A peal of 5009 Stedman Cinques was rung on Easter Monday by the Wimborne Minster Society of Church Bellringers. All the members taking part in the peal are regular Sunday service ringers at the Minster which demonstrates the current strength of the local band. The peal was enjoyed by those participating and, we hope by those listening outside. Bellboard records would indicate that three other peals of Stedman Cinques were rung on Easter Monday at St Paul’s Cathedral, Worcester Cathedral and Great St Mary’s Cambridge (10300 changes) so we were in illustrious company!
There aren’t many towers further apart within the United Kingdom than Wimborne Minster and Inveraray. The round trip is just over 1000 miles. However, many would argue that Wimborne’s bells (cast by Gillett and Johnston in 1911) were the finest-sounding peal of ten in Dorset and Inveraray (cast by Taylor’s in 1920) are the best ten in Scotland.
A long-standing peal attempt scheduled for 2020 was scuppered by the pandemic, but reorganised once ringing was getting restarted for September 2023. Finding a cohesive band that is prepared to travel that distance, and ringers that are capable of ringing the heavy-end (the tenor weighs 41cwt) is not without its challenges, but a team was assembled and travel plans and accommodation were duly organised. Those with serious work commitments took flights from either Southampton (to Glasgow) or Bournemouth (to Edinburgh) whilst others had a more leisurely drive over a long weekend.
As readers of the Ringing World will have seen (in the 8th September 2023 edition), Inveraray bells were derelict for a significant part of their life, but the tower has had considerable attention in recent years to deal with the weather ingress, and the ringing chamber is now very comfortable and spacious with excellent acoustics. We were fortunate to start the peal in bright sunshine.
The choice of methods (Bristol, Cambridge, London and Yorkshire) provided for a good variety of hunting, dodging, places, points and fish-tails as well as keeping our concentration focused over the three hours and forty minutes which it required to complete the peal.
Louis Suggett gave a flawless performance on the tenor – metronomic in tempo and ably supported in rhythm and accuracy by the rest of the back-end – and we were all delighted when ‘that’s all’ brought this physically-exhausting and mentally-demanding peal to its successful conclusion.
Rung by members of The Wimborne Minster Society of Church Bellringers to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Westminster Abbey today.
Also 93rd birthday compliment to Winifred Warwick who rang two peals on 2nd June 1953 – including 12-Spliced Surprise Maximus at Leicester Cathedral – for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
A full peal of Yorkshire Maximus will be rung by members of The Wimborne Minster Society of Church Bellringers to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla. It will start at 2.30pm on Saturday 6th May and should be completed around 6.00pm. Further ringing will take place on Sunday morning and a quarter peal of Grandsire Cinques before Evensong.
Ringing for the late Queen Elizabeth II at Wimborne Minster
21st April 1926 – 8th September 2022
Wimborne Minster has a long history of royal connections. Edward the Confessor founded a college of canons to live and worship here in 1043 (some twenty years before he founded Westminster Abbey), and in 1318 Edward II declared the Minster a Royal Peculiar. Later, in 1562 Queen Elizabeth I appointed twelve Governors to be responsible for the property and prerogatives of the Minster and Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School – a role they continue to exercise today.
As the news broke on the evening of Thursday 8th September that Her Majesty had died in Balmoral Castle, the Minster bellringers reacted quickly, fitting a double set of muffles to the top 11 bells, and a single muffle to the hand stroke side of the tenor clapper. A band was hastily arranged to ring at 11.00am the following morning (as decreed by Operation London Bridge). A sombre quarter peal of Stedman Triples on the back eight was rung whilst a short service of Remembrance was held in the Minster.
Friday, 9 September in 52 minutes
1 Trish Hitchins
2 Hilary Child
3 David Hilling
4 Flick Warwick
5 Max Knight
6 Robert Child
7 David Warwick (C)
8 David Coates
Rung fully muffled with the tenor open at backstroke in memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
Extract of the Quarter Peal of Stedman Triples
After discussions with the Rector and the Bride and Groom, it was decided that the wedding ringing on the following day should also be fully muffled. After the marriage service we rang three courses of stately Grandsire Caters on the back ten.
Sunday morning offered the opportunity for the ringers to get used to fully muffled ringing on the whole twelve, and then a quarter peal was rung for Evensong.
Sunday, 11 September in 55 minutes
1265 Erin Cinques
Composed by John Hyden
1 Hilary Child
2 Trish Hitchins
3 Rosemary Duke
4 Graham Duke
5 Kathy Bentley
6 Alan Bentley
7 Max Knight
8 Flick Warwick
9 David Hilling (C)
10 Robert Child
11 David Warwick
12 David Coates
Rung prior to Evensong with the bells fully muffled and tenor open at backstroke, in affectionate memory of our late Sovereign Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
As a mark of respect, we decided to cancel our normal Tuesday evening practice, but instead invited our younger ringers for 30 minutes of ringing on the front eight to allow them the opportunity of ringing in memory of The Queen.
