Page 8 - Ickford Informer Newsletter September 2022
P. 8
Look to! Jackdaws in
Ickford Belfry by Karen Pile
’ ll you that intend to ring
Betty’s Cucumber Relish A You undertake a dangerous thing ’
A rule from a 1694 Bell Ringers rules for ringing Board
EEL AND CHOP THE
APPLES and cook with On our return to ringing after the Covid restrictions had eased,
Psugar, salt, pepper and we found a belfry full of twigs, moss, wool, feathers and nests.
vinegar until tender but not The floor of the bell room was 100cm plus thick with debris.
mushy. Stand and set aside to The twigs were large. Many twigs were more than half a metre
cool. Chop onions and dice in length and as thick as a child’s wrist. In addition to large
cucumber, add raw to apples. nests on two window ledges, the bell frame, headstock and
Can be eaten at once, but areas around the ropes and bells were covered in nest-making
improves with keeping. materials. We removed five black bin bags of bird nest debris
including dead birds and fixed new metal grills to prevent the
Ingredients: jackdaws entry.
1 lb (250g) – Eating apples The hard work, tenacity and team-work of the jackdaw community
1 /2 lb (225g) – Demerara sugar is impressive but also frustrating. Working the twigs as tools they
1 oz (25g) – Salt had levered off the grill in the north window to gain access. The
1 /2 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper birds must have persevered for a long time as the church window
1 pt (560ml) – Vinegar grills were not rusted and correctly secured before Covid.
1 lb (250g) – Onions
1 Good sized Cucumber
About four months later we were practicing in the ringing room.
The treble ringer called us to start in the traditional way:
‘Look to (ringers get your bell held on the balance point),
Trebles going (I’ve pulled the treble bell off from the balance)
She’s gone (the treble bell is now falling down to start its
ringing sequence).
At that point, grit and dirt particles fell through the bell rope
guides onto the ringers heads below. The ropes juddered. The
Organic Farm Shop and Veg Box Delivery
jackdaws had returned! A further cleaning session ensued with
sandylanefarm.co.uk just three black bin bags of debris this time plus three large
stick/branches. We securely fixed two overlayed grills in the
north window. However, we are certain that next year we will be
cleaning again!
Jackdaws and other belfry problems are not modern issues.
The bells have been rung lovingly since the late 1600s with
regular maintenance ensuring this could safely happen. Daily
ringing probably kept nesting birds and bats away as the bell
sounds in the belfry are ear splitting. A villain in the Dorothy
Sayers murder mystery novel ‘The Nine Taylors’ died after
being tied up in the bell tower and suffering the bells ringing for
Our Traditional Thursday 10-5:30 three hours.
Farm Shop is open: Friday 10-5:30
Sandy Lane, Tiddington, OX9 2LA Saturday 10-2:00 Look out for the jackdaws around Ickford, and imagine them
plotting their next foray into the tower with twigs. v
ourickfordnewsletter@hotmail.com 8 September 2022
