Bell-ringing takes its fearsome toll

The Times (UK) ^ | July 4, 2005 | By Simon de Bruxelles

[aculeus]

Years after Bunyan was struck down, a mysterious malady is blighting belfries across the land

A PARALYSING fear that strikes church bell-ringers at the peak of their prowess is being acknowledged 350 years after the author of The Pilgrim’s Progress became its first recorded sufferer.

John Bunyan gave up ringing at Elstow church in Bedfordshire in the 1640s because, as he wrote: “I would go to the steeple-house and look on, though I durst not ring . . . but quickly after I began to think how if one of the bells should fall?”

He was later unable even to approach the steeple door “for fear the steeple should fall upon my head”.

Bell-ringers often perform in small, enclosed ringing chambers at the top of narrow spiral staircases. Some towers, especially high ones, sway like the “deck of a ship” when the bells are being rung “full circle”.

This, combined with the noise and vibration, can trigger sensations that could be likened to shell-shock.

Julie Mottershead reported such symptoms in a letter to The Ringing World, the campanology journal. “I can only describe it as ‘ringing vertigo’,” she said. “I found that over a few sessions I was feeling increasingly uncomfortable ringing up, and then suddenly I could not ring at all — it was as if the world was caving in around me.”

Her letter prompted other sufferers to come out of the belfry. One said that after a severe attack he was unable to do anything for a week, apart from lie in bed with his eyes closed. Rosemary Bennett, 49, from Bournemouth, had been ringing for six years when she started to suffer palpitations, trembling and a “slight numbness of the arms”.

“I really thought I was going to die there and then,” Mrs Bennett said. “The following week the same thing happened. Eventually I had no option but to stop ringing.”

Mrs Bennett said that she sought medical treatment to no avail and an MRI scan found nothing physically wrong. “Even the sound of the bells made me feel light-headed,” she said. “It doesn’t go away and I just can’t get over it.”

Robert Lewis, editor of The Ringing World, believes that the condition has not been recognised until now because people felt unable to discuss it.

“Now it has been publicised it’s amazing how many people have come forward,” he said.

“I have looked back through old editions of The Ringing World and can find no reference to this, but I’m sure it is not a new phenomenon.

“I think that people have not come out publicly for fear of ridicule and embarrassment.”

However, Mr Lewis said that sufferers should persevere. “I tend to think it is a question of mind over matter,” he said.

“To conquer problems like this in any walk of life you just have to confront them and get on with it — either that or give up.”

RINGING THE CHANGES # There are more than 40,000 bell ringers in UK and more than 5,000 church towers where bells are rung

# Bell ringing originated in England in early 17th century

# Ringing in Britain is called change ringing based on numbers rather than notes. Rung rhythmically in sequence

# Bells are made from alloy of copper and tin and weigh between 50kg (1 cwt) and 4,000kg

Copyright 2005 Times Newspapers Ltd.

[moog]

It gives new meaning to the phrase, "For whom the bell tolls."

[wildbill]

Another historic reason for bell-ringers phobia was the fact that bell ringers were required to warn the community of approaching storms by ringing the bell, causing many of them to be electrocuted by lightning.

Not knowing much about electricity, these deaths were largely attributed to God's wrath at the bell-ringer. It was a 'dead-end' job with a glass ceiling.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I double-checked the source to make sure this wasn't from The Onion.

[moog]

Another historic reason for bell-ringers phobia was the fact that bell ringers were required to warn the community of approaching storms by ringing the bell, causing many of them to be electrocuted by lightning. Not knowing much about electricity, these deaths were largely attributed to God's wrath at the bell-ringer. It was a 'dead-end' job with a glass ceiling.

I guess if the face rang a bell, people ran the other way then.

[Trimegistus]

Dorothy Sayers's excellent novel _The Nine Tailors_ is a great introduction to bellringing, as well as a cracking good mystery.

[FReepaholic]

"One ringy dingy..."

[aculeus]

[ReadyNow]

Muslims hate church bells.

(Sometimes I think muslims hate everything. Does that make me a racist?)

[IronJack]

The answer is obvious: unionize. Join with your brothers and sisters in the Piano Tuners and Spitoon Polishers and demand ergonomic reforms, a pension, more time off, and of course, higher wages. Petition Parliament for legislation making the churches responsible for your malady retroactively, then tap their wilted treasuries for settlement money.

In short, pursue all those avenues socialists traditionally do. The Workers Paradise is just around the corner.

[dighton]

... a letter to The Ringing World, the campanology journal.

“The world is so full of a number of things,
I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.”

[AnAmericanMother]

You beat me to it.

Without giving the game away, let me say that this article dovetails nicely with the solution of the mystery in The Nine Tailors. So Sayers was perfectly aware of the phenomenon described in this article.