"You owe me five farthings," say the bells of St. Martin's

Up town, a couple of weeks ago, Stefanie met a man called Duncan Matthews whose family heritage is around Liskeard. Duncan has had an interesting life being in the army, the police force and a prison officer. During his military years he spent some time in Yemen, stationed and living in the oldest town in the world - I think it might be Sanaa (thanks to Google).



Anyway, Duncan is a very community minded person and is President of just about every committee in East Cornwall. Of particular interest is his connection with the local historical society and his role as leader of the St. Cleer Bell-Ringers. They are a group who enjoy making music with tuned bells and they are also responsible for ringing church bells around the area.



Duncan invited us to meet up with him on the morning of Wednesday 17th Feb at St. Martin's Church, Liskeard. Here we would get the rare privelege of climbing the bell tower of the church to look over Liskeard and to also have a go at ringing the bells of St. Martin's. The church is just over a thousand years old - yes, that is 1000 years old! - and has had various repairs and improvements over the years. The current bell tower is just over 100 years old. Duncan explained that bell towers do have to be repaired and rebuilt every century or so as the movement of the bells and the weather take their toll (...as bells do).



We went into the church and climbed a tight, spiral staircase up, up, up the bell tower. Eventually we got to the Ringing Room where Duncan stopped and prepared things. He invited us to keep going up to have a look at the view from the top. What a view! We were very high up and could see all over the town and the countryside. It was cold though so we didn't stay up there for long and went back down to the Ringing Room. Duncan began playing The Floral Dance (called the Furry Dance in Cornwall) as we descended so Annie and I took the opportunity to open up the Bell Room door and see the bells being tapped and moving. It was VERY loud.



We got back to the Ringing Room where it was our turn to have a go. We had to pull on strings connected to bells which formed a C-major scale (no sharps or flats). The childen and I concentrated on doing peals (the classic scale run high to low that you often hear church bells doing). The musical Stefanie managed to play a most recognisable Jesus Christ Is Risen Today, Ha-a-a-a-a-lay-loo-oo-ya ..an intriguing choice for Ash Wednesday but it was the only tune she knew in the bell music book. The bell music book had just a series of numbers that told you what number string to pull. Note duration was up to you and you had to know the tune otherwise it ended up sounding like that 'guess the tune' game they play with the little keyboard on 'Spicks and Specks'. You got to remember that whatever we were playing up there was sounding out right across Liskeard. I naughtily said to Jack that he should have played something from his piano book like the 80's classic from Beverly Hills Cop - Axel F. Rather than being horrified at my suggestion Jack smiled and said "I thought about it but I couldn't...the bells don't have any sharps." (he, he...the vicar was trying to conduct a small service down in the church I wonder how long it would have taken him to charge up the stairs to see what was going on if 80's electro started coming from the bells. I wonder if he would have liked it!)



After the bell ringing, Duncan showed us around the church and pointed out all the little things you wouldn't notice unless you had a knowledgable person with you. He showed us the architectural change from Catholicism to Protestantism. He pointed out the Lepers' Window through which, the lepers could be given Communion without coming into contact with anyone in Medieval times. He pointed out the carved heads of the church leaders which surrounded the top of the bell tower. Duncan showed us the gravestone of George Boucher Worgan who travelled with The First Fleet to Australia. Very usefully, George took a piano with him on the ship.



Duncan's passion for history was infectious and he enthusiastically but quietly suggested that he take us through the town to look at some historical sites. In the past Duncan's parents and grandparents had owned many of the shops in old Liskeard. He showed us the historic window shutter runs where the shopkeepers had to slide big shutters across the windows because the drunk miners who came to town would think that there wasn't anything better than smashing huge plates of glass on a Friday night. He showed us the Liskeard Pipewell which has never run dry. Stefanie had seen this previously and when she was told that it had never run dry she replied, "Has anything ever run dry in England? There is so much rain and water." The well is imbued with magical properties and it is said that if you even touch the waters in the well then you will be pregnant within the year. For the record, we looked at the well from a distance. We walked up Cannon Road where there used to be cannons (funnily enough). One night some drunk miners decided to light the cannons and the blast smashed every shop window in town (..it was the ultimate Friday night) and the cannons were quickly taken away the next morning.



Then it was off to Duncan's place at St. Cleer (near the moor) for a cup of tea and then up on to the moors for an historical tour up there. We weren't expecting to go rambling on the moors so dressed too coolly and with the wrong shoes on, off we went.



First we went to Trevethy Quoit, an ancient burial site. Where I say ancient I mean pre-dating the pyramids by 2000 years - that's some 6000 years BC! 8000 years old! Duncan delighted in telling us that when he met his wife, Jennifer, he managed to keep the practical joke of Trevethy Quoit being his family mausaleum going for a week before she cottoned on. He had arranged it with most of the townsfolk so when she went to get a haircut they would ask her about the family tomb, when she went to the dentist her pilgrimage to the family tomb would be discussed. She still married him in the end.



Then it was off to Minions where we had been before but this was a whole new look at it. Duncan showed us the Engine Rooms of the old mines, the shaggy Jacob Sheep which roam around the moor, the barrows that could be seen on the skyline on the distant hills which, were used by ancient Breton tribes as landmarks. Eventually we came to a Barrow of great significance.
This barrow was opened in 1837 and treasure was found inside: the gold Rillaton Cup, a dagger, some carved ivory and glass beads. The Rillaton Cup is now on display at the British Museum and you can read all about it here: http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_prb/t/the_rillaton_gold_cup.aspx


Many thanks must go to Duncan Matthews for a really great and interesting day.