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Full circle ringing
Full circle ringing is a technique of ringing a tower bell such that it swings in a complete circle from mouth upwards to mouth upwards and then back again repetitively. This can be contrasted with swing chiming in which the bell only traverses just enough of a circle arc to strike.
Full-circle tower bell ringing in England developed in the early 17th century when bell ringers found that swinging a bell through a much larger arc than that required for swing-chiming gave control over the time between successive strikes of the clapper. A bell swinging through a small arc acts as a simple pendulum, at a time interval governed by its size and shape. By swinging it through a much larger arc approaching a full circle, control of the strike interval can be exercised by the ringer. This culminated in the technique of full circle ringing, which enabled ringers to control the speeds of their individual bells accurately to sound them in orderly sequences. From this was born the art of change ringing.
Speed control is exerted by the ringer only when each bell is nearly mouth upwards and moving slowly near the balance point; this constraint and the rope manipulation involved normally requires that each bell has its own ringer. The tower bells involved range from a few hundredweight up to a few tons and are most commonly associated with churches as a means of calling the congregation to worship.
Beginning in the mid-1980s, smaller sets of bells, known as "mini-rings", have come into existence. Their primary applications are for training, demonstration or leisure purposes, with bells weighing anything from a matter of ounces, to two-and-a-half hundredweight. Most of these are in domestic settings and are privately owned, although some are owned by churches.
There are several variations of the means of exerting control of the bell by the ringers, but the fundamental principle of being able to control and alter the speed of the bell striking is common to all full circle techniques.
The bell is attached to a headstock, historically made of wood but now more often steel. This has to withstand the dynamic force of the bell as it swings, up to three times its static weight. At each end of the headstock are protruding trunnions or bearing pins which are located in bearings attached to the frame. The frame is rigidly attached to the fabric of the tower.
Within the bell is a clapper which consists of a solid shaft, (wood, iron or steel) a clapper ball (wrought iron or steel) and a flight. The size of the flight determines the rate at which the clapper swings, and therefore the point in time at which it strikes the bell.
Bells are normally left mouth down (for safety). Before ringing, the bells are swung in increasing arcs until the bell is mouth uppermost. When the ringer desires to make a stroke, the bell is swung around a full circle, the clapper striking once.
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Full circle ringing AI simulator
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Full circle ringing
Full circle ringing is a technique of ringing a tower bell such that it swings in a complete circle from mouth upwards to mouth upwards and then back again repetitively. This can be contrasted with swing chiming in which the bell only traverses just enough of a circle arc to strike.
Full-circle tower bell ringing in England developed in the early 17th century when bell ringers found that swinging a bell through a much larger arc than that required for swing-chiming gave control over the time between successive strikes of the clapper. A bell swinging through a small arc acts as a simple pendulum, at a time interval governed by its size and shape. By swinging it through a much larger arc approaching a full circle, control of the strike interval can be exercised by the ringer. This culminated in the technique of full circle ringing, which enabled ringers to control the speeds of their individual bells accurately to sound them in orderly sequences. From this was born the art of change ringing.
Speed control is exerted by the ringer only when each bell is nearly mouth upwards and moving slowly near the balance point; this constraint and the rope manipulation involved normally requires that each bell has its own ringer. The tower bells involved range from a few hundredweight up to a few tons and are most commonly associated with churches as a means of calling the congregation to worship.
Beginning in the mid-1980s, smaller sets of bells, known as "mini-rings", have come into existence. Their primary applications are for training, demonstration or leisure purposes, with bells weighing anything from a matter of ounces, to two-and-a-half hundredweight. Most of these are in domestic settings and are privately owned, although some are owned by churches.
There are several variations of the means of exerting control of the bell by the ringers, but the fundamental principle of being able to control and alter the speed of the bell striking is common to all full circle techniques.
The bell is attached to a headstock, historically made of wood but now more often steel. This has to withstand the dynamic force of the bell as it swings, up to three times its static weight. At each end of the headstock are protruding trunnions or bearing pins which are located in bearings attached to the frame. The frame is rigidly attached to the fabric of the tower.
Within the bell is a clapper which consists of a solid shaft, (wood, iron or steel) a clapper ball (wrought iron or steel) and a flight. The size of the flight determines the rate at which the clapper swings, and therefore the point in time at which it strikes the bell.
Bells are normally left mouth down (for safety). Before ringing, the bells are swung in increasing arcs until the bell is mouth uppermost. When the ringer desires to make a stroke, the bell is swung around a full circle, the clapper striking once.