History of the Bells and Ringers

Bells

The following was published in The Ringing World in 1997.

The 8 bells of St. Luke's, Blakenhall, Wolverhampton were hung in 1897 replacing a single Whitechapel bell of around 5cwt which was hung in 1861 when the church was consecrated. They were cast in the foundry of Messrs. J Barwell & Co. of Birmingham and were given by Mr Edward Lisle, a local industrialist from Tettenhall, to commemorate the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria. These facts are recorded on every bell by the inscription,

AD DEI GLORIAM COMMEMORATIONEM

SEXAGESIMI ANNI VICTORIAE REGNANTIS

1837-1897

DONO DEDIT EDWARDUS LISLE

The tenor, 9-3-16 cwt in F sharp, bears the additional inscription,

BARWELL FOUNDER BIRMINGHAM

The Bishop of Shrewsbury conducted the dedication service which took place on Saturday 19th June 1897. A plain course of Grandsire Triples was rung during the service and a short touch in the same method was rung at the close. After a short interval a start was made for Mr J Carter's peal of Grandsire Triples and the attempt was brought to a successful issue in 2 hours 49 minutes. The peal was rung for the local association, the Society of Change Ringers for the Archdeaconry of Stafford (SCRAS). The band was as follows; after each member is their home tower and the year of their election to the society.

Treble Benjamin Dalton (1883 Tettenhall)

2 Henry Dawkes (1894 Wolverhampton, St. Peter)

3 William H Godden (1886 Handsworth)

4 John Carter (1888 Birmingham)

5 Samuel Reeves (1883 West Bromwich)

6 Rowland Cartwright (1883 Wombourne, Green Hill Farm)

7 James E Groves (C) (1891 Wolverhampton, St. Peter)

Tenor Charles H Watts (1896 home tower not known).

All were resident members of the society except 4 & 8. In 1897 Henry Dawkes became a member of the St. Luke's band and was joined the same year by two new members: HG Dawkes and TE Griffiths.

On 16th October 1897, SCRAS held its first meeting at St. Luke's. The parish was congratulated on possessing a ring of bells that met with the unanimous approval of the ringers present. The minute book records, "This meeting may be accounted one of the most successful ever held by the Society. Mr Dawkes had kindly taken great pains to make all the necessary local arrangements, and he had done so most successfully. The attendance at the

Service in Church was very good, whilst the Social Gathering, after tea, at the Vicar's invitation and suggestion, gave opportunity for much pleasant intercourse among the members."

Before 1982, 117 peals were rung on the bells with most of the standard methods being represented but the large majority were Grandsire Triples. Just three local peals are recorded, inevitably Grandsire Triples. The first local band peal in 1911 included 5 first peals, 1 first inside and 1 first as conductor. Two peal boards give details of performances which were at that time unique. One refers to a peal of Grandsire Triples in which bells 3 and 4 were rung by James E Groves who also conducted the peal: only the second time that this feat has been performed and the first time in England. The other refers to a peal of Stedman Triples, Thurstan's one part, which was conducted by Herbert Knight who was blindfolded: this feat had not previously been performed on tower bells.

The "go" of the bells was very smooth and this coupled with a reasonable rope draught, even accoustics and an almost perfect rope circle made them an ideal ring for learners. A large number of youngsters were trained there but somehow any progressive band rarely lasted very long and for some periods the bells were silent. At one time before 1939, St. Luke's was the only band in the Archdeaconry ringing London Surprise, albeit Minor. The best technical ringing took place between 1946 and 1950 when methods upto Double Norwich were rung on Sundays.

In 1952, a massive fund-raising campaign was launched for essential repairs to the fabric. Although the tower was safe and the bells quite ringable, the incumbent decided that all ringing must cease in order to underline the urgency of the appeal. The bells were last rung in changes on Easter Sunday 1953 until ringing re-started in 1982.

James Groves, who conducted the first peal on the bells, was the most notable member of the band over the years. He taught many of the early ringers and was a prominent Society figure until he moved to Birmingham where he died in 1931. The most progress was made under Albert D Collins who was tower captain from 1929 to 1950. Eric Speake was a member of the band from 1933 until 1952 when he transferred to Coseley at the cessation of ringing. Although Eric remained a Coseley ringer until his death in 1995, he trained a new band in 1982 and always remained in close contact.

In 1982 SCRAS was renamed the Lichfield Archdeaconry Society of Change Ringers (LASCR) following the creation of the Archdeaconry of Lichfield. In April 1982 exterior repairs to the tower were completed at a cost of £7500. A team of volunteers cleaned the interior of the tower and excluded the pigeons. An appeal was made for 8 new bell ringers to train under the expertise of Mr Eric Speake. On 17th July,the bells were re-dedicated by the Rector and Rural Dean of Wolverhampton, Prebendary John Ginever. After the re-dedication service the ringers, around 70 in all, tucked into a well-appreciated meal which had been prepared by the ladies of the church. A peal was then rung in the early part of the evening.

The bells are hung on one level in a cast iron frame. They have received only routine maintenance apart from re-bushing of the clappers in the 1930's and of the pulleys in the 1940's. The “go” of the bells is generally quite good for the age of the plain bearings. The last peal on the bells, around a year ago, was completed in 2h 21min and is believed to be the fastest on the bells: I do not think Eric would have approved of them being rung at that speed! Several of the pulleys are badly worn and these will be tackled in the near future.

The tower has again failed to retain a band of ringers. The current number stretches to five plus two who also ring at St. Peter's, Wolverhampton. A massive recruitment and training effort is required to restore 8 bell service ringing. The centenary of the bells was marked by an LASCR meeting on 28th June. It was also intended to ring a peal of Grandsire Triples on 21st June, the closest Saturday to the centenary of the first peal on the bells. However, it was not possible to raise a band and the attempt was re-arranged for 13th September. Unfortunately, Philip Day had to step down at short notice and it was not possible to find a replacement. Seven ringers assembled and the attempt went ahead with Andrew Gordon emulating James Groves’ performance. However, the ringing never really settled down and the conductor called the attempt round at the quarter peal stage: much to the relief of the band!

Wolverhampton, St. Luke, 13/9/97

1260 Grandsire Triples

1-2. Andrew Gordon

3. Simon Ward

4. Ginnette Pardoe

5. Tony Marsden

6. Rachel Gordon

7. Alastair Hopkins (c)

8. Ivan Sheffield

Sources: SCRAS Annual Reports, St. Luke's Parish Magazines, Eric Speake

Alastair J Hopkins, 15th June 1997

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