[Bell Historians] Stayless trebles

[Peter Kirby]

> I notice from the picture on Andrew Aspland's website that the two
trebles
at Pateley Bridge don't have stays, the are just allowed to go over. The
back six have stays and sliders. Are there any other light rings with a
similar arrangement?
>
> David
>
>>Lightcliffe are the same.
>>
>>John

As the Tower Captain at Lightcliffe I can explain the history as to why
the two trebles are stayless. Before a quarter peal attempt in 1979 (I
think) by a joint Lightcliffe/Halifax band it was agreed that to make
the handling of the trebles easier to remove the stays off these bells.
(The quarter I hasten to add was lost). Effectively, since that date
except for a brief period in 1999 these bells have remained in this
state.

There have been a number of visiting bands who have no idea of the small
scale of the bells and even without a stay manage to miss the sally
after the first backstroke and over they go! Some don't even understand
that if they would have smashed the stay to smithereens if one had been
present.

I do have two sprung steel stays to fit but never have got around to it
partially because one for the treble will catch the frame and the one
for the second has no slider (at the moment) to rest on!!!

These bells are definitely easier to ring without stays and I can
normally get ringers who are quite nervous of light bells to handle
these quite quickly. There have been no peals rung with stays on these
two bells and only one quarter with one on the treble.

At one time the third at Pateley Bridge had no stay either but at 1 1/2
cwt this becomes quite heavy to "pull over" and would eventually damage
the wheel.

Other bells without stays are the front 6 of Potterton (now at Nairn);
the Lichfield Diocese Mobile ring and George Dawson's Willoughby
Campanile and of course most (if not all) of the mini-rings hung in
garden sheds etc.

Regards

Peter C Kirby
Glochen Führer - St. Matthew's, Lightcliffe