The tradition is that she was pleased with the music of the bells and with the skill of the ringers. There is nothing surprising about this because in the course of a progress to Wales in 1574 the Queen established her Court nearby at the residence of Sir John Young, which was The Great House, St. Augustine’s (the city’s main concert venue stands on this site today) from the 14th to 20th August. As Bristol was en fete for the Queen, her only State Visit, it would have been strange if the ringers had not made themselves heard at this short distance. Sir John, whose dower house was The Red Lodge, received a knighthood in recognition of his hospitality, but the promised Charter was never granted. How the story that the promise was redeemed in 1620 originated, no one knows, but it is quite untrue. This inaccuracy is repeated in the inscription upon the reverse of the Master’s badge, which is of comparatively recent origin, having been anonymously presented in 1885.

If the Society had remained as a conventional Guild of Bellringers, the probability is that it would have perished as time progressed and fashions changed. A notable example of this is St. Mary of the Bellhouse, a similar but even more strongly established Society associated with St. Peter’s (City), an even older Church which possessed its own Chapel and Chantry Priest. In the case of the Society, however, as interest in the actual ringing of bells diminished and as social activities increased, it seems that by the end of the 17th Century the Society had become a “mixed’ Society, i.e. composed of men who actually rang the bells and of others who did not do so. There is evidence that people who lived outside the parish were granted membership. This change was not very commendable as during the 18th and for much of the 19th centuries the Society degenerated into what Past Master Roslyn described as “a mere convivial company who, beyond observing various old customs at their gatherings, showed little concern either for the bells reverently rung by their predecessors or the Church from which they derived their name”.

However, the conviviality and revelry which attended the annual festivities held on the 17th November (The Accession Day of Elizabeth 1) generated sufficient interest to keep the Society alive, and prepared for the major change in its activities which was made in 1873, and maintained ever since. At the Annual Dinner that year the Rector, The Reverend F. F. Wayet, rebuked the company for the degeneration of the Society, and on the strength of this it was decided that the Society should dedicate itself to the preservation of the Church and its precincts by way of an Annual Collection made by the Master.

The Society has been responsible for meeting the cost of many major works and very few have been undertaken without a substantial contribution from the Ringers. As the Church is, in comparison with other city churches in Bristol, poorly endowed, the assistance of the Society has been invaluable.

Notwithstanding this important reform, the Society lacked any administrative structure for many years beyond that provided by its ancient Ordinances. Whilst the Master, Wardens and Warden Elect continued to be elected on 29th September every year (though “not between five and eight of the clock in the morning” as prescribed) there was little else in the Ordinances which was not completely archaic. There was no Clerk, and no register of Members, and the fact that the Society survived and prospered from 1873 to 1931 without a proper structure is a fitting testimonial to the diligence and devotion of Alderman James Fuller Eberle (Master 1887) who was the mainspring of the Society during this long period. The fine gateway giving access to the west door of the Church was erected by the Society as a memorial to this greatly loved and respected man.

In 1931 the absence of an administrative structure was remedied by the Master that year, Mr. J. H. H. Perks. After consulting Past Master James Fuller Eberle, he submitted proposals for a register of the membership and its sub-division into Ringers and Colts, and for the amendment of the Ordinances. These were warmly welcomed, and as a result the objectives of the Society were restated, a Court comprising the Master, Wardens and Past Masters constituted as the governing body, a Clerk appointed, and a register of members prepared. These were important reforms particularly as they did nothing to impair the Ancient Ordinances and the interest they invariably create. Arising from these reforms the number of Ringers is limited to 100, exclusive of members of the Court, and the number of Colts is limited to 40.

The Society’s Annual Dinner held at The Red Lodge on the Monday closest to the Accession Day of Queen Elizabeth 1 (17th November). The attendance is limited to 109 for reasons of space, and many interesting customs have been retained, such as handbell ringing, personal toasting of friends, the singing of old songs – sometimes impromptu – the reading of the Ordinances and the Procession of the Don, which make it an interesting and lively occasion.

Note 1. “The History of the Antient Society of St. Stephen’s Ringers Bristol) by H. E. Roslyn (Master 1932) was published privately by subscription in 1929. The author was a well-known Bristol journalist who was a recognised authority of Bristol history. In an author’s note he acknowledges that he was encouraged to embark upon this task by Past Master James Fuller Eberle, whose long and invaluable service to the Society has already been mentioned.

This book is beautifully printed on hand-made paper and is bound in vellum.

Copies are not readily obtainable but may sometimes be found in Bristol book sales.