Parish of Leatherhead - Bellringing at the Parish Church

The Bells The bells have rung out from the tower of  St.Mary & St.Nicholas for at least 400 years since the tower was built in 1480.  There have almost certainly been bells in the church since it was built nearly one thousand years ago, although at first probably only one or perhaps two. In those days church bells were rung much more frequently than today. They were used to mark times of the day, to summon parishioners to worship, to mark festivals, baptisms, marriages and funerals.

The bells in action

Until the Reformation (1534) the passing bell was always rung before a funeral to ward off evil spirits; usually there were nine teller strokes (the nine tailors) for a man, six for a woman and three for a child.

The number of chimes on a different bell, if there was one, indicated the age of the deceased (as was done at The Queen Mother's funeral in 2002). Bells were tolled to warn of disasters like fire and flood but also on happier occasions such as welcoming distinguished visitors to the town, marking Royal events and celebrating military or naval victories. "Our bells are worn threadbare with the ring­ing of victories," wrote Horace Walpole after a succession of British military triumphs in the eighteenth century.

In 1549 our church tower had four bells, which may well have been there since the tower was built about 70 years before. After the Reformation bells were removed from many churches, including three of Leatherhead's four. Nothing much is known about our bells between 1549 and 1742 except that they were rung to celebrate the restoration of Charles II in 1660 and that the one bell left in 1549 was among the six in the tower in 1792.

In the 1720s there was a ring of six bells.

Keeping bell ringing going in the eighteenth century was an expensive business because not only had the bells to be maintained but also the ringers had to be paid and supplied with drink, customarily beer or cider. Bell ringing is a thirsty beer cost 1d (a fraction of 1p) a pint. That would have worked out at about two or three pints a week for each ringer. A barrel would probably have been kept in the vestry and the beer for each session carried up to the tower in a two-gallon earthenware jug.

When the bells removed at the Reformation were replaced instead of the old spindle and rope, new ways of hanging them were tried. The rope and wheel technique was developed, enabling the bells to rotate in a complete circle. Thus, apart from oil for the bearings, maintenance required the replacement of a greater number of moving parts.

In 1770 the whole bell frame was renewed. It was ordered "Mr George Steer do forthwith make a new frame of good seasoned heart of oak in a workmanlike manner ... for the new hanging of the bells ... and repair the stocks and wheels". He must have done a workmanlike job because the bells were not re-hung again until 1924, 154 years later.

Soon after the 1770 re-hanging it was recorded that "the stone steps leading from the belfry to the bells in the steeple are by time and use become dangerous, agreed that the treads to the said steps be covered with oak planks." One Benjamin Simmons was given the job and his name and the date (1787) the work was completed are carved on the top riser. This man has an important place in the history of Leatherhead's bells and ringers.

Bell ringing flourished in the later 18th Century and in April 1792 the Vestry Meeting ordered that the six bells be recast into eight, with additional metal as required.

[Information provided by Alun Roberts (Leatherhead & District Local History Society) and Peter Ford (Leatherhead Bell Ringers).]

