Weldon Handbell Ringers 

Handbell Ringing has been practiced for almost sixty years in the village of Weldon. 

The present team was founded in 1966. 

In 1967, a society was formed called the Handbell Ringers of Great Britain and the Weldon Handbell Ringers registered as team number 27. There are now over 1000 in the country and many more throughout the world practicing what is essentially an English art. 

From small beginnings the team now have 13 regular ringers and a Musical Director - Dick Webster. There are 123 handbells covering 5 ½ octaves with many duplicate bells to enable quick sequences of notes to be rung. 

As far as can be ascertained 49 of the bells were cast around the turn of the century, - identified by the tuners mark in each bell. An additional set of bells was purchased from a church in Peterborough in 1984 and from correspondence we learn that the bells were used by Dr. Barnados Famous Musical Boys. They were sold to the church in Peterborough in 1943. 

The remainder of the bells have been purchased more recently and are mainly to be found in the bass section. 

Whitechapel Bell Foundry had originally cast all of the bells, and in 1985 the bells were returned to the foundry for recasting, polishing and tuning to standard pitch to create a single “musical instrument”.  

The style of ringing used by the Weldon team was developed in the mid 19th century in Yorkshire and Lancashire. The bells are laid on tables and picked up at the appropriate time, rung and held for the correct length of time and quenched on the foam topped table.  The team practice weekly at Benefield Village Hall and new ringers are welcome. Whilst an ability to read music is desirable it is not essential. The team are available for concerts and can be contacted through:-

Mr R Webster, 28 Corby Road, Weldon, Near Corby, Northants 01536 202317