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Bells and Bellringers St Mary's Bellringers There is an active group of Bellringers at St Mary's. They ring regularly for the 9.30 a.m. Sunday service, as well as special services. They are also available for weddings. Practice times are arranged to suit individuals. They take part in exchange ringing visits with local churches, and will always welcome visitors to ring with them. Any enquiries should be made to the Tower Captain, Brian Gray, on 01865 890339 or Jeanette Barrington on 01865 890607 Details of the bell tower are shown below: St Mary's Church, Chalgrove, Oxfordshire Bell Inscription Date Weight (cwt) Ting Tang   1652 1.5 Treble “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” 1664 Recast 1888 5 2 “Praise to the Lord” 1664 6 3 “Hope in God” 1664 7 4 “Fear the Lord” 1664 8.5 5 “Robert Hall and William Gray Churchwardens” 1729 12 6 “I to the Church the living call and to the grave do summon all” 1729 16.5 New Ringing Floor The team are delighted with the new ringing floor in the tower which was first used on 3rd August 2007. Bell Restoration "If all the bells in England were rung at one time…" remarked Bishop Latimer, in 1552…"there would scarcely be a single spot where a bell would not be heard" After the Reformation, bells in the United Kingdom were hung to turn through a full circle, allowing more control and the development of change ringing. To this day this method of ringing is almost unique to the UK. At St Mary's we have a team of 10 ringers, earlier in 2006 we won the South Oxfordshire Striking competition. Three of our bells are listed in the "Schedule of Bells for Preservation" The six bells are hung in a beautifully crafted oak frame, having been re-hung in 1888. Some minor work was also carried out in the 1970s. At present the bells are very awkward to ring, with only the brave able to handle the heavier bells. As they are so hard, it makes it very difficult to train new ringers. It is our aim to encourage younger and less able bodied people to join us in learning the art of Bell ringing. To this end we have sought a quote for works to include tuning and re-hanging the bells on new bearings and fittings. We plan to do all the initial pre-work ourselves, and to provide labour for the main works to reduce costs. We are continuing to seek guidance and to plan for this project.

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