BellBoard

(Leeds Intelligencer, Tues. 10 March 1778; extract kindly supplied by John Eisel)

On Shrove Tuesday a compleat peal of 10,260 Grandsire Caters, was rung upon the deep melodious peal of ten bells at St. Mary's Church in Nottingham, being the first and only attempt ever made for the same; the above performance continued seven hours and twenty-two minutes, and was performed by eleven of the Nottingham Society, the tenor (as customary with bells of that weight) being rung by two, and the other nine bells single handed.- St. Mary's bells are the heaviest peal of ten bells within one hundred miles of that place, York Minster only excepted.

This peal was very widely reported in the press and this extract is typical.

It was composed and conducted by William Doubleday-Crofts and rung by 11 men (two on the tenor), although the names of the ringers are not known

BN 02.0160 and CR (1931) p.254 (lists)