MEMORIAL PEAL TABLET UNVEILED.
Ringing World Vol 1, Iss 10, p158,
Saturday 20 May 1911
MEMORIAL PEAL TABLET UNVEILED.
The belfry of Ranmoor Church, Sheffield, was well filled with
ringers
and friends on Saturday afternoon, when, on the anniversary of the
funeral of the late King Edward, a peal
tablet, recording a
muffled
peal rung for his death, was unveiled. After a short
touch, on the
bells, the proceedings were formally opened with suitable prayers
offered by the Vicar (the Rev. James G. Williams, V.D.). Mr. Sam
Thomas, the conductor of the peal, then briefly "explained the object
of the gathering, and spoke of the close connection between the bells
and national feeling, whether of joy or sorrow, as, for instance, on
the occasion of the King’s death. That the King was mourned by the
ringers of the whole country was proved by the fact that the
unprecedented number of 181 muffled peals were rung to his memory.
Mr. John Mawhood, the people’s churchwarden, unveiled the tablet,
which is of solid mahogany, grounded black with gold leaf lettering,
and of simple and neat design, headed “the Yorkshire Association and
Sheffield District Society of Change Ringers,” and recording that,. “At
the close of a solemn memorial service, held in this church at the same
hour that the funeral of has late Majesty King Edvard VII. was being
solemnised at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, there was rung on these
bells a full muffled peal, consisting of 5024 Changes of Bob Major, in
three hours and fifteen minutes.” Then follow the ringers names, and
those of the Vicar and churchwardens.
The Vicar mentioned a very interesting discovery, made during
the
excavations some few years ago of the lost city of Nineveh, of bells,
the composition of which was practically identical with ours of the
present day. He traced the history of the use of bells in religious
worship from Biblical times to the present day, and added that the old
clerical “saw” about ringers not attending church was, he thought, no
longer justified. His ringers were generally found on Sunday evenings
in their customary places in church.
A vote of thanks to Mr. Mawhood was accorded, on the motion of
Mr. G.
Addy, seconded by Mr. J. E. L. Cockey. — A similar compliment to the
Vicar was passed. — The proceedings were then brought to a close with
the Benediction, and it was felt that such gatherings as this go a long
way in bringing about that real brotherly feeling of which so much is
heard, but so little seen.
End of Article
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