Thomas A. Alspaugh
Change Ringing

I started these pages as notes for myself, laying out the information I needed as I reached each stage in ringing. I found that the standard printed information was not always what helped me at that stage; in some cases I needed more, in other cases, the standard information didn't seem to help me much. Of course, different learners need different information; this is what worked for me.

At the beginning stages, you have to be taught one-on-one by an experienced ringer and nothing else will substitute; in addition, the physical skills of bell handling require ongoing attention and practice. I don't address those issues here.

bell parts

Parts of a bell, from front and side.
The side view omits the part of the bellframe closest to the viewer.

bell positions

A change ringing bell swings through about a full circle when ringing.
The rope's position looks the same for a bell that is down in its safe, stable position (left), and a bell that is up at handstroke, ready to be rung (center). The bell also swings in the other direction to be up at backstroke (right), with only the tail of the rope within the ringer's reach.

bell set at hand and back A bell set at handstroke (left), with its stay resting against the slider, and a bell set at backstroke (right), with its stay resting against the slider on the other side.
A set bell is stable (though still dangerous since a small pull on the rope will set it swinging). The slider slides from side to side as needed to give room for the bell to be set at either stroke.
Default peal speeds for
Abel/Mabel/Mobel
Bells Peal
times
Beats/
min.
Sec./
beat
4 2h26 155.3 0.386s
5 2h32 182.4 0.329s
6 2h38 207.3 0.289s
8 3h02 250.0 0.240s
10 2h50 288.5 0.208s
Peal Speed Calculator
Bells
Handstroke
pause beats
[0.0,1.0]
Peal rows
Peal beats
Peal time h
Beats/min.
Sec./beat

Hunting speeds calculator Software

Pounds Cwt Calculator
Pounds lb.
Hundredweights cwt.
Stones st.
Pounds lb.
Kilograms kg.

flip bgunflip