Mid Devon Tower Talk December 2022
Bob Eddon
We have now been awarding the Edden Clapper Trophy for over 40 years, to the tower deemd to have made the best progress in change rining during the year. I realised that the majority of present-day ringers will not know who Bob Eddon was. Don Roberts has provided many details, including full birth, baptism etc – all information available on request. He then outlined his ringing career in Devon –
Bob was born at Kineton in Warwickshire in July 1901. In 1939 he was listed as a Foreman Electrician at Comfort Works in Southern Warwickshire. I don't think Bob and his wife had any children, and I believe Bob and his wife came to live in Brixham early in 1967 and joined the ringers at St. Mary's Brixham where Frank Shepard was a prominent member.I. t was not long before Bob started to make the journey across the bay to Babbacombe to get involved in the flourishing band of change ringers there and on 18 December 1967 rang in a 1344 of plain Bob Major on All Saints bells He was a regular attender at the Monday practices at Babbacombe and in all rang 12 quarters there, the last being 1260 Plain Bob Triples on 2 December 1976. Earlier that year Richard Newman called John Longridge's 5024 Peal of Plain Bob Major at Holy Trinity Buckfastleigh in 2-58 on 10 July, the exact birthday of Bob who rang the 4th; Paschal Dowling rang treble, Peter Bill 2nd, Colin Barr 3rd ,Edric Broom, 5th Bill Simmonds, 6th Don Roberts 7th and Richard Newman tenor. My footnote to this peal was that the first half was almost perfection but on a very hot afternoon the standard of the first half was not maintained! Kineton has a peal of 8 bells tenor 10-0-5 but I could not find out whether Bob learnt to ring there or somewhere else in Warwickshire. Kineton only became 8 in 2008 – if he learned there it would be on the six. It is now an important ringing centre
Bob was a very practical man and late in the 1960s and early 1970s he put in an enormous amount of work to keep the bells of Berry Pomeroy ringing. This information verified by Bryan Tuckett, another member of the workforce. Bob died in Brixham in January 1980, he was a friend to everyone who knew him and it is only right and fitting that his name lives on 42 years after his passing through the Edden Clapper Trophy.
Thank you, Don for this very comprehensive information
Video about ringing
I recently came across this video which is an excellent introduction to ringing.
It is part of a series called Hidden London Hangouts produced by the London Transport Museum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvOTLwWMlKQ
Hope you enjoy it
Devon Bellringers Carol Service - Saturday 17th December 2022
Very many thanks to Janet Ritterman for an amazingly prompt reply to my request for a report on this –
Although the day of the Carol Service dawned bright in Mid Devon, plummeting temperatures overnight meant that on the Saturday morning Kingsteignton and surrounding areas found themselves affected by icy roads and pavements, if not by quite the amount of snow that had fallen in other parts of the county earlier in the week. While the weather may have deterred some with long or difficult journeys, it was heartening to see that a sizeable number of ringers had been able to make their way to Kingsteignton Parish Church to take part in the service - the first 'in person' Devon Bellringers Carol Service since before the pandemic.
For this service of lessons and carols, which was led by Kingsteignton's Vicar, Fr. Mark Smith, the choir, trained and conducted by Ian Avery, provided some finely judged performances of Christmas music, ranging from items by Bach and Handel, to arrangements of several lovely carols, concluding with John Rutter's tender setting of 'God be in my head'. Between these were interspersed handbell items - two teams from the Exeter Handbell Ringers provided short touches of Kent Treble Bob Major and Grandsire Triples - and five of the traditional readings, the first four of which were shared between representatives of the Association and of the Guild – Suzanne Driscoll, President of the Devon Association of Ringers; Michael Cannon, Master of the Guild, Michael Cannon; Sandra Coombes, Kingsteignton Ringer, and Nigel Birt, Secretary of the Mid-Devon Branch of the Guild.
The Vicar, when welcoming everyone to the service, mentioned his expectation that those attending would maintain ringers' well-established reputation for hearty singing – singing almost strong enough to raise the roof, but not, he hoped, such as to damage any of the recent work that the parish had needed to undertake. Not least thanks to the fine playing by organist, Wyn Turner, both in accompanying the choir and for the items sung by the whole congregation, the singing proved to be a real highlight, particularly when for the final hymn, 'O Come all ye faithful', the organ's trumpet-like resources were given full voice. And at the close of the service, those present were treated to a spirited performance of Widor's Toccata as recessional music. This, followed by the sound of Kingsteignton's lovely ring of eight bells ringing out in the darkness as ringers said their farewells and made their way homewards, provided a fitting end to what must have been, for those able to take part in person – and perhaps even for those who were able to join online – an uplifting way of marking the lead-up to Christmas.
Janet Ritterman
Ringers' Rules
Thanks to David Williams of Berry Pomeroy for this Photo of Ringers' Rules which he took at Spetisbury in Dorset in October. You might be interested to hear that 6 pence (6d) in 1818 could buy you around £25 worth at current prices (till next week, of course!!!)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/71CkfwAyxvMx5rad9
Quarter Peals
Dawlish – Plain Bob Doubles
Congratulations to Anne Heywood who rang her first quarter peal as cover at Dawlish on December 13th.
https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/view.php?id=1568346
Bishopsteignton – Grandsire Doubles
Roger Avery of Bishopsteignton has come very recently to Quarter Peal ringing. His daughter, Rachel is also a ringer but usually rings in Inverness which is about as far away (ringing wise) as you can get from Bishopsteignton. Roger and Rachel are really keen to ring together so on her visits to Devon they try to grab every opportunity. On her Christmas visit this year the chance was taken once more and on Friday16th December a quarter peal was planned. For various reasons (ringer availability, a Carol service etc,) there was a very small window of opportunity so when "That's all" was called at the end of the Quarter of Grandsire Doubles there was rejoicing all round, only partly because then the band could get warm again. We look forward to more exploits from the couple in future.
https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/view.php?id=1569251
And a peal!
Many congratulations to Jill and Mike Wigney along with Peter Richards for a peal of 64 methods on handbells. For those of us who struggle to ring simple methods on handbells, 64 Treble Dodging minor methods is mind blowing. We know that this is not the end of their ambitions so we look forward to reporting more peals from this band
https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/view.php?id=1569286
Future Events
January branch practice – Babbacombe Saturday 7th January 2023 7.00pm
This practice has been requested but not yet confirmed. As we were not quite enough to ring Pudsey at our last practice we hope to ring it this time! We will confirm details as soon as we hear.
