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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The story of the Nottingham cup han=
dbells=20
fits, I believe, in a longer story of a challenge issued to the=20
Nottingham and Leicester ringers in the 1770s by Squire Fortrey of Kings=
=20
Norton (Leics). He offered a set of handbells to the first band to ring a=
peal=20
of 10,000 Grandsire Caters. The Sherwood Youths (Nottingham) rang a=
peal=20
of 6012 changes on 1 January 1775, and on 1 January 1776 raised the stake=
s=20
with a peal of 8046 changes. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The Leicester Scholars rang 6012 (compos=
ed by=20
W.D. Crofts of Nottingham, interestingly) at St.Margaret's, Leicester,&nb=
sp;in=20
August 1776, and scored the 10,080 in 7h.12 on 25 February 1777 - having =
lost=20
the peal after ringing over 5000 changes that morning! There was mu=
ch=20
celebration in Leicester after the peal, but there is no mention of the=20
handbells in any of the records of the peal. However, a set of cup handbe=
lls=20
formerly belonging to the Leicester ringers still exists and these bells =
are=20
believed to have been presented by Fortrey in honour of the 1777=20
peal.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The Leicester handbells are now in the M=
useum,=20
but we borrowed them for a ringers' dinner in the early 1970s - 1974, I t=
hink=20
- and made quite a lot of use of them over that weekend.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#ff0000 size=3D2>These handbells are now =
(I=20
understand) in the ringing chamber at St Margarets, Leicester.</FONT></DI=
V>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#ff0000 size=3D2>Both sets were reputably=
made by=20
the Eayres, but given the dates of the peals, are much more likely to be =
by=20
Edward Arnold.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>To complete the story, the Sherwood Yout=
hs rang=20
10,260 Grandsire Caters at St.Mary's, Nottingham, in February 1778. =
The=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><=
/DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial><FONT size=3D2>CP</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial><FONT size=3D2><FONT color=3D#ff0000>Additions by=
=20
GAD</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>