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THE CENTRAL COUNCIL.

OFFICIAL MINUTES.

The First Session of the Seventh Council (19th Annual Meeting), was held in the Small Hall of the Church House, Dean’s yard, Westminster, on Whitsun-Tuesday, June 1st, 1909, at 11 o’clock a.m., when there was present 66 out of 96 representative members, and 9 out of 11 honorary members.

The Hon. Secretary having given notice that only one nomination for the office of President had been received, called upon Rev. F. E. Robinson who proposed that Sir Arthur Heywood, Bart., be re-elected to the office of President, This having been seconded by Mr. W. T. Cockerill, was carried with acclamation. The President then took the chair and thanked those present for his re-election.

The President then announced that only one nomination had been received for the combined offices of Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer, Rev. C. D. P. Davies being nominated for the post. Rev. F. J. O. Helmore having proposed, and Mr. S. Reeves having seconded the re-election of Mr. Davies, the proposal was carried unanimously, and Mr. Davies said a few words in warm appreciation of the confidence reposed in him, coupled with an expression of the pleasure that it afforded him to work for the Council.

The Hon. Secretary read the minutes of the last meeting which were passed unanimously and duly signed.

The Annual Statement of Accounts was then presented by the Hon. Treasurer and read in detail, the following being a brief summary:- Balance last year, £33 7s. 6d.; affiliation fees, £12; publications sold - at last year’s meeting, 2s. - per Messrs. Bemrose, £4 7s. 7d.; making a total of £49 17s. 1d. Against this there had been - Expenses of last year’s meeting, £2 14s. 6d.; printing, £2 17s. 10d.; stationery and postage, 19s. 4d., and expenses of committees, 5s. 1d., leaving in hand a balance of £43 0s. 4d. To this might be added £133 7s. 2d., the estimated nett value of publications in the hands of Messrs. Bemrose, making the total nett assets of the Council to be £176 7s. 6d. The detailed statement by Messrs. Bemrose of their sale of the Council’s publications during the year having been also read, the accounts were unanimously passed on the proposal of Rev. F. E. Robinson, seconded by Rev. G. F. Coleridge.

It was proposed by Mr. J. Griffin, and seconded by Dr. A. B. Carpenter, that Mr. John Carter, the Rev. C. D. P. Davies and Messrs. J. Pettit, J. S. Pritchett, J. A. Trollope, and G. Williams, being the retiring Honorary Members, should be re-elected, and the proposal was unanimously carried.

It was further proposed by Mr. J. S. Pritchett, seconded by Mr. H. Dains, and carried unanimously, that Mr. C. E. D. Boutflower be elected an Honorary Member.

The following new Members were formally introduced to the President and took their seats on the Council:- Of College Youths, Messrs. F. Dench and J. W. Rowbotham; of the Royal Cumberlands, Mr. F. Bennett; of the Chester Guild, Messrs. J. Norbury and F. T. Spence; of the Durham and Newcastle Association, Mr. W. Story; of the Ely Association, Rev. J. M. Clarkson; of Gloucester and Bristol Association, Messrs. J. Austin and W. A. Cave; of Kent Association, Mr. T. Groombridge; of Lancashire Association, Mr. J. H. Banks; of Leeds and District Society, Mr. J. Broadley; of Lincoln Guild, Mr. J. W. Seamer; of London County Association, Mr. T. H. Taffender; of Middlesex County Association, Messrs. W. Pickworth and J. R. Sharman; of Norwich Association, Mr. G. P. Burton; of Sussex Association, Messrs. R. J. Dawe and G. H. Howse; of Worcestershire Association, Mr. J. R. Newman; and of Yorkshire Association, Mr. C. Glenn.

The Hon. Secretary having announced that he had received letters of regret for absence from Rev. H. E. Tilney Bassett, Mr. C. E. Borrett, Mr. A. L. Coleman, Rev. Canon Papillon, and Mr. W. Snowdon,

The Council proceeded to the election of the Standing Committee. It was proposed by Dr. A. B. Carpenter, seconded by Mr. N. J. Pitstow, and carried unanimously, that the Committee be re-elected as follows:- The President and Hon. Secretary, Revs. H. A. Cockey, G. F. Coleridge, and F. E. Robinson, with Messrs. H. Dains, R. A. Daniell, J. Griffin, R. S. Story and W. Snowdon.

It was proposed by Mr. H. Dains and seconded by Mr. R. A. Daniell, that Mr. W. T. Cockerill be added to the Committee; and it was further proposed by Mr. H. Dains and seconded by Mr. J. A. Trollope, that Rev. H. Law James be also added to the Committee, both propositions being unanimously carried.

