, while they also allow the sound to 
 go out and spread freely. It is necessary to shut 
 out the drifting rain, but while we do this we are 
 very apt to shut in far too much of the sound ; 
 whereas the bells, and the clock especially, are in- 
 tended to be heard all around. Also a badly con- 
 structed window may pour the sound of the bells in 
 one great volume into the street below, which, in a 
 town, is very objectionable. 
 
 I have seen, at Clyst St. George, an ingenious 
 application of the ordinary hopper-ventilator. The 
 
The Church Tower. 99 
 
 upper two-thirds of the window are closed by a 
 shutter, the lower portion is occupied by the hopper, 
 within which the shutter can be opened on its 
 hinges. This plan shuts out the rain effectually 
 and allows a large exit for the sound, but must 
 concentrate the sound on the churchyard. A very 
 excellent plan has been adopted at the cathedral of 
 Worcester. The central portion of the roof of that 
 tower, which is covered with lead, has been raised 
 about two feet above the general level, and louvres 
 are introduced all round ; the parapet conceals this 
 arrangement from below, and also protects these 
 louvres from driving storms. But the windows, 
 properly so called, of that belfry are by no means 
 weather-proof. 
 
 Each tower and each window must be con- 
 sidered by itself, because some are much more 
 exposed to storms than are others. But on the 
 whole no plan seems to answer better than the 
 louvre. Wooden louvres should never be made of 
 oak, because the drip from oak will stain the stone- 
 work, but of good pitch pine. They should be 
 1 \ inches thick, rent not sawn ; say 18 inches wide, 
 well grooved into their frame ; fixed at an angle of 
 50 degrees, 6 inches on a squared line from the 
 upper face of one to the lower face of the next ; 
 the ends of the grain pointing out of window ; the 
 bottom louvre covered with lead, and laid to shed 
 the water safely. This work may be drawn full- 
 size oh a wall ; it is intended for a bleak window, 
 and to last indefinitely. If a louvre admits wet, 
 
ioo Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 add an upright ledge to the inner edge. Louvres 
 are made of slate and of stone, where those materials 
 are abundant ; also of glass, which would seem to 
 have very much to recommend it, both in appearance 
 and utility, but would I fear be expensive, because 
 of course the size must be the same, whatever the 
 material. 
 
 In modern work it is common to find the belfry 
 floor covered with zinc and pipes laid to carry off 
 the rain-fall. I doubt the necessity of this if the 
 louvres be properly made ; and I know that these 
 outlet pipes will get choked and be worse than use- 
 less unless they be large and laid without curves, 
 in which case they will probably be very expensive. 
 
 It is quite necessary to shut out the birds by 
 means of wire-work. In some cases safe nesting- 
 places may be. provided for them outside. 
 
 The Ringing Chamber. — Its position must 
 depend on local circumstances. The mere difference 
 between upstairs and downstairs will not prevent 
 abuse. I prefer the former, because I had rather 
 ring elsewhere than actually in Church. In any 
 case it should be fitted up in a style suitable to the 
 /est of the building. It should be well ventilated ; 
 a large grating may often be inserted for this pur- 
 pose in the middle of the floor. Its walls should 
 be decorated with appropriate texts and mottoes, 
 as well as with the records of peals rung. There 
 should be seats, hat-pegs, and mats to save from 
 needless wear all ropes which touch the floor at the 
 hand-stroke, — this is really very important. A 
 
The Church Tower. 101 
 
 slate, or blackboard, and a frame for notices, are 
 often convenient ; also a cupboard for the mufflers, 
 &c. and the steeple-keeper's brooms and ap- 
 pliances, as some one must be responsible for 
 sweeping and cleaning. Cocoanut matting has 
 one great drawback, — it does harbour the dirt. 
 Door-mats, also, should be be provided, and the 
 whole chamber treated as, what it really is, part 
 of the consecrated building. 
 
