Coleshill Mayor Cllr Caroline Symonds set a new Coleshill ringing tradition when she visited the tower to present her Coronation volunteering certificates to ringers.

It was the last official duty of her mayoral year, and so she was offered and accepted the opportunity to be rung out of office. The new mayor Cllr Tony Battle also accepted the offer when his term ends.

Both had a quick ringing lesson.

The tradition was added to a list of ringing traditions now out of use.

Few residents today recall the days when the church bells acted as a kind of airborne news agency. The sound of different combinations of bells floating over the town could tell you about a fire, who had died and their age, when to go to bed – even remind you when Pancake Tuesday had arrived.

Battered!

The pancake bells (fourth and fifth) rang on Shrove Tuesday morning to remind Coleshill housewives to use up all the left-over flour, eggs and fat in the house – foods forbidden during Lent.

Blues and twos

The treble and tenor (the bells at opposite ends of the ring) were rung to warn of a fire.

For whom the bell tolls

Today, a bell is rarely tolled for funerals. But tradition has it that the bell would give the gender and age.
A man would have three strokes rung three times; a woman two strokes three times; and a child three strokes only. The age was indicated with one stroke for each year of life. 

Clocking off

Before clocks were common, everyone relied on church clocks for telling the time. The day would begin and end with the curfew bells – the fifth would ring the curfew at 8pm, and the tenor the month. Curfew, from the Norman French for covering the fire, minimised the risk of wood and thatch structures catching fire.

Star turn

You are not hearing things at Christmas if you hear Little Donkey and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star coming from the tower: it really is possible to play tunes on the bells. It’s a good test of bell control as well as fun and a chance for the ringers to do something different, so listen out nearer Christmas.

Cllr Symonds award was one of two presented to the church. Now well over two years since the town had a vicar to lead the church, Coleshill’s ringers and church members pulled together to ensure all services, funerals and weddings were covered, as well as the usual open days, fund raisers and other aspects of church life. 

Their certificates thanked them for their exceptional commitment and outstanding voluntary work. Cllr Symonds also presented each ringer with a thank you bag of wine and chocolates – Quality Street, of course.