Mr. J. A. Trollope gave a full and circumstantial report of the work of the Peal Collection Committee, now engaged with Treble Bob of which he stated that the Collection would be very voluminous. He was followed by Dr. A. B. Carpenter (who seconded the Report), and by many other Speakers, the discussion lasting for fully an hour, and issuing in the two following resolutions: The first, proposed by Mr. J. S. Pritchett and seconded by Mr. J. Griffin, “That the Committee have instructions to publish the Section of Treble Bob Peals in instalments,” being adopted with unanimity. The second, “That the Council is of opinion that all peals published in its name should be carefully proved before publication,” was moved by Rev. H. S. T. Richardson, and seconded by Mr. J. W. Taylor, and was carried by 26 votes to 9. On the motion of the Rev. F. J. O. Helmore, seconded by Mr. A. T. King, the Committee, consisting of Dr. A. B. Carpenter, Messrs. H. Dains, J. A. Trollope, and the Hon. Secretary, were re-elected; the Rev. H. S. T. Richardson being added thereto on the proposal of Dr. A. B. Carpenter, seconded by Rev. F. E. Robinson.

Mr. R. A. Daniell reported progress on behalf of the Church Press Committee in the matter of the Catalogue of Literature on the subject of Bells and Ringing, and the Committee, consisting of Rev. Canon Papillon and Revs. H. A. Cockey and M. Kelly, with Messrs. H. Dains and R. A. Daniell were re-elected on the motion of Mr. F. B. Tompkins, seconded by Rev. C. E. Matthews.

On behalf of the Legitimate Methods Committee, Rev. H. Law James reported the completion of a further stage in the work of the Collection of Methods, coupled with an expression of the hope that the whole might be finished within the forthcoming year. On the motion of Mr. J. Griffin, seconded by Rev. G. F. Coleridge, the Committee, consisting of Rev. H. Law James, and Messrs. J. Carter, H. Dains, and J. A. Trollope, was re-elected.

For the Peals’ Analysis Committee Mr. A. T. King reported that the Analysis for 1908 had been duly completed and forwarded to the Editor of Bell News for publication in March, 1909. He also read a correspondence that had passed between this Committee and the Peal Values’ Committee, in which the latter gave it as their opinion that (1) 10080 changes in 14 Surprise Methods had not yet been rung; (2) That Johnson’s “peals” of 5025 Triples should be excluded from the Analysis; (3) That Original Major be treated as a Plain Method; (4) That 16 points be awarded to Double Bob Major, and 14 points to Double Oxford Triples; and (5) that 60 points be awarded to Cambridge Maximus. He moved the adoption of the Report, which was seconded by Mr. N. J. Pitstow and carried; and on the motion of Rev. E. W. Carpenter, seconded by Mr. N. J. Pitstow, the Committee, consisting of Messrs. J. Griffin, A. T. King and J. A. Trollope, were re-elected, Mr. G. P. Burton at same time re-placing Mr. C. E. Borrett, who had intimated his desire to resign.

Dr. A. B. Carpenter, in reporting for the Peal Values’ Committee, said that the Committee had nothing to add to that which Mr. King had already read. The President having decided that it would be well at this point to take item No. 10 on the Agenda, in which notice had been given, to initiate a discussion on the present system of apportioning points for peals, the Hon. Secretary brought the subject forward. On the motion of the Rev. G. F. Coleridge, seconded by Mr. J. Griffin, the matter was referred to the Committee, whose report was adopted, and who were re-elected as follows: Dr. A. B. Carpenter, Messrs. H. Dains, J. Carter and R. S. Story, the Hon. Secretary being added in place of Mr. Attree.

The Rev. H. L. James, after explaining the views which a historical study of Stedman’s Principle had led him to entertain with respect to the true and original nature of that method, proposed that “the Council refuses to recognise all peals hitherto rung and called Stedman Triples to be such.” This was seconded by the Rev. E. W. Carpenter, but after a long discussion was withdrawn, no resolution on the subject being passed.

Mr. J. A. Trollope, in a thoughtful speech, introduced the subject of steeplekeepers and their fees. In the interesting discussion that followed several members took part, the matter, on the recommendation of the President being reserved for fuller discussion on some future occasion.

In the unavoidable absence of the gentleman who had been invited to speak on the question of the tuning of Church Bells, the President took the opportunity to explain the legal aspect of compensation for injuries as paid by the Insurance companies, with special reference to the case of ringers insured by the church authorities, and replied to questions addressed to him by various members.

The Rev. H. J. Elsee proposed, and the Rev. G. F. Coleridge seconded, that the meeting next year be held at Manchester. This was carried unanimously.

The Rev. H. Law James called attention to the questionable action of the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings in connection with towers and bells, and moved that the President be requested to write to the Church Press on the subject. This having been seconded by the Rev. H. A. Cockey, was carried, the President replying that he should be prepared to do so provided that he received full particulars of a number of definite cases sufficient to warrant the Council’s intervention.

Mr. J. H. Banks explained and proposed a scheme by which on payment of a fee of 5s. to the Hon. Secretary of the Council any performing member of any Association affiliated to the Council would become a life performing member of all the other affiliated Associations. This was seconded by the Rev. H. J. Elsee, but after discussion the resolution was withdrawn.

The Rev. F. E. Robinson proposed, and the Rev. G. F. Coleridge seconded, a vote of thanks to the President, which was carried with acclamation.

The Bell News and Ringers’ Record, Oct. 2, 1909, pages 386 to 387

The Bell News and Ringers’ Record, June 5, 1909, page 184