A manuscript book of c.1810 survives in Godalming Museum containing the Rules of a Club of handbell ringers. It contains 25 tunes. It is uncertain whether the Club was actually in Godalming or elsewhere. The first certain evidence of handbell ringing in Godalming is to be found in two photographs taken 'On the occasion of Peace Celebrations, 1919'. The pictures show the handbells, 9 ringers and the vicar (the Rev'd Gerald Fanshawe) and his wife. One of the photographs shows a group with hats on, the other hatless! The photographs are exhibited in the belfry of Godalming Parish Church, and one is shown in the Church Guide, p49. The daughter of the tower captain (who is shown on the left of the photo), Miss Eva Childs, died aged 96 years in 1997, generously bequeathing 2,000 pounds for the tower of Godalming church.
It was decided to use this bequest to help restore the handbells. On inspection by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry (established AD 1570), it was found that of the twelve '1919' bells, seven were refurbishable. The five unusable bells remain in the ringing chamber of the tower. Through generous donation, it was possible in 1998 to build the total up to a fully chromatic two octave set of 25 handbells (18G-4G).
The full complement in 1998:-
| ** 18G | 13E | 8C |
| * 18G# | 12F | 8C# |
| ** 17A | * 12F# | 7D |
| ** 17A# | 11G | ** 7D# |
| * 16B | * 11G# | 6E |
| 15C | 10A | 5F |
| * 15C# | * 10A# | 5F# |
| 14D | 9B | 4G |
| * 14D# |
All the new bells were supplied by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
Inscriptions
| 18G | E.A.R. 1937-1998 | Elizabeth Rossell (nee Stevenson) was a tower bellringer at Godalming from the 1950's - 1967, when she emigrated to Australia after her marriage. She always rang at Godalming during her visits to England. |
| 17A | H.F.J. 1911-1998 | Harold Jones learnt to ring at Godalming in 1959 and continued for 40 years. |
| 17A# | E.P. 8th May M.P. | in celebration of the Golden Wedding of Eric & Mary Parker. (parishioners). |
| 7D# | B.G.W. 1916-1999 | Gwyneth Williams, the mother of Caroline Bott, a tower bellringer at Godalming from 1966. |
The Parish Church of St. Peter & St. Paul, Godalming now had 21 refurbished or new hand bells (4 more bells were added in 1998) needing to be rung. One parishioner, Margaret Tingley was known to ring handbells with a nearby handbell team, so the vicar asked Margaret if she would like to gather interested people and form a team. This, in December 1997 was the start of the "Handbell team".
Handbell teams usually give themselves a name, the name of the church (if church based) or the road name that the rehearsal hall is in. One member of the team suggested 'Lammas' as the church is close to and overlooks the Lammas Lands, a large strip of common meadows. This was agreed by all of the team.
The handbell team now had a name: the 'Lammas Ringers'.
Following the generous donation in 1998 of 4 handbells the team now had a full chromatic two octave set of Whitechapel handbells and eight members of varying musical abilities to ring them.
Under Margaret's leadership and tuition the team, over the years went from strength to strength, joining the national Handbell Ringers of Great Britain (H.R.G.B.), taking part in regional rallies, entertaining at concerts, entering the local Music Festival, etc.
The progression to more challenging music entailed requiring a bell or two just outside the two octaves, so the members over the next few years saved up to purchase three new bells, 19F#, 3A, 4G# the later being bought in 2002 and engraved in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee. During this year as part of the celebrations, the church held a flower festival to which the Lammas Ringers rang the handbells on the Friday evening. This was followed by an attempt to recreate the 1919 photograph.
Due to members retiring or moving away from the area during 2005, the team needed to recruit new members. A "Taster Day" was arranged which was successful in bringing in three new members. Others have joined since raising the team numbers now to 14.
In December 2005, Margaret retired as leader of the Lammas Ringers, and a new committee was established to continue the hard work she had put into place. Peter Davies was nominated as Chairman and Hannah Greenfield as Musical Director, with John Belcher (organist at Godalming Parish Church) as Musical Consultant. The team went through a period of consolidation, enabling the newer members to progress to the same level of technical ability as the long-standing ringers.
Since January 2006, three more members have joined the Lammas Ringers, bringing the total number to 14. A set of Belleplates was purchased, enabling the team to play three-octave music, and fundraising was put in place to purchase the equivalent bells. The 20E Whitechapel handbell with inscription E. V. R. 1920 - 2006 was given in memory for the life and support to the team of Eva Roberts, mother of Janet Davies (nee Roberts), team member. The Whitechapel handbells 22C, 22C#, 21D, 21D#, 3A#, 2B and 1C were purchased by the team. With the kind loan of instruments belonging to members, the team now plays the following instruments:-
22C - 1C Whitechapel handbells (37 in total)
F5 - G7 Malmark handbells (27 in total)
C4 - C7 Belleplates (37 in total)
C3 - C8 Malmark handchimes (61 in total)
It is hoped the team will continue to grow and eventually possess its own five-octave set of handbells.
In English-speaking countries in the Northern Hemisphere, August 1 is "Lammas Day" (loaf-mass day), the festival of the first wheat harvest of the year. On this day it was customary to bring to church a loaf made from the new crop. In many parts of England, tenants were bound to present freshly harvested wheat to their landlords on or before the first day of August. It is probable that the common meadows (lammas lands) in Godalming was where such wheat was grown.
The team badge is simple design by team member Janet Davies, of a handbell circled by a ring of wheat ears and the team name underneath.
Website design and content Copyright © Lammas Handbell Ringers 2006