[Bell Historians] Firing the bells

[David Cawley]

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We still fire the bells at weddings here at St Mary de Castro, Leicester. =
All very precise and effective, though I don't think it does my spire much =
good !

There was an exception - when Kingsley Mason (my Tower Master) and Rosemary=
Hughes (Peter & Jill Staniforth's daughter) got married last year, RKM was=
otherwise engaged. She who was in charge decreed that there would be no f=
iring as SMdeC was unused to 'bad striking'.

At Canterbury Cathedral probably well before 1980, we used to fire the old =
twelve ar least when ringing in the New Year. The sound of Firing, with fiv=
e bells of 1726-8 by Knight, two of 1802, two of 1856, two of 1923 all by v=
arious incarnations of Mears, and a M&S Simpson tenor of 1951, was (as our =
late Secretary, Bert Luck used to say, "Like the guns at Waterloo") quite u=
nforgettable.=20=20

It was good that RCO was able to lean on the Dean & Chapter to keep the fiv=
e clock chime bells, the old 4-8, which surprisingly enough tuned up beauti=
fully. Another unforgettable sound when you hear them with Great Dunstan.

DLC
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Chris Povey=20
To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com=20
Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2003 7:10 PM
Subject: [Bell Historians] Firing the bells


Malcolm Bland asked about firing at weddings. This is still done at a num=
ber of towers in the North Cotswolds and the Vale of Evesham, although prob=
ably not quite so much as 30-40 years ago. There are three firing sessions,=
all consecutive (ie the bells aren't stood in between), and each session c=
onsists of 'rounds, cross (Queens) and fire'. The number of firings per ses=
sion is certainly not seven, because that would end at the wrong stroke, an=
d it's usually a few more. After the last fire, the bells are brought into =
rounds, the trebles pulling in as quickly as possible and the tenors holdin=
g up. The firing is only done after the wedding and it is the first thing t=
o be rung. Firing is supposed to bring good luck to the couple.

Firing is OK when it's good firing; when it's ragged, it's very poor. The=
re is some satisfaction in getting some good bangs. The photographers norma=
lly don't like firing, because just as they are telling the wedding party t=
o get into order for a photo, there's a big noise and he has to repeat the =
instruction. It has been known for a photographer to storm into a (ground f=
loor) ringing room and demand that the ringing stops.

Chris Povey

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