 The best artificial light for a ringing-room is 
 gas. The pendant should be in the middle, full 
 seven feet six inches from the floor, but hung from 
 a ball-and-socket joint, so that it can move if a 
 rope should catch it. The light is then well above 
 the eyes of the ringers, and the shadows are all 
 thrown back out of the way. A separate gas- 
 meter is advisable. If gas cannot be had, then 
 candles in a chandelier appear to be most cleanly 
 and convenient. The use of paraffin, or any other 
 of the mineral oils, should be forbidden, — they are 
 so dangerously inflammable. 
 
 The Circle of Ropes. — It is quite indis 
 pensable to change-ringing that the ropes hang 
 down in a ring, i. e. around the circumference of a 
 circle, and so that each man who is ringing may 
 easily see all the others. This can be managed 
 very readily, and without obscuring the west win- 
 dow, even when the ropes are brought down to the 
 ground-floor in front of it, by means of iron 
 stays fixed as may be convenient, which carry 
 'thimbles' to guide the ropes. These thimbles 
 
1 02 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 should be lined with wood or leather, and measure 
 full 2| inches in the clear inside. The ropes, when 
 not in use, are drawn on one side to hooks in the 
 walls of the tower. 
 
 It is very important that the ringers should 
 hear their bells distinctly, and not be stunned by 
 them. The sound within the tower is regulated 
 by packing the floor of the actual belfry with saw- 
 dust or well-kneaded clay, over which a light floor 
 is laid, with trunks or pipes for the ropes to pass 
 through. It is a bell-hanger's clear duty to direct 
 his employer's attention to this point at the first. 
 For it will obviously be a very easy job if done 
 while the work is in hand, but most troublesome 
 and costly if left until everything is finished. But 
 close all cracks effectually, or the dust will work 
 down, and leave no inflammable material exposed 
 to an accidental light. A candle dropped on felt 
 burned Haileybury dome ; therefore I dare not 
 recommend its use, although it deadens sound 
 thoroughly and is very handy. 
 
 It is often convenient that the ladder from the 
 ringing-=room to the next storey be fixed with one 
 leg in a socket, so that it can be turned up against 
 the wall, out of the way of the ropes. And some 
 thought should be bestowed on the trap doors, and 
 on the shaft for the descent of the clock-weights. It 
 is very unpleasant to hear some bells speaking down 
 through these openings far louder than the others ; 
 and yet more so to find yourself, as has been my own 
 case, standing directly under a heavy clock-weight. 
 
The Church Tower. 
 
 Notes and Memoranda. — In a belfry no one 
 thing is so costly as neglect, or so mischievous as 
 dirt. Therefore let the whole tower be thoroughly 
 cleaned, then carefully examined. If there be any 
 clear and obvious mischief at work, or if neglect has 
 reigned for years, it will be wise to call in a profes- 
 sional bell-hanger at once, and to let him report 
 fully and in detail on the condition of affairs in 
 general. 
 
 Under ordinary circumstances, one of the first 
 things to be done is to provide facilities for moving 
 about among the bells. If a man climbs out of a 
 bell-pit by the help of its wheel, he strains that 
 wheel, and with very considerable force, in a direc- 
 tion which was never intended, and is very likely to 
 do mischief. 
 
 If a bell rings heavily, look to its gudgeons ; 
 and if it be a large bell, look carefully to the por- 
 tion of the frame on which it rests. If, as the bell 
 is rung, the gudgeons move in the stock, be it never 
 so little, if, as is not uncommon, the frame itself 
 yields under the tremendous strain, it is impossible 
 for the bell to ring properly. One bell may be 
 injured by the fault of a neighbour. In my own 
 tower, four bells hang with their gudgeons in one 
 line ; the outer bell dragged over its portion of the 
 frame, and, in so doing, jammed the ends of the 
 gudgeons of, I believe, all the other three. 
 