The recast bells cost £200, which was raised by public subscription.  One of the many tablets on the wall of the ringing chamber records that 'on the 30th July 1792 was rung in this steeple four true and complete Peals of Treble Bob .. the last ever rung on the old six bells'. Another tablet records that on 21st August 1792 the Peal of eight was opened -  a singular feat in only three weeks. Perhaps they repented for their haste, for by 1816 several bells had to be recast, and the remaining 1792 bells were recast when the ring was augmented to the present ten in 1877.  The Treble weighs 6 cwt (305kg) and the big Tenor bell weighs 19 cwt (966kg). Leatherhead Church Bells: from the June 2002 Parish magazine - Benjamin Simmons, born in 1751, came to Leatherhead in the 1770s. He worked for Abraham Elliott whose timber yard (which he later bought) was across the road from the Parish Church. His first recorded local bell ringing appearance was at St Martin's, Epsom, in 1776, where he called the maiden peal on their eight new bells. When he arrived Leatherhead only had six bells, but in April 1792, doubtless due to his influence, the Vestry "Agreed that the old six bells be taken down and re-cast into a peal of eight with the metal as is wanting to make the compleat peal, and that the same be left to the Churchwardens James Clear and James Harrison and William Baker and Benjamin Simmons". A board in the belfry says "Be it remembered that Will Baker set on foot a subscription to improve the bells, raising £200 (about £12,000 in today's money)... " Will Baker must have been persuasive because he also raised money for a new fire engine. Unusually the job was done quickly allowing the eight new bells to be dedicated on August 21st. A CollegeYouths team, probably theancient Society of College Youths, founded in 1637, who ring at St Paul's Cathedral, rang one of the first, if not the first, peal on the new bells. Edward Simmons, Benjamin's brother, was in the tearn of ringers. An all Leatherhead team rang their first peal (5,000 changes without a mistake) in 1795. The longest peal ever recorded here was of 10,080 changes in 1808 and was conducted by Benjamin Simmons in six hours and four minutes. By 1816 some of the bells had to be re-cast - that they required repair so soon throws doubt on the quality of the 1792 work! Perhaps by design, the new peal was celebrated on August 21st by the Leatherhead team including Benjamin Simmons for the last time. Without him bell ringing in Leatherhead did not reach the same high standard again for 50 years. Two of his great grand-daughters still lived in the town in 1958. Joseph Lisney (1821-1910) used to tell, it is said, of ringing all day for the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838. The fingers were refreshed with an 18-gallon cask of ale in the belfry. It must have been a jolly day - 18 pints each for eight ringers.

Peter Ford maintaining the bells Ringing A Peal involves ringing at least 5000 combinations of the bells without repetition - changes - and takes about three hours of intense concentration  - that's 28 changes a minute.  If the tenor bell is rung last in each change and all the other bells continuously move their places, the changes could be as shown on the right. The Conductor rings as well as conducting and it is their duty to ensure that no mistakes are made, or if they are, to correct them immediately.  All ringing is done from memory and no written or similar aids are allowed.

In 1877 the remaining 1792 bells were found to be cracked and were re-cast. In memory of his first wife Mr A J Miller of Emlyn House gave two new bells at the same time. The first ten-bell peal was rung on 23rd July 1879. Until 1891 the bells were rung from a gallery in the tower open to the nave and lit by the west window. When this gallery was removed the bell ringers moved to the room above from where they still ring.

After 137 years of use the bell frame and fittings had to be replaced and the ninth bell re-cast. On Easter Sunday 1924 the rehung bells were rung for the first time, and except for one re-tuning in 1964 there have no further changes. Of the 10 bells in the tower now, one dates from 1924, five from 1877 and four from 1816, when Benjamin Simmons last rang.

Information kindly supplied by Mr Peter Ford (Leatherhead Bell Ringers) and Mr Alun Roberts (Leatherhead & District Historical Society)

The Band We ring twice on Sundays, also on national and local occasions, such as the Millennium Peal. We take part in competitions with other bands. We have social events and bellringing outings. Practice is on Tuesday evenings: we welcome new members and train novices, including juniors.

The Band at work - ringed by history.

Wedding Bells
To mark the wedding of Kenneth Ford and Deborah Dawson on 6th October 2001, a quarter peal of Grandsire Triples (1260 changes) was rung on Friday Sth October by:- Helen Green (Treble), Caroline Randall (2), Anne Parr (3), Peter Ford (the Groom's father (4)), Susan Hall (the Groom's sister (5)), Rex Woodland (6), Anthony Gordon (Conductor and 7) and Andrew Hall (Tenor).

