The Bells of St Kyneburgha
Villager's ding-dong with TV star
The 1998 Christmas Dinner - 11th March 2000
In 1795 the spire of St Kyneburgha's Church was struck by lightening, resulting in much damage.
CASTOR BELL RINGERS IN SHOCK ( NEARLY ! ) THUNDERBOLT HORROR !!!!
The following extract from the parochial History of Castor, tells how in 1795, the Castor bell ringers nearly made an electrifying performance. Only an hour or two after the bells had been rung for the King's birthday, the church was hit by a massive lightning strike . Although perhaps, then as now, over enthusiastic ringing schedules can sometimes get on the nerves of local residents; summoning down a thunderbolt from above, does seem a little excessive in discouraging over-running of bell practice on Monday nights and 3 hour attempts at full peals on a Sunday morning !!
Martin Chillcott
'Church View'
27 June 2000
EXTRACT FROM THE PAROCHIAL HISTORY OF CASTOR
In the afternoon of june 4,1795, about a quarter past five o'clock, a thunder cloud, highly saturated with the electric effluvia, passed over the village of castor, towards the N.W. A vivid Flash of lightning was at the same time succeeded by a most alarming clap of thunder, accompanied by a remarkable hollow crackling sound. The cloud, being directly over the spire of the church, was thereby attracted, and discharged a ball of fire upon the weathercock. Thence it passed down the iron rod upon which the weathercock is elevated, to the stone work at the vertex of the spire. There it split in half a small circular stone, in the centre of which stands the iron rod, entered the inside a little below, and, passing down by the upper north west window of the spire, forced out the munting of the window, together with a great deal of the adjacent heavy stonework, which now gives a ruinous appearance to that part of the spire, and crossed over and descended to the south corner of the tower, where the clock bell hangs. The whole discharge of this electric matter does not however appear to have come down to the clock bell, for part of it passed through the wall, a little below the window above mentioned, to the outside of the spire, and thence descended to the lead that covers the roof of the church in those quarters where the leaden spouts terminate on the outside, splitting and tearing away the stones of the windows and walls along which it passed, casting them likewise at some distance and damaging several pews . Let us now return to the south corner of the Tower, where the clock bell hangs, in order to trace the progress and effects of the remaining part of the original discharge of this wonderful subtle fluid. That part of the discharge was there attracted to the iron hammer of the clock, and, passing down, set fire to a dry, old decayed beam, which supports the floor above, and melted all the wire that connects the clock hammer with the hour wheel below, except about two feet and a half of the last link, which being more substantial then the rest, was only bent in several places, and a little discoloured.
The lock upon the clock case door was forced off, and likewise the staple of the smaller door occasionally opened to admit light for the purpose of cleaning the works within, and the door itself thrown down. From the floor of the place where the clock stands, the electrical effluvia dispersed itself in one horizontal direction over the lead covering the roof of this chancel, to the top of the great east window there, and in its descent split the muntings of that window in three different places: it likewise dispersed itself in three perpendicular directions from the above floor down to the belfry. The ringers had a providential escape. Had this awful event happened an hour or two later, they would have been again assembled in the belfry to continue the celebration of his Majesty's birthday, when some or perhaps all of them must have inevitably have fallen victims to the irresistibly destructive force of the electrical matter, which seems to have pervaded the inside of the whole building. Much damage was also done by the same storm in several other parts of the kingdom
Had the event happened an hour or two later the belfry would have been occupied by bellringers celebrating the birthday of George II. It was a providential escape for men (no women then) whose successors, and perhaps even decendants, have since marked innumerable events from that tower.
Rules and Regulations
of the Castor Ringers
1. Any Ringer bringing and or causing Ale to be brought shall be fined for every such offence 1s.0d.
2. Any Ringer swearing or using improper language shall be fined as the Majority see Fit.
3. That the night and time for ringing be named on the last Ringing night for the next and anyone absent 10 minutes after the time named be fined 2 pence, if thirty minutes late 6 pence, unless he give sufficient cause for his non-attendance to the Majority of the Ringers.
4. That all fines be spent in purchasing Oil and Candles.
Signed by us this 4th day of March 1879
From 1926-47 the bells of St Kyneburgha's greeted nobody in joy or sorrow. Their tongues were silenced. It was said that those bells cast in 1700 which had spoken with such lively eloquence down the years were helping to weaken an unsafe tower. So they were muted. But rumour has it that other and more human reasons accounted for their long hush.
