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St Michaels Church Bellringers Captain; Mr Ken Vile 01647 231479
Welcome to Spreyton Church Bellringing. The following does not have to be learned and Is for Information only.
All bellringers whether learning or experienced ring the bells entirely at their own risk.
Learner bellringers are never unsupervised. Experienced ringers may not ring the bells without the permission of the Captain of the Bellringers.
To get a bell ready for ringing it has to be risen up
Ringers can rest for a while by setting their bell up
When ringing has finished the bells are lowered so they are hanging down again
When bells are being rung and making a tune bellringers learn how to make their bell change its place from: 1 2 3 4 5 6 to 1 3 2 4 5 6 or 1 3 2 5 4 6 Bell 1 is normally called Treble and bell 6 Tenor
The captain tells the ringers which bells are to change places until they are back in the right order 1 2 3 4 5 6
Bellringing is an honour Bellringing is fun Bellringing is can be tiring Bellringing can be dangerous
What happens if a rope breaks? This is very rare and the bellringers are quite safe. What happens if a bellringer lets go of the rope? An experienced ringer would not do this but a learner's supervisor would handle the matter.
Is there anything else that can go wrong? Very rarely indeed a bell being put to rest (set up) could break its resting bar (wooden stay which needs extreme care when allowing the bell to rest against it) in which case fellow bellringers would know how to handle the situation.
How long does it take to learn to bellring? Anything from 6 months to a year. You do not need to be musical but be able to hear if your bell is in the right place so that all the bells have an equal space in between them.
When can I learn? You can attend practice nights which are on Tuesdays at 7.30 for beginners otherwise 8.00 till 9.00. To begin with you will learn how to control your bell, then how to rise and lower your bell, then how to set it up and finally how to play the music (ring changes).
Is there any charge for learning? No, but it is appreciated if learners come on a regular basis and are committed to learning. If, after a few weeks learning you feel it is not for you then the team will quite understand.
How heavy are the bells? The lightest bell at Spreyton (the Treble) is approximately 120 kilos (2.5cwt) and the heaviest (the Tenor) is approximately 650 kilos (12.75cwt)
St Michaels Church Bells Some brief details of Bells and Ringing The granite-built tower, the top of which is 800 feet above sea-level (OBM on the bottom of the tower), houses a peal of 6 bells, the oldest dating back to 1650 and the heaviest (tenor) weighing 12 3/4 cwt. It was formerly a peal of 5 bells until 1927 when a 6th bell, the treble, was added. On November 20th of that year a peal of Grandsire Doubles of 5040 changes lasting 2hours 55minutes was rung by a team, none of them local. On a couple of occasions since then peals of that length have been rung by visiting teams.
To celebrate 50 years of that occasion 6 locals rang call changes continuously for 2hours 5minutes with an evening meal for all ringers at the Tom Cobley afterwards. 60 years was marked by 3 hours of non-stop ringing, with many ringers taking part by changing over while ringing. It was decided to remember 70 years with an invitation to welcome back all previous ringers and learners when many took part in a full peal of doubles, after which refreshments ended the occasion.
The ringers were all male until 1959 when ladies became part of the team and still are. There are many other occasions when the bells are rung including festivals, weddings and funerals (if requested) and by visiting teams, some from outside the County. For the past 39 years on the third Saturday in June ringers from many parts of Devon take part in a competition for the Viscount Lambert shield, in conjunction with the St Michaels Fayre. June 2003 will be the 40th anniversary of the event. The local team were the first winners of the shield and repeated that performance 8 years later. Many other shields and certificates have been won by the local team when entering competitions at other towers in the area. The end of year midnight ring is also an annual event, ringing out the old year and welcoming in the new year. During the winter evenings for many years regular local competitions have been entered. From this year a new venture was started involving our local ringers and the Winkleigh team with a visit to a tower in the locality the first Tuesday of each month.
There is another tradition adopted by the ringers and that is that the bells remain silent on the death of a parishioner until the burial. On the social side the annual Christmas Bingo is the ringers only fund raising event, and this helps with the occasional ringers outing or a ringers dinner for a social get-together. There has always been a warm welcome for visitors to join in or for anyone with thoughts of learning. This method has been successful in the past and if continued would ensure that regular ringing would continue in the future.
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