A Decorative Dinner Bell When the Church bells were being rehung with new fittings in 1923 the ninth was found to be cracked. It was recast in the Whitechapel Bell Foundry at the expense of Mr Herbert Reeves who lived at the Mansion House (he was a great benefactor of the Church - hence the Reeves Room). A small decorative dinner bell, cast from the excess metal left over from the recasting, was presented to the Tower Captain, Mr Arthur Dean, who lived in Church Walk. Recently this dinner bell was given to Leatherhead Museum by Arthur Dean's granddaughter, Mrs Weller from Horsham. The bell, pictured here, is on loan to the Parish Church. from the November 2001 Parish Magazine

The inscription on the bell reads: From Leatherhead 9th bell, 1924

Bells for HM Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee 2002
On Tuesday 4th June 2002 some 14 ringers gathered to ring our bells to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee. Then on Sunday 9th June to mark the Jubilee a quarter peal of Grandsire Triples containing 1260 changes was rung by: 1 Caroline Rendall, 2 Roger Tompsett, 3 Anne Parr, 4 Ann Steed, 5 Peter Ostley, 6 Peter Ford, 7 Rex Woodland and 8 John Christmas. Ann Steed conducted.

Canon Bells!
To mark the appointment of our Vicar, David Eaton, as an Honorary Canon of Guildford Cathedral, Bill Herbert conducted a quarter peal of Plain Bob Major containing 1264 changes rung on 13th October by Caroline Rendall-treble, Ann Steed-2, Anne Parr-3, Mark Hobson-4, Andy Ellis-5, Rex Woodland-6, Peter Ford-7 and Bill Herbert-tenor.

from the May 2005 parish magazine
From the Belfry Records
On Saturday 12th March, a quarter peal of Grandsire Triples containing 1274 changes was rung to celebrate the baptism of Catherine Lucy Ford at St Mary's Parish Church, Fetcham, on Sunday 13th March. Treble - Ann Steed, 2 - Anne Parr, 3 - Peter Ford, 4 - Peter Ostley, 5 - Susan Hall, 6 - Roger Tompsett, 7 - Michael Bale 8 - Andrew Hall.
Catherine Lucy is the granddaughter of Peter Ford and the niece of Susan and Andrew Hall. Peter Ford

from the June 2005 parish magazine
From Belfry Records
For Whit Sunday, 15th May, a quarter peal of Grandsire Triples was rung by:
1 Anne Parr, 2 Ann Steed, 3 Rosemary Henderson (first quarter peal), 4 John Swanson (first quarter pea!), 5 John Aronson, 6 Peter Ford, 7 Michael Bale, and 8 Rex Woodland, conducted by Michael Bale. Peter Ford

from the June 2005 parish magazine
On Time Not a lot of people know this, but the church clock does not wind itself up! It is hand wound on a weekly basis and we owe Peter Ford a debt of gratitude in recent years for undertaking this task. With Peter I have been investigating having the winding done electrically. We consulted the Diocesan Advisor, Derek Frampton. The outcome was that to electrify the winding could cost up to £6,000; because it makes the whole thing more complicated there is more to go wrong and spares can be a problem; and an annual maintenance contract is needed with the installer.

Having discussed this with Peter and the Churchwardens, we came to the conclusion that it would be the better and cheaper option to continue to wind by hand if at all possible. In the light of this I am very grateful to our team of Bell Ringers for being willing to share the responsibility for doing so. The PCC will pay a small honorarium to the Ringers Fund for their willingness to help. We are extremely fortunate to have a dedicated and able ringing team - often unseen but very faithful in ringing before services.

I am also grateful to a number of people who indicated their willingness to donate towards electrification. I hope you will agree that to continue to wind by hand is the better outcome but thank you for your support. David Eaton

from the Nov 2006 magazine
Bell Ringers' Outing: Saturday 30th September dawned with heavy rain when 24 people set out to meet at St Mary's Parish Church, Petworth, by 9 o'clock. St Mary's has a fine ring of eight bells, the heaviest, the tenor bell, at 18cwt. We were blessed by the sun appearing to welcome us. Kirdford, a pretty village, was our second stop. The church, dedicated to St John the Baptist, has a ring of six bells with a 14cwt tenor.

