Four Shires Guild of Bell Ringers

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THE GUILD MINUTE BOOK, 1909 - 1924

(Extract from the Minute Book of the inaugural meeting of the Guild)

THE FOUR SHIRES GUILD OF CHURCH BELL RINGERS

1909, Oct 18th:
A Meeting was held at the Swan Hotel, Moreton-in-Marsh on Monday Oct 18th, 1909 to consider the Formation of the above named Guild. The Rev Spencer Jones was in the Chair. There were present, Canon Houghton, Revs Drewe, Murray & Stoneman, Messrs Large, White, Green & others:
The following Resolutions were proposed and carried unanimously:-
(1) That a Guild known by the title of the Four Shires Guild of Bell Ringers be formed. Proposed by Canon Houghton; Seconded by Mr W Large.
(2) Proposed by Rev F.W.Drewe and Seconded by Mr A.White that "The Object of the Guild be to encourage the Art of Bell Ringing in the 4 Shires". Proposed by Rev F.W.Drewe and Seconded by Mr A. White that "A meeting be held half-yearly for the purposes of competitions in:-
  (i) Raising & lowering Bells in Peal.
  (ii) in Round Ringing
  (iii) in Call change Ringing
  (iv) in Change (method) Ringing
(3) Proposed by Mr W Large and Seconded by Mr Evans "that the Ringing members pay an Annual Subscription of 1/- (one shilling: 5p)"
(4) Proposed by Rev E.T.Murray and Seconded by Rev J.W Stoneman "that Hon Members pay a Subscription of not less than 5/- (five shillings: 25p)"
(5) Proposed by Mr W Large and Seconded by Mr Walker, that the ½yrly meetings be held on the last Thursday in April and the last Wednesday in October
(6) Prop by Canon Houghton & Sec by Rev Drewe that Mr W Large be Hon Secretary
(7) Proposed by Mr Townsend and Seconded by Mr Kile that for the first year the Competitions be restricted to
  (i) Rising & Sinking
  (ii) Round Ringing
  (iii) Call Change ringing
(8) Proposed by Rev Drewe & Seconded by Canon Houghton that a committee be appointed consisting of one member from Each Tower.
(9) Proposed by Rev Drewe & Seconded by Rev Spencer Jones that Canon Houghton be asked to be President.
(10) Proposed & Seconded that the First Meeting be held at Blockley on Thursday 28th April.

The Guild's 'earth' shook a month or two ago. I suspect the last time such a thing occurred was when the Spencer Jones Cup was found; and that was well over 30 years ago. What was the occasion? It was the return of the very first FSG Minute Book to the Guild in late July. It must be the very first item the Guild possessed, as it was there from the first day - which of course makes it over 100 years old. It would have been exciting to have any of the 'old' Guild's Minute Books returned, but to have the first one is . . . well . . . truly stunning!

It is an unimpressive-looking book from the outside, but inside it is a veritable treasure trove of information. Up until now we have relied on reports in The Ringing World and its forerunner Bell News, newspaper reports, old FSG certificates hanging on Ringing Room walls, word of mouth and similar, perhaps-shaky, knowledge to build up a picture of the beginnings of the Guild, but here in one fell swoop is the complete and absolutely confirmed history. Not only do we have a such a history of the first few meetings, but all the meetings until 1924 in wonderful detail and with the names of those persons taking part in the proceedings.

So, where has the book been all these years? Things are a bit hazy, but we've been told that it's been residing in Wiltshire in a ringer's drawer for the last 50 years and that it only recently came to light when he and his wife were having a sift-through and chuck-out of various things in the house. Apparently, his wife said something along the lines of: Do you want this old book or shall I throw it out? Luckily (for us), an inspection revealed the importance of the contents immediately. Where the book was prior to the last 50 years is unknown at present, but this part of the story may emerge in due course.

The first page outlines a meeting, but it was not a ringing meeting as such, in that no associated ringing is recorded. It was a meeting to explore the possibility of setting up an organisation for Church bell ringers in the North Cotswolds area. The Minutes for that meeting are worth recording here (see extract).

So there we have it: the Guild's name, its objects, the competition rules, the subscriptions, the officers and when the meetings would be held; all decided in one short blast on Day One.

It's also interesting to see that Church Bell Ringers was originally considered for the Guild name, but the final name is unequivocal: just Bell Ringers. I find this surprising considering the number of clergymen present.

It seems likely the Guild's formation was driven by the clergy and Walter Large. I suspect Large and some of his close ringing colleagues may have had the idea, but they needed the backing of the clergy to set up the organisation properly and formally. This was an age when the 'big house' and the clergy reigned supreme, and not obtaining their support would spell Doom from the start. Walter Large had experience of the Oxford Diocesan Guild prior to leaving Burford. That tower was certainly active at the time, as 11 peals were rung there before 1909, most being for the ODG, and Large took part in, and conducted, some of these. From the peals he rang and conducted, we can see he was a very competent ringer - and seemingly he had the energy to move things forward when he decided they should be!

The Book also bridges a particularly significant era in England, the period immediately before, during and following the Great War. It was famously said on the day before Britain's entry to the War, that The lights are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our time.

Before the War everyone knew their place. Money, rank and the Clergy ruled supreme and provided an ordered existence. Then came the War itself, with all its horrors, upheaval and loss of life. The aftermath provided many difficulties, when the Land to which the heroes returned was not as initially promised and inevitable changes in attitudes caused increasing friction. Many families, rich and poor, were affected by the War, with loss of life, disablement or mental breakdown. Cracks in the Old Order were starting to appear, forcing a different way of life to begin.

