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East Witton Bells
There have been bells in East Witton for at least a couple of centuries. To be sure, the old church in Lowthorpe had no tower, only a bell turret and when this church was demolished in 1809 its two bells were, it is said, sold to a new church then being built in Cottingham. Are they still there? Almost their last ring here must have been when "mischievous youngsters climbed up the outside, tingled (sic) the bells and were pursued by Miss Howson, the Vicar's daughter". In recent years, thanks largely to the enthusiasm, patience and skill of Mr Tom Oakshott, the sound of church bells has once more become a regular feature in East Witton and also in Middleham. Most people seem to be glad of this and to have enjoyed the peals which welcomed the new millennium. There are, of course, a few dissentient voices ranging from the well-meaning ("What a blessing the wind blows mainly from the west"), and the disingenuous ("Bells? What bells?”) to the acid ("Oh, I like bells - when they're rung properly”). We ringers are, however, on a learning curve and must crave indulgence. What was written in the Parish Magazine of January 1947 is equally true today:-:
"Our team of ringers is advancing. Not content with ‘ringing round’ and 'call changes’ they are now tackling change-ringing proper and working hard at methods."
Change-ringing was practised, remarkably enough, from the time in 1812 when the bells were hung as a gift of the Marquis of Ailesbury. In this respect East Witton was the leader in the district. This was due to one William Tebbs who came from Leeds to work on the building of the present church. He taught the first band of ringers and later became noted as a composer of methods.
The bells are dated 1809 and, like most of the bells of any size in the neighbourhood, bear the name of T. Mears of London. Other, larger, places had their ring of six bells earlier, Richmond in 1739, Bedale 1755, Masham 1766 and Northallerton in 1802. Middleham followed some fifteen years after East Witton. East Witton's are by far the lightest and the magazine of May 1912 asserts rather snootily, "as weight adds to the beauty of tone, they are hardly worthy of the noble tower or of its tradition as pioneer of change-ringing in Wensleydale”. Ringers today may not altogether agree with this, but they will agree, if somewhat diffidently, with these trenchant words written in the magazine of January 1914: "Bell-ringing is a service of both sacrifice and effort. Each member of the peal has to feel that there is a call to him for practice and for sacrifice. It is an office in which none can be spared." So next time you hear a clash, remember: Don't shoot the bell-ringers - they are doing their best!
If the above note about bells and bell-ringers gave the impression that the belfry is a place of solemn and earnest endeavour with no scope for fun, perhaps a few words about the lighter side may be in order. Certainly, though the ringing itself demands total concentration and co-operation, there is no shortage of laughter and the atmosphere in the belfry sometimes resembles that of a rather unruly classroom.
Occasionally this is provoked by visitors, for example the couple who asked if they could join in saying, by way of apology that they had only some forty-five years' experience. They then proceeded to ring with astonishing accuracy and to bark out orders with such rapidity and in such rich Devonian accents as to throw us into complete and hilarious chaos. Or the American who burst in, demanded to have a go, seized a rope, gave it a confident but ill-advised yank and was at once swept off his feet and almost into orbit. Or again the lady who, having listened with increasing contempt to my explanation of the mechanics of bell-ringing, retorted "What a waste of man-power. In Germany we have a switch”.
There must have been much merriment when the bells first came. As the Parish Magazine of May 1812 records: "The bells arrived when Mr. C. Bucktin was at dinner, but dinner was forgotten in his eagerness to see them. The treble bell was turned upside down and it became a loving-cup for the nonce. It was filled with beer and doubtless the ringers drank success to the bells and those who would manipulate them." The first peal was rung, understandably some little time later, on August 7th, 1812. The bells had cost about £400. The cost of the beer is not recorded.
Over the following years there must have been many outings for the ringers. Here is the magazine's account of the one which in 1910 took the form of an excursion to Blackpool. "A pleasant day was spent notwithstanding the rain which fell heavily in the afternoon. Unfortunately aviation was impossible and our East Witton folks had an additional disappointment in consequence. We must evidently wait a little longer before we get a sight of the flying men. Possibly, however, we may have aviation so common in the future that these graceful machines may be found startling the curlews on Witton Fell." I shall think of that when the next Tornado startles me on Witton Fell!
We are left to guess how the ringers overcame their disappointment but the passage ends with just a hint of pious reproof. "We hear that the return journey was not accomplished till 2 a.m. - a time certainly when all good East Witton folk (except the Bellringers) were in bed."
Finally, in answer to the lady who considers Middleham's ringers to be better than East Witton's, we are in fact one and the same team. This is, after all, a united parish!
Muir Temple