St Marie’s Cathedral is marking 150 years since its eight bronze bells were rung for a service for the first time.
The installation of the bells in St Marie’s tower was completed on August 20 1874, in time for them to be rung for Mass the following Sunday, August 23.
The 150th anniversary falls on a Friday, in the afternoon of which a band of past and present St Marie’s Ringers will attempt to replicate the first ever Peal rung at St Marie’s – a Peal of Steadman Triples – involving around three and a half hours of ringing.
Celebrations will continue during the afternoon of Saturday August 24 when members of the St Marie’s band, including learners, together with other ringers will be ringing Rounds and Call Changes in the afternoon.
Although the anniversary takes place outside term time, the St Marie’s Band hopes some members of the Sheffield Universities Guild of Change Ringers will be able to attend – particularly since St Marie’s is their home tower.
St Marie’s first ring of bells was made of steel by Naylor’s – a predecessor of Sheffield Forgemasters – and installed in 1862.
Naylor’s was seeking new markets for its steel foundry and initially lent the bells to the church, however, St Marie’s decided bronze bells would sound sweeter, so raised money to buy a ring from Mears and Stainbank’s Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
The bells, complete with dedications in Latin to saints and the Sacred Heart of Jesus on their side, were blessed at a ceremony on July 17, during which they were washed with Holy Water and anointed with Holy Oils – the Oil of the Sick on the outside and the perfumed Oil of Chrism on the inside.
They were installed on the original oak frame that had supported the steel bells and after they were rung for the first time at a Mass on August 23 1874, the Sheffield Independent reported:
“The sweetness of tone, and perfect harmony of the peal was the theme of universal admiration, – especially are the bells to be heard to advantage on the heights which surround our old town. We congratulate our Catholic townsmen on having achieved this success.”
Concern about the condition of the wooden frame meant the bells fell silent between August 1933 and January 1935, while it was replaced with an iron one.
St Marie’s band of ringers seemed to have become inactive in the mid-1950s, but ringing began again after the Sheffield Universities Guild of Change Ringers adopted St Marie’s as its home tower until their numbers also dwindled.
However, ringing has seen a resurgence at St Marie’s since Covid, with both the Cathedral’s own band and the student band being revitalised, resulting in regular ringing before and after Sunday Masses and on weekday practice nights.
If you would like to learn more about what’s involved in ringing St Marie’s bells, please contact Bob Rae e-mail: [email protected] or tel: 07710116701
