On 10/16/2016 2:56 PM, Woody wrote:
"AnthonyL" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 15 Oct 2016 04:16:34 +0100, Bill Wright
wrote:

I just signed the petition "Allow the York Minster bell ringers to
ring!" and wonder if you could add your name too.

The more support we can get the better chance we have of succeeding.
You
can read more and sign the petition he

http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petition...ingers-to-ring

Thank you!

I've thought about this a lot and have decided not to sign. It's a
bit like taking a Union stand - one out all out, or at least, not to
cross the picket lines. If some, selected, ringing is permitted
when
and with whom the Dean permits then bell ringers throughout have
lost.
The existing band, who thus far seem to have behaved impeccably and
certainly more reasonably so than the "christian" head in the
church,
perhaps should now call it a day and withdraw any further offers of
help until the matter is fully resolved.

Other bands should support the York ringers and similarly refuse to
help, whether it be for the couple getting married, Remembrance
Sunday, funerals, important occasions or the training of a new band.

Just to be clear you cannot get a dozen people, let's say a dozen
fit
and reasonably intelligent and coordinated people from this
newsgroup,
who've never rung bells before, and get them to safely, let alone
competently, ring York bells.

A tower near me had a fall-out amongst the ringers and rather than
leave the bells silent the choir decided they'd learn. Full help is
being given and after 3yrs, even on easy bells, they are still not
at
the stage where they can ring more than the very basic patterns.
It's
a bit like little Johnny coming home with his recorder or violin and
3
yrs later has just progressed beyond scales but not quite to Twinkle
Twinkle Little Star. It's not easy - if you think it is go and find
your local tower and pop in on a practice night. A plus is that
many
bellringers take to a pint afterwards.



Couldn't agree more - but clearly the Dean doesn't seem to or want to
understand that.

The Ringing Captain was interviewed on Sunday on R4 this morning
(worth listening to on iPlayer - second item.) The Dean was also
invited but declined but (effectively) made a statement to a reporter
from BBC R York a few days ago.

She said that the ringers were an autonomous group who did not
'combine' with the church - strange then that the Captain and deputy
are actually appointed by the Chapter and are responsible to them.

They have had the locks changed because (implicitly) the ringers have
not been following procedures when attending the tower. Strange then
that the key to the ringing chamber has to be signed out by one of
only a few nominated members from the Minster Police and returned to
them each time.

For more dangerous places such as the bell chamber if, say, mufflers
have to be fitted for a funeral the access limitations are much more
strict requiring a GrandMaster key which only certain people can book
out.

My feeling is that there is some friction between the Dean and Chapter
and she is rattling her sword to bring them into line using other
bodies - like the ringers - as her leaver.


I'm told that historically, becoming a ringer was one way that the more
atheistic and/or bolshy parishioners got out of attending services
without attracting social opprobrium.