Tuesday, 13 September
500 Various Triples
Rounds, Call Changes and Plain Bob Triples
Lila Hickman
Charlie Goldie
Ben Avery
Esther Davey
Kathy Bentley
Hilary Child
Flick Warwick
Max Knight
Robert Child
David Warwick
Fully muffled (with the tenor open at backstroke)
Sunday ringing the next week continued as usual in the morning, and then a quarter peal was rung for the Civic Service in the afternoon. BBC South Today filmed this service, and the fully muffled ringing featured prominently in the report.
Sunday, 18 September in 54 minutes
1254 Grandsire Cinques
1 Graham Duke
2 Rosemary Duke
3 Lucy Warwick
4 Trish Hitchins
5 Kathy Bentley
6 Alan Bentley
7 David Hilling
8 Flick Warwick
9 Harry Blamire (C)
10 Louis Suggett
11 Nigel Woodruff
12 Max Knight
Rung fully muffled with the tenor open at backstroke, for a Special Service of Commemoration marking the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
A full peal was organised to be rung after The State Funeral on Monday – the first fully muffled peal on the bells. Starting at 2.00pm, the sound of the bells was appreciated across the town and brought many people into the Minster, which had been kept open during the day – streaming the funeral from Westminster Abbey and allowing opportunities for quiet reflection.
Monday, 19 September 2022 in 3h 26 (29–2–20 in D)
5005 Stedman Cinques
Composed by Shirley Burton
1 Max G Knight
2 Patricia M Hitchins
3 Lucy S Warwick
4 David P Hilling
5 Felicity S Warwick
6 Philip A L Rioch
7 Adam W Kilgour
8 Louis P H Suggett
9 David A Warwick (C)
10 Harry E Blamire
11 Nigel R Woodruff
12 Robert T Child
Rung fully muffled with the tenor open at backstroke in memory of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, following her funeral at Westminster Abbey.
First of Stedman Cinques – 1; 300th peal together – 5 & 11.
Altogether, 23 different ringers took part in the various sessions of ringing, and a peal board will be made to record the Funeral Peal. We were very grateful to the steeple keeping team who had placed the muffles on the bells – not a single one slipped throughout the many hours of ringing during the mourning period.
Following the visit of the Mayor of Wimborne and the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Dorset to the Parish Eucharist in the morning, a peal of 5070 changes of Stedman Caters was successfully rung on the Minster Bells during the afternoon to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s Accession to the throne. The intended peal of Stedman Cinques was sunk at the final moment by two members of the band contracting Covid, but the peal sounded as the bells would have been heard 70 years ago to a composition specially composed for a Platinum Anniversary.
The Minster Bells have rung out over the town for Sunday Services, Royal and Civic Events and Weddings since at least the 14th century. Sadly, they fell silent for much of 2020 and 2021. To celebrate Christmas the local band will attempt a full peal for the first time since 2019. It will be 5042 different changes of a method named Lincolnshire Surprise Maximus – a peal not previously rung on the Minster’s bells. It will start immediately following a wedding in the Minster at around 2.45pm on Wednesday 29th December and should take about 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete. The peal will require significant physical stamina, mental facility, concentration and team work from the twelve ringers who must ring each change continuously and without error.
For the first time, we’re asking people to sponsor our ringing in aid of the Wimborne Minster Musical Heritage Trust. Donors are invited to give per changes successfully competed (eg £1.00 for 1000 changes) or per minute of continuous ringing (eg 2p per minute). You can sponsor the ringing via the JustGiving page.
The ringers practicing for the peal attempt. Video recorded by Alan Bentley.
Band in order, clockwise from front left: Rosemary Duke, Ben Constant, Lucy Warwick, Will Bosworth, Flick Warwick, Ben Duke, Daniel Page, Adam Greenley, David Warwick (C), Anthony Matthews, Harry Blamire, Nigel Woodruff.
L-R: Rosemary, Flick, Trish, Rob, Max, David, Ben and Alan.
Congratulations to Max Knight who rang his first peal at first attempt with 7 other Wimborne Minster ringers. Max performed very well throughout ringing the 3rd to Grandsire Triples. Well done Max – first of many?!
St Peter and St Paul, Ringwood
Saturday, 28 September 2019 in 2h 57 (17–2–18 in E) 5040 Grandsire Triples
1 – Rosemary J Duke
2 – Patricia M Hitchins
3 – Max G Knight
4 – Graham A Duke
5 – Felicity S Warwick
6 – Robert T Child
7 – David A Warwick (C)
8 – Alan R Bentley
Wimborne Minster Bell Ringers 