 If the clapper has worn deep holes in a bell, 
 that bell is plainly in danger of being cracked, and 
 it must be turned half round. If the clapper has 
 
104 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 come down (as may be the case), and is striking 
 below the sound-bow (or thickest part) and near to 
 the lip of the bell, the danger, though less obvious, 
 is equally real. In both cases it will be wisest to 
 call in a good church bell-hanger. 
 
 A clapper is hung commonly by an iron strap 
 passed through the crown staple and bolted by both 
 its ends to the clapper, a piece of leather being 
 interposed between the strap and the crown staple. 
 At other times it is hung by means of a ' box ' of 
 elm or ash wood, never of oak which corrodes iron. 
 In each case the object is the same — to avoid the 
 destructive friction of two metals working on 
 each other. In each case the suspender will wear 
 out in time, and the clapper, becoming practically 
 longer, will strike too low. The wooden block will 
 probably be the more durable ; but good leather, 
 well greased, lasts a very long time, and when 
 worn, it can be replaced at once by the village shoe- 
 maker, which is a considerable advantage ; and 
 neither plan should be left unwatched from year to 
 year. 
 
 The clapper-balls, if flattened, should be re- 
 forged, and a wire passed through the bolts to pre- 
 vent the possibility of their nuts working off. 
 
 Bell Ropes break first at the fillet, or point 
 where they pass through the sole of the wheel ; the 
 reason being, in my opinion, that the hemp is bent 
 too sharply at each hand-stroke. Therefore a reel 
 of about 1 1 inches diameter should be inserted in 
 the groove, secured by a rivet to light plates of iron 
 
The Church Tower. 105 
 
 fixed on each side of the shrouding, so as to increase 
 as much as, possible the curve around which the 
 rope is carried ; the parts which the rope presses 
 may also be gadded with leather. The Rev. H. T. 
 Ellacombe's wide-mouthed fillet appears to secure 
 the same result in another way. The ropes 
 should also/ be well greased with mutton fat, 
 quite free /from salt, down as far as the tuffing ; 
 and this is done most effectually in the dryest 
 weather/ 
 
 Thf. other point at which ropes break, is that at 
 which they hit the floor ; and for this reason each 
 ringer should have a mat. 
 %P GREASE. — There are various receipts. 'Mix 
 three table-spoons full of the the best salad oil with 
 lib. of pure lard, melted.' Lard oil, being an 
 animal substance, is better probably than olive oil. 
 Lard, as sold, is often mixed with salt, &c, therefore 
 buy the ' flare ' from the butcher and melt it down 
 at home. Some persons recommend to mix a little 
 pure brimstone, or blacklead with the grease ; 
 others, the use of railway axle-grease. The gud- 
 geons need extra attention in very hot, and in 
 very cold, weather ; also care is needed, lest grit 
 from men's shoes find its way to the brasses. For 
 wood sliding over wood, use black lead alone. 
 
 The Stays and Sliders should allow the 
 bells to be set securely, but not to go much past 
 the perpendicular, — this increases the labour of 
 ringing, and is also dangerous. 
 
 If a bell cannot be heard owing to its being 
 
106 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 above the others, a wooden pipe may be brought 
 down from it to the ringing room. 
 
 False Clappering. — Large bells generally 
 ' rise false,' i. e. with the clapper on the wrong side. 
 As this can be prevented only by a check, or jerk, 
 which entails a heavy strain on rope and wheel, it 
 is perhaps best to set the bell and then go up 
 and turn the clapper over. Of course this cannot 
 be done always, and never when bells are raised in 
 peal. 
 
 LOCAL TRADESMEN. — Everyone should wish to 
 employ the people of the place ; but no man of any 
 trade should be allowed to do work in the belfry 
 unless he has been specially trained and taught. 
 Bells are pendulums swung through the entire 
 circle. A builder, carpenter, or smith, does not 
 know how to hang a pendulum. The work requires 
 absolute accuracy in very heavy materials. It is 
 done in a belfry, generally cramped, dark, and 
 difficult of access. Unless a man have in stock the 
 proper wood, thoroughly seasoned, and unless he 
 understand the busine'ss very thoroughly, he will 
 waste a great deal of time, and he will satisfy- 
 neither himself nor his employer, and the ringers 
 least of all. They will be sure to notice if a bell 
 clappers false, rings heavily, or strikes unlevel. I 
 could point to towers which verify these words but 
 too completely. Seasoned wood cannot be bought 
 at will. 
 
