''Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers'' (known to ringers as ''Dove's Guide'' or simply ''Dove'') is the standard reference to the
rings of bells hung for English-style
full circle ringing. The vast majority of these "towers" are in England and Wales but the guide includes towers from the rest of the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isl ...
as well as a few from around the world (including the United States, Australia, Canada, Africa and New Zealand). The latest edition is ''Dove’s Guide for Church Bell Ringers to the Rings of Bells of the World'' (11th Edition).
History
The guide was first published in 1950 by Ronald Hammerton Dove (1 June 1906 – 19 March 2001) under the title ''A Bellringer's Guide to the Church Bells of Britain and Ringing Peals of the World''. Previously the location of rings of bells was a matter only of local knowledge and hearsay. Dove produced eight editions of his guide between 1950 and 1994, managing to visit and ring at nearly all the ringable towers himself (a never-ending task as rings are continually added, removed or upgraded and, at least in the Guide's early years, rediscovered).
After 1994, he handed over responsibility for the ''Guide'' to the
Central Council of Church Bell Ringers
The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers (CCCBR) is an organisation founded in 1891 which represents ringers of church bells in the English style.
It acts as a co-ordinating body for education, publicity and codifying change ringing rules, al ...
. The 11th edition (December 2018) is the most recent published as a book (now under the title ''Dove's Guide'') and is also made available as a database for free access via the Internet: the Central Council continues to maintain the guide online.
Contents
Entries in the ''Guide'' traditionally listed the
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an o ...
or
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
, the
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
(or
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...
), the dedication (saint) of the church, the number of bells, the weight of the tenor (the largest bell) and its musical note, and the tower's usual practice night. It also noted whether the bells were in an unringable or unsafe condition. Appendices (not currently available online) also give information about rings of bells by number, weight, and county; a list of the heaviest bells in the British Isles; and details of changes since the previous edition. This information is helpful for those interested in trends over time. The online guide is, however, searchable by almost every criterion.
Although it was sometimes assumed to be exhaustive, ''Dove's Guide'' never pretended to be a complete catalogue. In fact, the ''Guide'' is under continual review and enhancement. Map
grid reference
A projected coordinate system, also known as a projected coordinate reference system, a planar coordinate system, or grid reference system, is a type of spatial reference system that represents locations on the Earth using cartesian coordin ...
s are now shown, and even details of towers as
points of interest
A point of interest (POI) is a specific point location that someone may find useful or interesting. An example is a point on the Earth representing the location of the Eiffel Tower, or a point on Mars representing the location of its highest m ...
for users of satellite navigation systems: details of individual bells in each ring are being added gradually.
It is an invaluable aid for the holidaying bell ringer looking for a tower to visit, or for organising a ''tower grab'' (ringing outing). However, contact information for towers is still best obtained from individual websites and reports.
Printed editions
External links
*
References
{{Bells
1950 non-fiction books
Books about the United Kingdom
British books
Campanology
Publications established in 1950
Travel books