Bells and Bellringing Trivia Quiz

Answer: Campanology

Most ringers don't actually use the word: they just call it bellringing!

Answer: Sally

No-one really knows why it is called that. There are other, local terms for it; one I have occasionally heard is "tuffin".

Answer: Maximus

Royal is rung on ten bells, Major on eight, and Minor on six.

Answer: Triples

In so-called "odd-bell" methods, the heaviest bell, or tenor, rings at the end of the row throughout. Doubles is rung with five working bells, caters with nine and cinques with eleven.

Answer: treble

The treble is usually - but not always - the lightest bell, while the tenor, with the lowest note, is the heaviest.

Answer: 82

The weight of a church bell is commonly expressed in terms of hundredweight, quarters and pounds. At the time of writing (August 2002), Liverpool has the heaviest ring of bells in the world, and this is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.

Answer: 1715

Rung at St Peter Mancroft, Norwich. Some earlier attempts had used false compositions, in which changes were repeated.

Answer: Plain Bob Triples

Grandsire Triples was not rung to a peal until three years later, in 1718, also at St Peter Mancroft. Double Norwich was first pealed at another Norwich tower, St Michael & All Angels, Coslany, in 1741. Cambridge was not pealed until 1873, at Benington in Hertfordshire, owing to the difficulty in getting a true composition.

Answer: Dove

The late Mr Ronald H Dove. Now in its ninth edition, his guide gives, among other information, the location, number of bells and tenor weight of all rings of four and more bells in the world. It is an essential part of any ringer's library.

Answer: Fabian Stedman

Stedman is certainly the only ringer from this period who is at all well known today, almost entirely thanks to his principle. Robert Roan is believed to have devised Grandsire Doubles and Plain Bob Minor during the mid-seventeenth century. The other two names I made up!

Answer: "Tintinnalogia"

"Tintinnalogia" was written by Richard Duckworth, and published by Fabian Stedman. Stedman himself wrote "Campanalogia" (1677). Campanalogia Improved followed in 1702. "Ropesight", by Jasper W Snowdon, did not appear until the late nineteenth century.

Answer: Ancient Society of College Youths

The "Cumberlands" was founded in 1747 and is also still a thriving society, both they and the College Youths having members throughout the world. The London Youths and London Scholars were active in the eighteenth century, but are now long defunct.

Answer: Whitechapel Bell Foundry

Whitechapel is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as Britain's oldest manufacturing company, founded in 1570 but tracing its history back even further, to 1420. Gillett and Johnson of Croydon no longer cast bells, but still exist as clockmakers. Eayre and Smith are bellhangers. Petit and Fritsen are a Dutch foundry, although a handful of their bells are hung for change ringing in English towers.

Answer: Copper

Bellmetal is a bronze alloy, consisting of 77% copper and 23% tin. At one time, silver coins were sometimes added to the mixture at the casting stage, but more for symbolic reasons than for any effect on the metal itself!

Answer: Copper

Copper goes into the bell only. Horse manure is still used by the English foundries to create the correct consistency for the mould.