 It is the same with bell-ropes ; they are manu- 
 factured specially ; an ordinary rope-maker cannot 
 
The Church Tower. 107 
 
 supply them. I have been entreated to give an 
 order for a set, although the specimens shown me 
 have been such that positively I would not have 
 accepted them as a gift, subject to the condition 
 that I must ring with them myself. 
 
 New Work. — The sole of a bell-wheel should 
 be if inches wide, the shrouding the same in height, 
 and bevelled on the inside so as to provide a broad 
 and deep groove. In coarse weather, hemp will 
 become stiff, and then the ropes are very apt to 
 miss the wheel. I would never use an iron stay if 
 I could avoid it, nor make a wooden stay too strong : 
 better break a stay than a bell. A bell-frame 
 should be as compact as possible, say 3 feet 6 inches 
 from the under side of the cill to the top of the 
 plate, and strengthened by every device of the 
 joiner's art. A frame tall in itself, and compli- 
 cated, will be sure to work loose, then the bells 
 must ring badly. If there be reason to distrust 
 the tower, hang the bells for chiming alone. 
 In any case let the towers be kept clean and 
 tidy. The decorations of last Christmas are not 
 such sacred relics that they need be preserved there, 
 in addition, perhaps, to those of the previous 
 harvest ; and the sexton should have a proper shed 
 for his tools. I have seen strange sights in the 
 tower even when the body of the church has been 
 cared for reverently. 
 
 On Chiming. — There are two patterns of 
 automatic machines which play tunes on church 
 bells, manufactured respectively by Messrs. Gillett 
 
108 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 and Bland and Messrs. Lund and Blockley. They 
 are, of necessity, very costly. There are also two 
 kinds of simple chiming apparatus, the one in- 
 vented by the Rev. H. T. Ellacombe ; in it the 
 hammers strike inside the bells. It is worked 
 wholly by hand, and therefore the chimes can be 
 varied at will. The other apparatus is that of 
 Messrs. Warner ; the hammers strike, like that of 
 a clock, outside the bells. They are worked by 
 turning a drum in the room below, and, therefore, 
 the chimes produced are those to which that drum 
 is set. I have no personal experience of this 
 machine. One pair of hands can thus chime a 
 whole ring of bells. 
 
 I must suggest two cautions as to Mr. Ella- 
 combe's apparatus. The fulcrum of the hammer 
 should stand upon a block, which should be fixed 
 to the floor with short nails only. Then if by acci- 
 dent the bell is swung against the hammer, these 
 nails will be drawn, and no other mischief done ; 
 whereas if the hammer be fixed with strong screws, 
 something must break, and it may be the bell. 
 Secondly, two pulleys to each of the hammer-lines 
 are guide enough if properly fixed ; a third, under 
 ordinary circumstances, onlymakes needless friction. 
 And the pulley-wheels should be of wood, brass 
 bushed, and say six inches diameter. They will 
 then work easily. 
 
 Clocking. — Each bell-rope is drawn up and 
 hitched round the tail of its clapper ; the lower 
 ends of all the ropes are gathered into one man's 
 
The Ringers and Ringing. 109 
 
 hands, and thus all the bells are chimed. With 
 these results : the sexton is spared some trouble ; 
 everything touched is dragged askew, the ropes, 
 which cost, say 12s. each, are drawn over the sharp 
 edge of the pulley-wheel and of the pulley-box ; 
 the clapper is dragged to one side, and thus all four, 
 rope, wheel, box, and crown staple are worn un- 
 fairly, the guides for the ropes in the ceiling of the 
 ringing chamber are cut into grooves, and, worst of 
 all, many a bell has been cracked. Thus : as the 
 rope and the clapper are, both of them, heavy, the 
 blows upon the bell are rather severe. Repeated 
 blows cause the bell to swing, and also cause its 
 whole mass to vibrate. Then, at some unlucky 
 moment, bell and clapper meet, (the bell swinging 
 down as the clapper strikes up), the result is a very 
 heavy blow, and also the clapper held tight against 
 the bell ; thus the vibration is checked and the metal 
 rends under the strain. 
 
