[Bell Historians] Failed long length(s) at Cornhill

[Richard Smith richard@ex-parrot.com [bellhistorians]]

Walter Prime's obituary [RW 1934, p 443] says that "A little 
later [than 1883], Mr. Prime was on the tenor at Cornhill 
when an attempt was made to set up a new Stedman Cinques 
record. The 1ength intended was 10,032, but it came to grief 
after 7 hrs. 35 mins., with only two bobs to call in the 
homing course."

Bell News [Vol 6, p 125] it reported that "On Whit-Monday, 
May 30th, 1887, twelve members attempted to ring at St. 
Michael's Cornhill, Mr. H. W. Haley's peal of 10,030 Stedman 
Cinques, but unfortunately got out in the last course, after 
ringing upwards of 9900 changes, in seven hours and 
thirty-five minutes.  J. Pettitt (conductor), 1 ; H. 
Springall, 2; S. E. Joyce, 3 ; E. F. Winny, 4; E. Gibbs, 5 ; 
G. T. MacLaughlin, 6; F. E. Dawe, 7; E. E. Clark, 8; W. 
Greenleaf, 9; F. G. Newman, 10 ; E. Horrex, 11; J. M. Hayes, 
12. Tenor 41 cwt."

The fact that both descriptions are of an attempt lasting 
7h35 and being lost very close to the end suggests they are 
referring to the same peal, and the small discrepancy in the 
intended length (10032 vs 10030) is the sort of detail that 
might easily get forgotten in the intervening half-century 
or might even be a typo by the printers.  However the 
contemporary report does not list Walter Prime in the band.

It seems surprising if this had have been included in his 
obituary entirely incorrectly, even if some of the details 
had become confused, as this was likely the first time 
anyone had rung a 40 cwt bell for 7 hours, albeit to an 
unsuccessful peal.  (Though in fact when the bell was 
scrapped in 1960 it was found to weigh only 39-1-15.)

I can well believe there might have been two unsuccessful 
attempts at long lengths of Stedman Cinques at Cornhill 
within a few years, and the fact that only one seems to be 
recorded in Bell News does not necessarily mean anything. 
It seems highly unlikely both would have come to grief in 
the last five minutes, but it is not implausible that the 
details of two lost attempts got mixed up when writing the 
obituary.

Does anyone know the actual situation?

RAS


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Posted by: Richard Smith <richard at ex-parrot.com>
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