Lyr Add: Another Bell Ringing

Subject: Lyr Add: EGLOSHAYLE RINGERS (?)
From: Ringer
Date: 01 Jan 00 - 02:28 PM

The Ringing World is a weekly UK publication for bellringers. I don't normally read it, but whilst browsing through some back-copies during a lull in the ringing, I encountered the following article, which I reproduce (errors excepted) verbatim (p 1011: Oct 22 1999). The previous article mentioned merely references the Yeti's version of the well-known song The Bell Ringing. I don't know Ken Jagger, but I'm sure he won't mind my plagiarising his article. The song is not on the only Songwainers' album I posess.

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Ringing Folksongs

Peter Wenham's article (p 938) posed the question whether there are any other Folk songs with a ringing theme. Searching through some old tapes, which I had recorded some years back from the radio programme Folkweave, resulted in locating this song about the achievements of one particular Cornish band. It was I think sung by the Songwainers and contains a certain amount of poetic licence, although wider meanings of some words are perhaps relevant. It goes something like this:

Now all you ringers good and grave come listen to me peal,
I'll tell you of five ringers brave that lived in Egloshayle.
They bear the swinging ring array wheree'er they chance to go.
Good music of melodious bells 'tis their delight to show.

The foreman gives a signal, he steps along with a toe.
He casts his eye about them all and gives the sign to go.
Away they pull with courage full; the heart it do revive
To hear them swing and music ring, one, two, three, four and five.

There's Craddock the cordwainer first that rings the treble bell.
The second is John Ellery, who none may him excel.
The third is Pollard, carpenter, the fourth is Thomas Cleeve.
Goodfellow is the tenor man that rings them round so brave.

They went up to Lanlivery and took away the prize.
Then they went to Sun Tudy and there they did likewise.
There's Stratton men, St. Mabyn men, St. Issey and St. Kew,
But these five lads from Egloshayle can all the rest outdo.

Now to conclude my merry task, the Sovereign's health will join.
Stand every man and pass the flask and drink his health in wine.
And here's to Craddock, Ellery, and here's to Thomas Cleeve,
To Pollard and the tenor man that rings them round so brave.

As with many traditional Folk songs it is likely to contain a grain of truth. Does this suggest an earlier era of five bell competition ringing in the West Country, when many towers had only this number of bells, and were the ringers referred to in this song merely fictitious, or were they immortalised in or around their home tower?

KEN JAGGER

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Another Bell Ringing
From: wildlone
Date: 01 Jan 00 - 02:56 PM

There is a song that the Yetties sing that has a bell theme about two villages one in Cornwall and one in Devon that fought over bells.I will try to find out from one of them the story that goes with it

Subject: Lyr Add: THE BELLRINGING (from the Yetties)
From: wildlone
Date: 01 Jan 00 - 04:02 PM

Found it in one of the Yetties songbooks

THE BELLRINGING

One day in October, neither drunken nor sober,
O'er Broadbury Down I was making my way,
When I heard of some ringing, some dancing and singing,
I'll always remember that jubilee day.

1st chorus,

'Twas in Ashwater town, the bells they did sound,
They rang for a belt and a hat laced with gold,
But the men of North Looe rang so steady and true
That there never were better in Devon, I hold.

'Twas misunderstood for the men of Broadwood
Rang a peel on the tenors should never have been.
But the men of North Looe rang so steady and true
A difficult matter to beat them, I wean.

1st chorus again,

Those of Broadwood being haughty, they said to our party,
"We'll ring you a challenge again in a round.
We'll give you the chance in St Stephens by Launceston,
A prize to the winner a note of five pounds".

2nd chorus
'Twas in Calling to town, the bells they did sound,
They rang for a belt and a hat laced with gold.
But the men of North Looe rang so steady and true
That there never were better in Devon, I hold.

So the match it went on at good Callington,
And the bells they rang out o'er the valley below.
The old and the young people, the hale and the feeble,
They came out to hear the sweet bell music flow.

2nd chorus
Those of Broadwood once more were obliged to give o'er,
They were beaten completely again in a round.
But the men of North Looe rang so steady and true,
No better than they in the West can be found.

'Twas in Ashwater town, then in Callington town,
They rang for a belt and a hat laced with gold,
But the men of North Looe rang so steady and true,
That there never were better in Devon, I hold.

The notes give no idea if this really took place only that it is traditional.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Another Bell Ringing
From: Gwilym
Date: 02 Jan 00 - 02:59 PM

The song "The Bell Ringing" was collected by the Rev Sabine Baring-Gould from one William George Kerswell, of Two Bridges, Dartmoor. The place name reference is to North Lew in Devon and nothing to do with Looe in Cornwall. It's published in Roy Palmer's "Everyman's Book of English County Songs".

There's a cracking bell ringing song on Tim Laycock's latest CD "Fine Colours". It's called "Hanley Church Bells" and is a poem of 1823 by Noah Heath, for which Tim wrote the music. Hanley is part of Stoke-on-Trent.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Another Bell Ringing
From: Ringer
Date: 09 Oct 00 - 08:45 AM

I refresh this only because it might be of interest to readers of the other current bell-ringing thread (sorry, I can't do the links: one of these days...) and also because it hasn't made its way into the DT yet (I think).

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Another Bell Ringing
From: Big,fat bear
Date: 05 Apr 03 - 02:57 AM

Does anyone know the words to " Hanley Church Bells?'

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Another Bell Ringing
From: SussexCarole
Date: 05 Apr 03 - 12:44 PM

Maria Cunningham has written a wonderful song about bellringing 'Ringing the Changes'. On her Moon Godess tape.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Another Bell Ringing
From: nutty
Date: 05 Apr 03 - 04:58 PM

Hang on Big fat bear, its taken me all night to find the words ...... now I need to type them into the computer and I'm S L O W.

Subject: Lyr Add: HANLEY CHURCH BELLS
From: nutty
Date: 05 Apr 03 - 05:22 PM

HANLEY CHURCH BELLS

What sweet sounding music is this that we hear
That sounds so melodious and floats through the air
Now rising , now falling, now softer it swells
'Tis the sweet sounding music of Hanley Church Bells

Chorus
Now rising , now falling, now softer it swells
'Tis the sweet sounding music of Hanley Church Bells

When England triumphant on Waterloo's plain
Drove the proud-vaunting Frenchmen to France once again
They rang them so eager 'till ready to break
And the steeple's foundations were made for to shake

When the bride and the bridegroom in wedlock are bound
The ringer's perform a complete double round
They sound so distinctly and seem to repeat
The words, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight

Sometimes for amusement, the ringers agree
To cheer up the village with peals two or three
It diffuses delight to the countryside round
The rocks, hills and valleys re-echo the sound

But Hark! The sad sound of a passing bell goes
For a soul just departed, how solemn it flows
So for mirth or for sorrow, There's nothing excels
Like the sweet sounding music of Hanley Church Bells

Words by Noah Heath
Music by Tim Laycock 1997


Many Thanx BFB ..... I found all kind of things, that had been mislaid, while I was hunting for these words.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Another Bell Ringing
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Aug 11 - 10:21 AM

Ken,

Since no-one answered your original question - yes, these people really did exist. Their graves lie in Egloshayle churchyard. They died early 1800's, and the song can be traced back to 1810. An 81 year old man was recorded singing it around 1925 too.