 Clocking should be prohibited absolutely. Let 
 any man go to a tower where it has been long 
 practised, and examine for himself the condition of 
 the ropes, their guides, the pulley-wheels, and 
 pulley-boxes. I describe that which I have myself 
 seen. 
 
 XXII. — The Ringers and Ringing. — I would refer 
 to the papers read at the Church Congress in 1876. 
 I am thankful to say that it is no longer necessary 
 to deal with the prejudice against ringing, so great 
 is the improvement of late years. Ringers are now 
 
no Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 recognised Church officers ; it will be their own 
 fault if the old troubles revive ; the advance yet 
 needed can be accomplished by those means which 
 have won so much already, viz., the power of 
 personal influence actuated by high principle. 
 
 Payment. — Chiming for Service is done ac- 
 cording to orders given, therefore some person must 
 be responsible for the work, and he must be paid 
 for his labour. At the same time, volunteers should 
 be enrolled to help ; each undertaking a fixed 
 Sunday in the month. And if there be a chiming 
 apparatus this can be done, because then there 
 is some interest in an occupation which otherwise is 
 very dull. 
 
 Speaking generally, a Company of Ringers can 
 scarcely be kept together without ' encouragement ' 
 in some form, which must be decided by local 
 circumstances. The time-honoured institution of 
 Christmas-boxes has many and very grave draw- 
 backs. In a rural parish and with a small company 
 I used to guarantee each man $s. at the end of the 
 ringing season, i. e., May, in exchange for the 
 Christmas-box. The scientific ringer finds his re- 
 ward in his art and the pleasure which he derives 
 from it. 
 
 I have no belief in fines ; they cause discontent 
 and do no good that I can discover. Any rules 
 in addition to those given on page 95, must be 
 statements of some general principle to which 
 appeal can be made, not mere resolutions which 
 can be altered at will. If difficulties arise from old 
 
The Ringers and Ringing. 1 1 1 
 
 ringers, I can only say, ' Be patient and forbearing, 
 persevere with scientific change-ringing, let alone 
 those who will not join your company. Opportu- 
 nity will come to a man who can wait' 
 
 Sunday Ringing. — It is in the power of the 
 Ringers to render this a good or a bad practice. If 
 the bells ' call God's folk to prayer and praise,' if 
 the company take their place among the wor- 
 shippers, and, after Service speed the congregation 
 homewards with a well-rung touch, then an office 
 is discharged to the parish at large similar to that 
 of the organ and choir within the sacred walls. 
 But if men ring on a Sunday, because it is their idle 
 day, because they begrudge a few hours of their 
 own time in the week, if they make the belfry a 
 place of amusement and of lounging for those who 
 do not attend Church Service, such Sunday ringing 
 is an unmixed evil and must be forbidden. 
 
 A Company of Ringers may attend a neigh- 
 bouring Church rightly and usefully, as may a 
 Choir, or a private family of worshippers. But if 
 they habitually go out to ring they do. wrong, 
 because the practice involves a failure of principle. 
 It amounts to treating the Lord's house and the 
 Lord's day as our own wholly for our own amuse- 
 ment and without reference to His service. 
 