The Book takes us through these tumultuous years, and it's rather like reading someone's diary. We know what was about to happen from 1914 onwards, but they didn't; of course. It is instructive to see how they gradually became aware of the reality of the War. Meetings were cancelled in some cases. I haven't read all the book by a long way, just bits here and there, but enough to taste the atmosphere of the time. The Book is a wonderful ringing history of the Guild's area, but more than that, it's a fascinating record of social history here, too.

We know now the very first Guild Meeting was held at Blockley on Thursday 28th April 1910. It is a shame the Book was not returned a little earlier, as it would have allowed the present Guild to have celebrated the centenaries of the inaugural meeting on October 18th 1909 and of the meeting at Blockley. However, it is reported the Blockley meeting was poorly attended on account of inclement weather (no hopping into the 4x4's then). As many towers weren't fully represented, the first part of the Striking Competition was abandoned. The very first FSG Striking Competition was held at the following meeting, which was on Thursday October 26th, at Moreton-in-Marsh. The Striking Competition due on Saturday October 16th 2010 at Broadwell will therefore be, quite genuinely, the centennial one!!

photo of Swan Inn

The first Committee meeting was held on Wednesday September 21st 1910, at the Swan Hotel, Moreton-in-Marsh, starting at 7.00pm. Keen to mark this auspicious event, the present Committee met at The Swan, Moreton-in-Marsh, on Tuesday 21st September at 7.00pm to toast the memory of those pioneering Committee members of 100 years ago.

I'm glad to have had a sight of this. It's really quite a find - not so much for the "wider world" of ringing, but very definitely so for the Guild. It provides a remarkably complete record of activities and concerns for the period, through the Great War and into the 20s. The record of results for the competitions must be quite unusually complete. Also, of course, there is a complete record of the places where the meetings were held, and of the bands and individuals who attended. I noticed that there's information about the Shield, Roll of Honour etc. All in all, it is excellent. Also, it's good to be able to share a digital copy for ease of reference and (to some extent) as a safety/ backup copy.

Chris Pickford FSA

A digital copy of the book is now available (see below), and I sent copies to Christopher Pickford, noted national bell historian and author, and Dr John Eisel, the CCCBR's librarian and also a noted bell historian and author, for their comments on the book. I reproduce their comments here (see text boxes).

John Eisel's mention of the FSG now having its own birth certificate is an excellent description of the Minute Book. Our beginnings are no longer lost in the mists of time and therefore questionable. We have a proven record of how we came into existence. And judging by what Chris and John say, it is a remarkably good record, too. John's comment regarding the history of the Guild is well made, too. Do we have an historian among us who could take on this assignment?

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

The success of TV series such as the above indicates the tremendous interest in personal origins, where do we get our personal characteristics? Of course, in the Exercise we have always been interested in our origins, at least in change ringing terms, and we love to argue where it came from, without any firm conclusions! But now, in the case of the Four Shires Guild, its origins are proved without doubt, and the Four Shires Guild has its own birth certificate. I refer, of course, to the recent recovery of the first minute book, covering the period from 1909 when it originated until 1924. Formed at a meeting at the Swan Hotel in Moreton-in-Marsh on 18 October 1909, when Walter Large was elected hon. secretary, the first meeting of the Guild took place at Blockley on 28 April 1910. Interestingly enough, this was not reported in Bell News at the time, and as far as I can tell, the first meeting to be reported in the ringing press was the first annual meeting that took place at Todenham on 27 April 1911, which was written up in the Ringing World of 12 May 1911.

The minute book does not mention peals rung by the Four Shires Guild, but the first is understood to be one of Grandsire Doubles rung at Great Wolford on 2 February 1910, even before a meeting took place, conducted by Walter Large. However, this was not reported in Bell News. Although another peal is claimed to have been rung at Whichford a week later on 9 February, this seems to be confused with a peal rung there by the Four 'Shire' Guild on 8 September 1910 and is probably incorrect. Seven members of the Guild rang a peal of Grandsire Doubles at Todenham (the tenor was rung double-handed) on 20 May 1910, conducted by Walter Large, but this peal was credited to the Oxford Diocesan Guild, and the first one credited to the Guild which was published in Bell News was one of Grandsire Doubles rung at Longborough on 2 June 1910, again conducted by Walter Large.

With the first Guild record book now safe, it is possible to write a definitive history of the early years of the Guild. Reports of Guild activities in the years prior to the Second World War, which were published in the Ringing World, can easily be traced in the DVD recently issued by the CC Library Committee. The centenary of the first meeting of the Guild has just passed, and it is an appropriate time for the history of the Guild, and its resuscitation in 1973, to be written up and published - and I am old-fashioned enough to like seeing things in print!

Dr John Eisel, CCCBR Librarian

The present Guild committee has to decide what to do with the book now. We are aware of its value to the ringing community at large and to its vulnerability to all sorts of dangers, and therefore we (the Guild collectively) have a responsibility to provide secure long-term storage for it. Depositing it in a County Archive is an option that has been investigated, either with transfer or non-transfer of ownership, and this aspect will be discussed at the committee meeting on 2nd September.

A photographic copy of the book has been made, by which it is possible to read the book in its original handwritten form. The file (pdf format: Adobe Reader required, which is available free) is less than 10Mb, so it can be sent to most people on broadband without difficulty. A copy of this file is available from me: my email address is on page 2.

It has been suggested the Minute Book copy file could be available to all through the web-site. Is this a good idea? Do we want it to be widely available? Perhaps we could have some letters to the Editor on that one.

Chris Povey