[r-t] Fulbourn Surprise Minor

[Philip Earis]

Richard: "On 7 Dec 1789, "after a great number of unsuccessful attempts by 
professors of the art in various parts of the kingdom", the Cambridge Youths 
rang a 720 of "Fulbourn Surprize" at St Edwards, Cambridge.  Can anyone help 
identify this method?  The 720 was described as having 154 bobs and 2 
singles"

Ted: "Mr Charles Dawson was the author of the complete peal of Plain Bob 
called "The Fulbourn Surprise" with 154 bobs and 2 singles and 720 changes"


I'm in the realms of wild speculation here, but there is something that 
makes me wonder (hope?) if what was rung was something like what we now call 
Dixon's Bob Minor.

The wording "after a great number of unsuccessful attempts" made me think of 
the peal board in Maxey (40 miles north of Cambridge) that refers to a 
performance 74 years later, on December 11th, 1863:

"Mr Dixon's Peal of Bob Minor Variations was rung for the first time in this 
Belfry after being composed for 34 years in a masterly style" (see 
http://www.cantabgold.net/users/pje24/article.html)

The names "Dawson" and "Dixon" are not so different either, but this may be 
a bit desperate to will a link!

However, presumably it is fair to assume "bobs" might refer to any time when 
the bells in 5-6 dodged (ie whenever bells 1, 2 or 4 are leading in 
Dixon's)?  If so, then an extent would contain 180 (bobs+singles). Having 24 
omits (plausible number of q-sets?) would get us down to the 156 mentioned 
in the description.

Does anyone have any knowledge of the history of Dixon's Bob Minor 
pre-dating the Maxey pealboard?