A tradition that rings a bell

In churches across the country, peal boards stand as an enduring testament to the skill, dedication and rivalries of change bell ringers through the ages

- Written by Graham Downing

STEP INTO the ringing chamber of any country church that has a ring of bells and you will most likely see upon the walls one or more commemorative boards bearing a painted inscription. To most folk the language used will be curious, even unintelligible. There will be talk of doubles, triples or caters, mention of so many thousand true changes performed on a particular date back in history, along with a record of the names of those who achieved the feat. There may be dedications, references to royal or civic events and an acknowledgement of churchwardens or the incumbent.

These are peal boards: the physical embodiment of one of England's rich traditions, that of change-ringing.

The art of change-ringing on church bells originated in the opening decades of the 17th century when, as the techniques of bell hanging improved and bells were hung on a full wheel so that they could be swung through 360 degrees, it became possible at each and every pull of the rope to alter the sequence in which the bells were rung. No longer was it enough to ring them in simple descending order: enterprising ringers increasingly sought to execute lengths of ringing where no sequence in which the bells were struck was repeated, and 'methods' were invented by which such performances could be carried out. Only in England did this form of ringing take root. While other countries continued to chime their bells in haphazard dissonance or to construct carillons whereby tunes could be played on them, the English ringers developed the 'exercise' of change-ringing.