Wigan's church bells

They seem to have been silent of late.
Are they allowed to ring out for Christmas ?

Yoo have got to laugh haven't yoo

I think it is something to do with the ringing tower size and if there is space for social distancing in there when the team ring. That Is what we have been told in our churches, so we haven't had a full peal in some time - very occassional ringing with just 2 ringers in the tower

It's a shame because the ringers put so much into it.

They do i-spy, and there is nothing like it on a summers morning on the way to church - always sounds like a celebration. I know our bell ringers are sad not ring in the same way. Also where I live all churches are not open every sunday, we have 5 churches in our parish and mainly they are taing in turns to open and we also do Zoom (active) church for those who cannot attend in person. So that also means even less ringing.

Perhaps this Christmas is just not the rite chime, I-Spy.

jo anne

Ice Pie

Yoo should go and show the bell ringers of St James & St Thomas's how to ring their bells

https://youtu.be/nOHJCIsjamk

I think there's a shortage of ringers.
Jo Anne would probably say it doesn't a peal to everyone

give them a bell i spy.

Sonlyme
My ding a ling isn't what it used to be

snap

Bell Ringing - wiganparishchurch.org

Photo Tour - The Tower

“In the belfry of the Tower is a peal of ten bells, and a small bell known as the Priest's Bell.

I didn’t realise the collective noun is “a peal”.

I'm here to educate

“There will be priest in our chimes.”

The Priest Bell
This bell was originally used to call the Priest in from the fields when it would have been customary for him to hold another position in the parish such as gentleman farmer.

It seems most of Wigan Parish Church’s bells, including the priest bell, were cast by Rudhall of Gloucester. (Link)

But guess where Leigh’s priest bell was made - Thread:

Cast at Wigan in 1715 by Luke Ashton … the bell was falling into disrepair so restored and hung here to commemorate the restoration of the church's historic ring of eight bells in the spring of 2010.

He was probably in the pub not the field

I hope they "let the Bells ring out for Christmas", or it'll be a load of clapper. (Not Bill Lyons)

I agree, TerryW; no bells this year & they’ll have dropped a clanger.

Have you lot ever though of working the Christmas cracker business

Joanne said,

"The Priest Bell
This bell was originally used to call the Priest in from the fields when it would have been customary for him to hold another position in the parish such as gentleman farmer."

However, back in the day, it would have been customary for the parish priest in Wigan to hold the position of Tax Collector!

So whenever someone owed their taxes, the priest would be there with bells on?

No doubt ringing the money out of them.
By the way why do so many priests wear a trilby ?

I don’t know, I-Spy. If there is a reason then
… it doesn’t ring a bell.

In 'them days', the Wigan parish priest was selected from an aristocratic background. In particular, George Thomas Orlando Bridgeman springs to mind.
Son of an Earl, he ended up in Wigan (shook hands the right way!) and held all the glebe land in the town. The rents were all his.