This website aims to provide information on the York Minster Society of Change Ringers, who are responsible for the ringing of the bells at York Minster. We hope you find our website informative and useful.

Distinctive Doors

How long has York Minster had bells?
Almost certainly there have been bells in York Minster since its foundation; records of them start in the fourteenth century. The bells have been rung in a way we would recognise today by a team of laymen since the early seventeenth century. More of the history of the bells and bellringers can be found in the guided tour.

external doors

Who rings the bells?
The bellringers at York Minster – known since the mid-nineteenth century as “The York Minster Society of Change Ringers” – take pride in a very high standard of ringing, and are privileged to ring on one of the greatest rings of bells ever made. The band of ringers are volunteers from a variety of backgrounds and ages.

wooden train sets

What does bellringing involve?
English change-ringing is a highly skilled activity. A good bellringer can balance tons of metal then swing the bell round to cause his or her bell to strike at a given moment with an accuracy of hundredths of a second.

cheese making

How does change-ringing work?
Bellringing is mathematical: each bell is numbered from the one producing the highest note to the bell producing the lowest note and the bells are rung according to a predetermined pattern which creates different combinations, or “changes”. Bellringers have to learn these patterns – called “methods” – by heart. Good methods produce pleasing sequences of musical changes.

bingo

A “Peal” to a bellringer means a piece of bellringing of at least 5000 changes where no change is repeated. On twelve bells there are 479,001,600 possible changes! At York Minster, 5000 changes represents between 4 and 4½ hours continuous ringing.

Want to know more?
To find out more about the bells of York Minster please visit http://www.yorkminsterbells.org.uk/