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ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CENTRAL COUNCIL OF CHURCH BELL RINGERS.

OFFICIAL MINUTES.

The Third Annual Meeting of the Council was held at the Clarendon Hotel, Oxford, on Tuesday, April 4th, the President, Mr. Percival Heywood, in the chair. Of representative members, 39 were present out of 73, representing 22 out of 32 Societies, and of Honorary members 2 out of 12. The minutes of the meeting of 1892 were read and confirmed. The Hon. Secretary (the Rev. H. Earle Bulwer), announced that letters of apology for unavoidable absence had been received from Dr. Raven, Mr. Snowdon, Captain Acland Troyte, Mr. Cartwright, and the Rev. J. U. Todd.

The President addressed the meeting, and introduced Canon Erskine Clarke, the proprietor of Church Bells, who spoke at some length.

The Hon. Secretary read the statement of accounts. After the last meeting there was a balance of £17 8s. 6d. During the year £8 12s. 6d. was received in the subscriptions of Societies. There was a profit on the sale of the report on the preservation of bells, etc., of £9 7s. 6½d. The working expenses for the year were £1 1s. 5d., and there was now a balance in hand of £34 7s. 1½d. These accounts, having been audited previously by the Standing Committee, were confirmed.

The Committee appointed to bring the subject of ringing before the Church Congress, reported that the matter had been submitted to the Subjects Committee of the Birmingham Church Congress to be held in October, through the medium of the Bishop of Coventry, who had kindly taken charge of the application, but the subject was rejected. Canon Clarke suggested that the ringers might have a meeting of their own during Congress week.

Mr. Strange read an interim report on the bibliography which he had undertaken to prepare. It was resolved to leave the matter in Mr. Strange’s hands, with a request that he would report to the next meeting.

The Rev. C. D. P. Davies, on behalf of the Committee appointed at the previous meeting to draw up a report on the proper calls in each method, and upon the best means of classifying compositions, presented a report upon each subject, the first of which Mr. Davies moved the adoption of; this was seconded by Mr. Hattersley, and, after discussion, referred back to the Committee for revision upon the specific points of the Union Single, the calls in the Oxford Bob method, and the go-off in the Stedman methods. Mr. Davies then read the second report, of which he moved the adoption, Mr. Hattersley seconding. The report was unanimously adopted, and the Committee, consisting of the Rev. C. D. P. Davies, Mr. C. H. Hattersley, and Mr. Washbrook, was re-appointed to carry out the classification scheme set forth in the report, and to revise the report upon calls.

The Rev. T. L. Papillon moved, and Mr. J. Griffin seconded, and it was carried unanimously, “that, in recording the performance of peals not previously rung, it is desirable to record at the same time the figures of such peals, unless they are already accessible in printed form, in which case the reference should be given.”

The Rev. H. Earle Bulwer moved, and the Rev. F. E. Robinson seconded, the following addition to the Council’s definition of a peal on seven bells:- “Nevertheless a performance of seven bells without the addition of a covering bell, is to be discountenanced.” This motion was carried by 25 votes to 8.

Mr. Story moved, and Mr. Williams seconded- “That an addition be made to the definition of a peal on six bells, allowing of fourteen 360s, or any greater number of true Minor methods, no two being the same.” The motion was rejected by a large majority.

Mr. Attree moved, and Mr. Hattersley seconded- “That it is desirable when a band of ringers belonging to more than one Association meet to ring a peal, they shall decide beforehand to which Association such peals shall be credited, and that for the future no peal shall be published under the name of more than one Association.” The motion was carried unanimously.

Mr. Attree called attention to the objectionable manner in which ringers were frequently elected to Associations in the towers, and gave notice that he would move a resolution upon this point at the next meeting, should he still be a member of the Council.

The President gave notice that, in order that the work of Committees might be prosecuted during the year which intervened between the old and the new Councils, he would move at the next meeting an addition to the rules that members of Committees having reports to make, who were not elected to the new Council, should be allowed to sit as members at the first meeting of the new Council.

The Rev. H. A. Cockey, Mr. Story, and Mr. Griffin were appointed a Committee to see what could be done towards obtaining reduced fares for ringers from the railway companies.

A vote of thanks to the President was proposed by Mr. W. D. Smith, seconded by the Rev. F. E. Robinson, and carried unanimously.

The following was the voting in favour of the Rev. H. Earle Bulwer’s motion to discountenance peals of Triples rung without a covering bell:-

The Bell News and Ringers’ Record, May 20, 1893, page 14

Present- W. Wakley; C. Hounslow.
Absent- Rev. Canon Raven; Rev. Canon Wigram; Rev. Pitt Eykyn; J. C. Mitchell; J. Pettit; H. S. Thomas; W. T. Pates; Capt. Acland Troyte; Rev. A. H. F. Boughey; W. H. Thompson.

The Bell News and Ringers’ Record, May 20, 1893, page 15