[r-t] Re: Exercise Mathods

[King, Peter R]

I have a copy of a book titled "Method Structure in Change Ringing" by Albert York-Bramble published by the College of Campanology (whatever that may have been) in 1965. He defines a whole load of different places (or stats as he calls them). He quotes a 1907 Central Council classification of methods re-stated in the 1952 collection of plain major methods. His definitions are as follows (some of this is the same as what has been stated previously on this list but I think this might clarify the Imperial bit)

1. Bob methods. Places made when the hunt bell leads or lies, places being made adjacent to the hunt's leading or lying blows.

2. College methods. Those having dodging in the 1F and 2F (ie in 1-2) for the whole or greater part of thea division or lead while places are made in column 3F (ie 3rds)

3. Imperial methods. The basic qualification is the occurence of "adjoining" places. He then gives specific examples of what he means by this. As best as possible in an email this is what they look like (if this doesn't make sense I can try to draw some blue lines).

x  y       xy       x  y           xy
 xy    or  yx   or   xy     or     yx    (this last being the reverse of the previous)
 xy        yx        xy            yx
x  y       xy        yx           y  x

On this basis Upton does qualify because it has the second kind of places on the front.

4. Court methods. This is quite involved. I'll simply copy what he says.

These are described as having two characteristic forms. The first has contiguous places, reversed and crossing the treble's path in hunt controlled types. The places are illustrated (just imagine what you think of as court place in eg double court). the second form described in the CC handbook as that in which the bell coursing in front of the treble makes an internal place, hunts down to the lead or makes an internal place away from the treble, hunts up and makes a third place immediately after crossing the treble's path (eg new london court)

On exercise methods he repeats the definitions we have already heard (ie places at all cross sectins but 2,3 or 4) in the half lead.

I don't know if this helps but I think this does give a definition of imperial places that covers the lot (although I'm sure someone will come up with a counter example, in fact I'm not sure that Malvern is of the type described above)

Incidentally having (relatively) recently rung a peal with all sorts of obscur plain major methods I can't say that this classification particularly helps in ringing the methods, some of which were quite challenging to a fairly experienced band. I suspect that the naming is not consistent and shouldn't really trouble us today. The conventin now seems to be that the suffix bob indicates that it is a plain method and the other subdivisions aren't very helpful. The same seems to be true for delight and exercise.

Peter
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