Traditional The band and ringers used to go round the village with handbells on New Year's Eve, to all the farms and big houses. They were given mince pies and a drink of cider, and money which was divided between the band. Rob's father would not let him go because they got drunk. If the cider was not good it was tipped into the 'Serpent' when the hosts weren't looking, and poured away outside when they left. On one New Year's Eve Harry Harwood, doubtless well lubricated, climbed onto a chair to wind the clock. He fell off and cut his ear nearly off. The Doctor called from Brailes stitched it back on better than before. RH (Information from Robert Harvey of Whichford, 1999).

  In 1886 Daniel Field (Rob's maternal greatgrandfather) was a ringer and also played the clarinet in the Whichford church band. When the new organ was installed, costing £170, the church band left in protest and joined the chapel for a while.

   In 1896 a new set of Ringers Rules was drawn up and signed by the ringers. The biographical details are remembered by Rob Harvey, who as a child in the 1930s used to talk to Harry Harwood, by then an old man:

• Harry Harwood, a Whichford farmworker, who had moved away to Bourton-on-the-Hill but came back in 1897 and took over as Sexton. (By the 1920s Rob remembers that this job was paid £10pa, for which the Sexton also managed the churchyard and lit the lamps and his wife cleaned the church.)
• William Harvey, born either 18^th or 19^th Feb 1881 during the great snowstorm; he was Rob's Uncle. Will worked for his father but later moved to Birmingham to J C Brindley, wholesale fish merchant.
• Fred Alder, farm worker born about 1880
• M Boiles had been interim Sexton but resigned 3 Nov 1897 when Harry Harwood came back.
• Will Coggins; Rob remembers him in the 1930s as not then a regular ringer but came if needed; smallholder, became a Church Warden.
• Edmund Moss, farm worker, born in Whichford.
• George Wooldridge, farm worker
• Thomas Castle, farm worker
• George Moss, who died in 1914-18 War.
• William Henry (called Jack) Harwood, who followed his father as Sexton until resigning in 1945.

  In 1904 the story goes that when young Edgar Field (Rob's mother's brother, born 4/7/1903) heard the Whichford bells ringing for his uncle Jack Harvey's wedding about Easter 1904 (the last time they were rung before the rehang), he spoke his first word - not 'Mamma' but 'Bells'.

   1923-4 Bonds restored the bells of neighbouring Long Compton and several men learned to ring there then, including Stan Franklin and Edgar Field (Rob's Uncle).

    1929 The bells were normally only chimed for services. Harry Harwood would chime three bells, 3 and 5 with his hands and 4 with his foot. Ed Timms, who was blind, chimed the 6^th. The local boys were allowed to chime 1 and 2. Rob says it was a 'free-for-all'. He and Billy Hawtin usually got 1 and 2. Rob reckons it is his 'chimers ear' developed then which produced his ability now to do well in striking competitions. Rob, age 11 in 1929, was a choirboy.

    c 1930  These are the ringers Rob remembers from then: Harry Harwood, Sexton, and his two sons Frank Harwood and Sidney Harwood, Jim Hardiman, Charlie Moss, Alan Moss.

  1931 Sid Harwood died in a shooting accident in December 1931. On Bonfire Night 1932 (when the 'ringing practice season' began) Rob heard that there were only five bells going. He and his friend Billy Hawtin ran up to the tower door and Rob got his hand on the doorhandle ring first but lacked the courage to go in. Billy pushed him in. Harry Harwood said "Ring that bell up" and Rob rang it up, rang called changes and at the end of the evening , rang down in peal. Next day Jim Hardiman said to Rob's Uncle Jack "Never saw anything like it; the lad rang down in perfect peal". But they never said this to Rob. 

  1932 Horace Terry from Ilmington came with a band to ring for the Church Fete. This was when Rob first saw method ringing. He was most impressed. Horace Terry offered to teach the Whichford band to ring method. On a vote, Charlie and Alan Moss were in favour of accepting this offer but Harry Harwood, Jim Hardiman and Frank Harwood were against. Rob was only a boy so his vote did not count and the offer was rejected. 

  Revd Ward, vicar of Whichford, was a Christchurch, Oxford man and apparently a method ringer. He said to the young Rob, I'd like you to go somewhere where you can learn method ringing. Hook Norton practised on Saturday nights and Alf Borsberry, the blacksmith, was head ringer there. Rob used to go up there but only rang treble or tenor. A peal board in Hook Norton Tower records the first peal by the local band with Alf Borsberry as conductor (check details). 

  1945  Gerald Harvey (Rob's second cousin) took over as Sexton. He was taught to ring by young Ivor Harris (Christine Harris's father), who cycled down every Thursday evening from Chipping Norton. They could manage a plain course of Grandsire Doubles. Three went off to do their National Service and there were too few left to ring.

  1992  Robert Harvey (Rob) took over as Tower Captain at Whichford. Rob and Joan Johns were regular visitors to the Monday night practices at Shipston-on-Stour. They also joined the Four Shires Guild and soon began to progress with Grandsire and Stedman Doubles. Rob rang his first Quarter on an inside bell, on the same bell (2) and 60^th anniversary of his first proper ringing with the band (1932) Grandsire Doubles.

   1994  On 13^th December, to mark the 90^th anniversary of the rehanging of the bells (1904) Rob invited Jed Flatters from Taylors of Loughborough to ring in a Quarter Peal.

   Rob arranged for the frame (a solid iron H frame) to be rubbed down and repainted. The work was done by Sid Newport, a local builder, whose father and grandfather had been sexton at Whichford. Painted in red oxide paint, it looks very smart.

   1998   Joan Johns has been very busy teaching several more new ringers on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and they are making excellent progress. The village of Whichford (pop. 300) has a team of its own capable of striking all eight well and four of them are ringing touches of Grandsire triples.

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