Be that as it may! In 1947 the ringers re-assembled, the bells rang, and have continued to ring with no apparent harm to the tower.
Bell Ringers, about 1948-50
Back row, Frank Sismey, Jack Coulson
3rd row, Michael Longfoot, Rev.T.Adler, George Sumner, Walter Longfoot
2nd row, Len Sharpe, Bert Ball, Brian Sharpe, John Plummer, ? , ?
Front row, Win Sumner, Herbert Goakes, Margaret Sharpe (Bell), George Hankins,
Sheila Roffe (Ball) Jim Mountfield
If anyone can identify the two missing names, please let Brian Goode know.
Castor Bellringers 1998 Christmas Dinner - 11th March 2000
Yes the St Kyneburgha Bellringers have celebrated Christmas 1998 in March 2000. Over the past two years they have been busy focusing their efforts on the turn of the Century. They have successfully completed a major project, raising finance for and installing two new bells in our church tower. During this time new ringers from other villages were trained so as to bring their bell towers back in to use for the millennium celebrations. All this has resulted in parties and celebrations being put on hold.
Hosted by Maggie, David and Nicky Noble, the theme was Italian. The Nobles transformed their home which was bedecked with red, green and white streamers. Italian music wafted into the room and the mood was set.
21 ringers and guests arrived and enjoyed pre-meal drinks. We sat round one large table and ate and enjoyed 4 courses consisting of Anti Pasta, Fish, Pasta and sweets all made and provided by the ringers.
Stuart Weston being a traditional ringer was not so sure about this 'fussy foreign food idea', declaring that he was a 'meat and two veg. man' but he was soon into the quality fayre on offer, asking for a bit of everything which he scoffed heartily. Bill Baxter , responsible for the beverages, provided excellent quality Chianti and Frascati which was savoured by the wine drinkers. A choice of Adnams Bitter or Green King Abbott Ale was quaffed by the beer drinkers and to finish off an excellent decanter of port was passed round the table too many times to be counted. There were a selection of cheeses available, but after such a feast there were few takers.
The Nobles were brilliant hosts, and I would like to add my personal thanks to those of the ringers. I felt privileged to attend this celebration, which the St Kyneburgha ringers thoroughly deserved to enjoy and look forward to the1999 Christmas Dinner which is being planned as a barbeque in July. You too can be there. Either join in and become a ringer, or be a ringers partner like me.
Ian Sheldon March 2000
Story from The Peterborough Evening Telegraph,
by News reporter Tom MackJeremy Clarkson gets bell ringers hot under the collar
SOUND FURY: Villagers Ginny Sheldon, William Baxter, Beverley Rigby, bell ringing captain Tony Evans, Rene Foster, Peter Hammond, and Jenny Hammond (picture Rowland Hobson April 2000)Villagers' ding-dong with TV star
He may be a big noise on television, but Jeremy Clarkson has caused a ding-dong over the bells at a village church. When Jeremy, of TV's Top Gear Fame, complained in a national newspaper that church bells kept him from Sunday lie-ins, the people of Castor, near Peterborough, were upset.They were sure that Jeremy, whose sister lives in the villagewas having a go at the ancient bells of St Kyneburgha's.They fumed as they read about "bell ringers creeping out of their houses before dawn on Sunday mornings and using three tons of solid brass to wake us all up."
Bellringer Tony Evans was sure it was his peals Jeremy was calling "a din" and thundered in the Parish News: "Clarkson promotes and enthuses over noisy, air-poluting, vehicles that race around our overcrowded country lanes and he is complaining about a custom that goes back over 1,000 years,
"I understand that he ocasionally spends a weekend in Castor."Parishioner Jenny Hammond said she nearly choked when she read Jeremy's column.
"Who does he think he is? I'm furious he thinks he can come here and say these things. But I laughed when I read the piece in the parish magazine."But Mr Clarkson's sister, Joanna Higton, of Church Hill, said the villagers had dropped a clanger. "Jeremy hasn't been here for a whole weekend and I don't think he's ever heard the bells
"He lives in rural Gloucestershire so he could have been writing about there."Trying to calm the storm in a belfry, vicar the Rev William Burke said: " I think Mr Clarkson's comments were uncalled for, but he's entitled to his view. We will just have to learn to live and let live."
