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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The story of the Nottingham cup handb=
ells=20
fits, I believe, in a longer story of a challenge issued to the Nottin=
gham=20
and Leicester ringers in the 1770s by Squire Fortrey of Kings Norton (Leics=
). He=20
offered a set of handbells to the first band to ring a peal of 10,000 Grand=
sire=20
Caters. The Sherwood Youths (Nottingham) rang a peal of 6012 changes =
on 1=20
January 1775, and on 1 January 1776 raised the stakes with a peal of 8046=20
changes. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The Leicester Scholars rang 6012 (composed=
by W.D.=20
Crofts of Nottingham, interestingly) at St.Margaret's, Leicester, in A=
ugust=20
1776, and scored the 10,080 in 7h.12 on 25 February 1777 - having lost the =
peal=20
after ringing over 5000 changes that morning! There was much celebrat=
ion=20
in Leicester after the peal, but there is no mention of the handbells in an=
y of=20
the records of the peal. However, a set of cup handbells formerly belonging=
to=20
the Leicester ringers still exists and these bells are believed to have bee=
n=20
presented by Fortrey in honour of the 1777 peal.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The Leicester handbells are now in the Mus=
eum, but=20
we borrowed them for a ringers' dinner in the early 1970s - 1974, I think -=
and=20
made quite a lot of use of them over that weekend.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>To complete the story, the Sherwood Youths=
rang=20
10,260 Grandsire Caters at St.Mary's, Nottingham, in February 1778. T=
he=20
handbells there were apparently given by Fortrey in recognition that the=20
Nottingham ringers both met his challenge and rung a longer peal.</FONT></D=
IV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>CP</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LE=
FT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>Fro=
m:</B>=20
<A title=3DMrthigby@a... href=3D"mailto:Mrthigby@a...">Mrthigby@aol=
.com</A>=20
</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20
title=3Dbellhistorians@yahoogroups.com=20
href=3D"mailto:bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com">bellhistorians@yahoogroups=
.com</A>=20
</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, May 29, 2003 3:53=
=20
PM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Bell Historians]=20
Interesting bells for sale on website</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2></FONT><BR></DIV><FONT face=3Darial,helvetica><FONT size=3D2>In =
a message=20
dated 29/05/2003 15:49:35 GMT Daylight Time, <A=20
href=3D"mailto:peb@d...">peb@d...</A> writes:<BR><BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px so=
lid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"=20
TYPE=3D"CITE">>Sorry, forgot to say that there is, or was, a hemispher=
ical=20
bell in the <BR>>ringing chamber at Midhurst.<BR>There is (or at lea=
st=20
was) also a set of hemispherical handbells in the <BR>ringing chamber o=
f=20
Nottingham St. Mary.<BR><BR>-- <BR>Paul <BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Beat m=
e to=20
it!<BR><BR>Matthew</FONT> <BR><BR><TT>This=20
message was sent to you via the Bell Historians' Mailing List. To unsubsc=
ribe=20
from the list send an email to=20
bellhistorians-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com<BR><BR></TT><BR><BR><TT>Your u=
se of=20
Yahoo! Groups is subject to the <A=20
href=3D"http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/">Yahoo! Terms of Service</A>.</=
TT>=20
<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></BODY></HTML>