 I suggest the following rules. Ring early in the 
 morning on the five great festivals, viz., Christmas, 
 Easter, Ascension, Whit Sunday, Trinity. On 
 other Sundays keep the ringing subordinate to the 
 Service, let it not exceed the hour in length. Ring 
 
H2 Change-Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 only that which you have practised previously, let 
 all the Ringers attend the Service, exclude rigidly 
 from the belfry every idler. But I have always 
 found this practical difficulty : a man who has been 
 ringing wants to wash his hands, &c. before he comes 
 to Church. 
 
 Prize Ringing. — At these gatherings men 
 meet at the Church gate and enter the consecrated 
 building to contend for money in the use of those 
 bells which call the living to prayer and toll for the 
 dead. I think that this bare statement carries with 
 it the strongest condemnation of the practice. I 
 may add that it has been proved to be absolutely 
 useless for its pretended object, the encouragement 
 of change-ringing. Gross abuses are practically 
 inevitable. The experience of all clubs of cricketers, 
 oarsmen, or athletes, proves that where money is 
 the object of competition the spirit of gambling will 
 creep in, and that those who provide the funds will 
 expect to be repaid in some way. As there are no 
 tickets to be sold at a prize-ringing, and no gate- 
 money to be taken, there is no income for anybody 
 excepting that ubiquitous personage, 'the enthu- 
 siastic publican.' Ringers stoop low if they accept 
 his patronage, and Clergy are guilty of a very grave 
 error if they allow prize-ringing in the Churches en- 
 trusted to their care. 
 
 The occasions proper for Ringing may be 
 stated thus : — Those on which there is Service, or 
 on which there might be Service without impro- 
 priety. But if the occasion be such that one could 
 
The Ringers and Ringing. 1 1 3 
 
 not open the Church and employ the organ and 
 Choir without irreverence ; then I think that one 
 cannot, without impropriety, open the tower and 
 employ the Ringers and the bells. This definition is 
 wide. It admits almost every occasion of interest 
 or rejoicing to the nation, to the town or parish, 
 and even many which belong to private families. 
 It excludes all that are merely political, and 
 very many others on which bells have been rung. 
 But frontier questions will arise which must be 
 dealt with by those directly concerned. 
 
 The control of the belfry is vested by law in the 
 Parson, subject to certain limitations. Abuses are 
 not likely to arise where parson, church-wardens, or 
 any churchman of position and influence take in- 
 terest in the ringers ; but if there be habitual apathy 
 and negligence in the authorities, it is no marvel if 
 occasionally there should be even riot and excess in 
 those below. 
 
 Muffled Peals are rung after the funeral of 
 any person specially connected with the parish ; 
 also at midnight on the 31st December, on which 
 occasion it would be well to provide a form of 
 prayer for use in the belfry as the old year passes 
 away. The bells are muffled on the back-stroke 
 side of the clapper, and rung very slowly. A letter 
 in Church Bells of November i8th, 1871, from 
 C. A. W. Troyte, Esq., describes fully the manner 
 of ringing changes in whole pulls on muffled bells, 
 and the beautiful effect of their plaintive music. 
 Some skill is needed to muffle bells just enough, 
 
 I 
 
H4 Change- Ringing Disentangled. 
 
 but without overdoing it ; and an ordinary company 
 will do well, at first at all events, to attempt no 
 more than a single lead, i. e. the plain hunting- 
 course, in whole pulls. 
 
 The mufflers are made of thick leather, and are 
 buckled to the clapper, exactly as are a horse's 
 knee-caps to the animal's legs. 
 
 Annual Inspection. — In conclusion, let it be 
 remembered that nothing can go on properly with- 
 out regular attention. Therefore let the whole belfry 
 and all its contents, especially those working parts 
 which are out of sight, be examined thoroughly 
 once a-year, — say on the 1st October, before the 
 ringing season begins. Repair immediately any 
 accident, however slight. An inheritance so valu- 
 able as a Church Tower with a ring of Bells deserves 
 care ; and to no place does the proverb, ' Penny 
 wise and pound foolish,' apply more forcibly. 
 
 LONDON- 
 Printed by Strangkways & Sohs, Tower Street, Upper St. Martin's Lane.