[Bell Historians] Number of ringers

[John Harrison]

In article <5ccfff6dacjohn at jaharrison.me.uk>,
   John Harrison via Bell-historians
<bell-historians at lists.ringingworld.co.uk> wrote:
> In the RW report of the Sonning Deanery AGM in 1930 the chairman is
> quoted as saying:   'The number of ringers in the country was 46,083 ...

Answering my own question in case anyone it interested.  

This very precise figure almost certainly came from the Church Year Book,
which counted ringers as anyone who pulls or chimes a church bell, whether
the church has one bell or many.  

This source was mentioned in the 1932 CC meeting where the need for a
census of ringers (in the proper sense) was discussed.  Coleridge's 
figure would thus be a gross over estimate  of 'ringers'.    

That might also explain why Exeter was ahead of Oxford and Bath & Wells,
whereas now it is a long way behind them.

-- 
John Harrison
Website http://jaharrison.me.uk
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