Owing to the water being so low, the plan then to go on a boat trip along the River Arun was abandoned. Instead we visited Billingshurst where there are eight bells, 14½ cwt tenor. The Three Crowns in Wisborough Green welcomed us for lunch, then to the church a short walk away, where, as we rang from the ground floor, there were no steps to climb.

We moved on to Pulborough with eight bells, 13¾ cwt tenor. We all appreciated these bells, which have recently been re-hung.

The last tower of the day was Arundel, with eight bells, 13¾ cwt tenor. This is an interesting church because the east end is the Roman Catholic chapel of the castle, while the crossing and the west end form the Church of England parish church, the two being separated by a glass screen. Then home, having had a most enjoyable day well organised by Ann Steed - many thanks, Ann.

We were all pleased to welcome three young learners from Leatherhead, Lucy Morris, Rebecca Price and Rebecca Swanson, who joined us for the first time. Peter Ford

from the November 2005 Parish magazine
Bellringers' Outing Saturday 24th September 2005 proved to be a fine, sunny day as a fleet of cars arrived at the village of Withyham, near Tunbridge Wells, for the first ring of the day. It is a beautiful church and was in preparation for Harvest Festival the next day. The bells, eight in number, with a tenor of 15cwt. "went" very well, sounding good.

Frant was the next port of call, with six bells having an 8cwt. Tenor. It was an interesting ring in a quaint village. We took lunch at the Green Cross Inn in Goudhurst; the food was much appreciated, the service was excellent and the beer very nice!
Then on to Goudhurst parish church, but as the village is popular it took time to reach it. We found the bells very heavy to ring with the tenor being 1½ tons.

Lamberhurst Vineyard welcomed us for an informative talk about wine with, of course, wine tasting. Many of the group found the rabbits and chickens in the children's comer equally fascinating!

St Peter and St Paul, Wadhurst proved to be the best ring of the afternoon and almost as good as the first tower. It has eight bells with a 12cwt. Tenor. The last stop of the day was at St Denys' at Rotherfield, again eight bells but a 23cwt Tenor. This many of our group found challenging, not an easy ring with long unguided ropes, making us appreciate our home tower here in Leatherhead. We had an excellent day with perfect weather and great company. We thank Ann Steed for all her hard work in arranging the outing. Peter Ford

from the July 2007 magazine
Congratulations! Members of the congregation joined Mike and Molly Lewis with Pat and Eric Weetman to celebrate their Golden Weddings on June 3 2007 when an extended touch of Grandsire Triples, containing 1200 changes, was rung to congratulate them by 1 Margaret Bale, 2 Anne Parr, 3 Rosemary Henderson, 4 Ann Steed, 5 Roger Thompsett, 6 Peter Ford, 7 Mike Bale, 8 John Aronson conducted by Mike Bale.

from the October 2007 magazine
From Peter Ford - Happy Birthday! To mark my 70th birthday a quarter peal containing 1280 changes of Plain Bob Major was arranged and successfully rung, conducted by Mike Bale, onWednesday August 22 by: 1. John Aronson; 2. Anne Parr; 3. Rosemary Henderson; 4. Roger Tompsett; 5. Rex Woodland; 6. Peter Ford; 7. Mike Ashton; 8. Mike Bale.

My thanks to the ringers for arranging the quarter peal and to all who have wished me well on reaching three score years and ten. I have now completed 44 years ringing at St Mary and St Nicholas. Peter Ford
I am sure we would all also like to add our good wishes to Peter. Editor

For more on bellringing at Leatherhead Parish Church please write to the Captain of the Bellringers, Parish Office, Parish Church Hall, Church Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8AY

For more about bellringing visit the
Guildford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers website