The first recording is a 5 minute excerpt from a Quarter Peal rung half-muffled following the Royal British Legion Remembrance Service.
The second one is part of a Quarter Peal rung prior to the Festival of Lessons and Carols and in thanksgiving for the life of Brenda Redfearn godmother of Hilary Child.
1 Esther Davey (First Quarter Peal on 12) 2 Louis Suggett 3 Holly Kilgour 4 Hilary Child 5 Philip Rioch 6 John Riley 7 Barbara King 8 Flick Warwick 9 David Warwick (Conductor) 10 Mariko Whyte 11 Harry Blamire 12 Jonathan King
1 Rosalind Martin 2 Hilary Child 3 Rosemary Duke 4 Lucy Taylor-Warwick 5 Holly Kilgour 6 Graham Duke 7 Robert Child 8 Felicity Warwick 9 David Hilling (Conductor) 10 Adam Kilgour 11 David Warwick 12 Timothy Martin
The Wimborne Minster Ringers’ Summer Outing 2025 was a weekend affair based in St. Columb Major. Fourteen members of the band headed to Cornwall at different times and from different directions, firstly for a peal attempt at Phillack on the Friday afternoon. Sadly, a surreptitious swap caused the attempt to fail, but there was time to complete a successful quarter of Cornwall Surprise Major on these delightful Taylor bells – followed by even more delightful refreshment at The Bucket of Blood. The area has plenty of attractive and varied accommodation available after the summer throngs have departed, and everyone found somewhere to suit their preferences.
Saturday’s ringing began at the lovely six in St. Erme, followed by the two towers in Truro – Kenwyn and the Cathedral where we were joined by locals Jo and Andy, and a very accomplished ringing quartet who happened to be holidaying in the area. After quickly getting accustomed to the long draught and distinctive acoustics of the Cathedral ringing room we rang some pleasantly fluent Stedman, Cambridge and Bristol Maximus – and a helpful foretaste of the bells for the 2026 SW 12-bell competition.
Lunch was enjoyed in several places around the city, before we all headed to Probus, St. Stephen in Brannel and finally St. Columb Major for three excellent eight-bell towers where we were able to practise a special touch of Grandsire Triples for the forthcoming Guild Striking Competition as well as exploring a variety of other methods – including a successful attempt at a ‘scat’ raise. The evening was rounded off with a lovely relaxed supper at The Ring O’ Bells and a presentation to Harry as thanks for organising a wonderfully efficient, enjoyable and successful outing.
Alan retired to Verwood in 2015 following a successful career as an engineer in Buckinghamshire. He had learnt to ring as a teenager, became Master of the Southampton University Guild where he met his future wife Kathy, and they were both mainstays of the Aston Clinton band during their working life.
Alan’s ringing skills and experience were a great asset to us and he quickly established himself as a full-time member of the Wimborne Minster band. He relished the challenge of ringing on twelve bells, was an enthusiastic and committed teacher of our learner ringers, and sought out opportunities to support ringers further afield – notably the newly-formed band at Lytchett Matravers and at Ringwood where he became Tower Captain.
He rang in four peals at the Minster – including the ones to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday in 2016 and the birth of Prince Louis in 2018 – and also 88 quarter peals which were mostly for Sunday Choral Evensongs, the final one being in August last year.
Alan’s quiet manner, self-effacing personality and gentle humour were particular characteristics, as was his willingness to help anyone at any time. A keen member of the Wimborne Camera Club, Alan and Kathy mounted an exhibition of Ringing for Royal Events which is displayed in the Baptistry at appropriate times during the year, and they also organised a memorable ringing weekend for the Minster Band around churches in the Chilterns last September. This turned out to be one of the last times Alan rang with us.
Sadly, an illness first diagnosed in 2008 returned and despite the best of care from Bournemouth and Poole hospitals he was unable to recover and passed away peacefully with his family close by in July. A Service of Thanksgiving was held in the Minster on the 8th August, attended by his family and many ringing friends from around the country. We will miss him.
On Tuesday the 6th of February, James Cheshire scored his first Quarter Peal, ringing the Tenor to Grandsire Triples.
James decided to learn to ring because several of his friends were enthusiastic new recruits. After some 1-1 bell-handling lessons, he joined the Tuesday night practices in May 2023.
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.
James Sexton was a long-standing and loyal supporter of the ringing band, and wider Minster community, for well over fifty years.He was one of the ten ‘named’ Minster Ringers and regularly rang the sixth (Jim’s bell) to Grandsire Caters on a Sunday morning. During his ringing career he was for a time Tower Secretary and forever encouraging and helpful to younger members of the band. Although well into his eighties when the bells were augmented, he enthusiastically committed to twelve-bell ringing and was proud of his ability to master Grandsire Cinques. After the age of ninety, he came to the conclusion that the descent of 72 steps down from the ringing chamber was becoming unduly perilous, and he stopped ringing, but did not lose his social connection with the band. He chimed ‘his bell’ with the Rector (from ground level, see picture) at his last communion at the Minster before leaving Wimborne to join his wife Beryl (also a bellringer) for a Care Home in Bournemouth. Many ringers attended his funeral at the Minster, and a quarter peal was rung half muffled immediately following the service.
Extract from the Quarter Peal of Half muffled Grandsire Caters
Wimborne Minster Bell Ringers 
