Donottar Delight Minor

About Donottar Delight Minor

Donottar is a member of the group of methods having pure Kent Treble Bob above the treble.

Below the treble, 3rds place is made at the 4-5 cross-sections and at the half lead. This creates a division of work between places 1 and 2 versus 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Donottar Delight Minor is one of a group of 4 Treble Dodging methods (2 Delight, 2 Surprise) all having identical work below the treble.

• Donottar Delight Minor (Ibid)
• Carisbrooke Delight Minor
• Allendale Surprise Minor
• Coldstream Surprise Minor

At of August 2025 Bellboard had just 3 performances that included Donottar Delight Minor.

Method Structure.

Place Notation:
34X34. 16 X 12 X 36 .12 X 12. 36, 12, Bob 14, Single 1234.

Grid:

Diagram: Donottar Delight Minor, plain lead, change-rows and grid.

Goals and learning approach

What you are trying to achieve needs to drive your approach.

Ringing by structure

Get going:.
Use whatever learning approach you like most to acquire enough knowledge to ring a plain course. Ring a few and see what aspects of the method spring out, and study these. Practice until courses and simple touches are ringable.

But this is a valuable method for developing the ability to associate structure with the treble's position, whilst also developing the skill of continuously following the coursing order. Also, this gives excellent practice at leading wrong.

Performance Level

If you are wishing to achieve 720s, Quarters, or peals:
start with the "get going" as above, add in the bits that are natural to you.
Study the Double Place Bell sequences, and the lines.
Practice a lot.
Achieve some performances .

Method Mastery Level

It is unusual for a band to wish to achieve mastery in a method like Donottar.

Learning Donottar Delight Minor.

The Rules

Assuming that Kent TB has already been learned):

Donottar Delight Minor - the rules:
Ring Kent Treble Bob Minor except for the 4-5 cross sections and half lead where 3rds place is made, and the Lead End when 2nds place is made. And, ring Kent style places in 1-2 for the 5-6 Sections.

Donottar Delight Minor - alternative rules:
Ring Pontefract Delight Minor with Kent style places in 1-2 for the 5-6 Sections.

The grid is easier to use than the rules.

The Structure

Familiarity with the grid is very valuable owing to the separation between the pair in 1-2 versus the other 4 bells. Use of the grid is helped enormously by an ability to see the position of treble.

Double Blue Lines

The Double Blue Lines give a useful overview of the method, adding context which is helpful for overcoming trips.

Donottar Delight Minor, 1-2

Diagram: Donottar Delight Minor, 1-2.

Donottar Delight Minor, 3-4

Diagram: Donottar Delight Minor, 3-4.

Donottar Delight Minor, 5-6

Diagram: Donottar Delight Minor, 5-6.

Artefacts

The Blue Line features worth noting are:
Backward leading and 2nds places in 1-2.
"Treble Bob Hunting" in 3-4-5-6 when the treble is above 2nds.
In the pivot lead, 3-4 ring a "Double Christmas Cracker".

Place Notation and Grid

The choice here is personal preference. The author’s preference is the visual nature of the grid.

Section by Section

(To follow once more practise has been achieved).

Ringing Donottar Delight Minor.

Track the treble

Awareness of the position of the treble is a key skill for most bellringing methods, and a significant help in ringing Pontefract Delight Minor. Some hints and tips for developing the skill are given in the techniques section.

Positional Awareness

In Donottar Delight, the static nature of the frontwork is of some assistance.
Donottar has much of the feel of Childwall Bob Minor
which is a good pre-cursor.

Donottar has an extra layer of difficulty in 1-2 owing to the backward leading; dealing with this:

• Study and memorise the double blue lines.
• Avoid the towerbell blue line diehard "stedman whole turns", instead recognise the point as first the transition out of right place into backward leading and then the transition back out of backward leading into right place working.
• The first point is preceded by a standard X12X (treble in 3-4 up)
• The second point is immediately followed by a standard X12X (treble in 3-4 down)
• "Points" are rung in 1-2 when treble is starting and then finishing the 4-5 Cross Section

Place Notation Elements

The method has 34X34, X, 36, 12, 12X12, 16.

Place Bells, Pivot Leads, and Handrails

142635 LE 12: St Clement's College Bob; Rochester T.B.; London S

1-2:1-2, 1-3, 1-5, 1-6, 1-4, 1-2
3-4:3-4, 5-2, 6-3, 4-5, 2-6, 3-4
5-6:6-5, 4-6, 2-4, 3-2, 5-3, 6-5

Pivot Leads

Pivot bell, is 5ths Place Bell.
For 3-4 pair, the pivot point is when the pair cross over in 4-5 at the Half Lead.
For 5-6 pair, the pivot point is when they are making places together in 1-2.

Handrails

For 1-2 and 3-4 pairs, there is little time to rest.
For 3-4 the symmetry of the pivot lead is helpful.
For 5-6 2nds and 4ths place bells working together in 1-2 can be restful once it is mastered.

Awareness of other bells

Just ring the method, apart from the leading this method is well behaved.

Coursing Order in Donottar Delight Minor

• Natural Coursing Order is well preserved throughout.
• Below the treble, the frontwork bells arrive and depart in Natural coursing order.
• The bells in 3rds place work in natural coursing order.

Ringing the Method

Just enjoy it, it’s easier than expected.

Bobs and Singles.

As per Kent TB.

Touches of Donottar Delight Minor.

2nds place lead end 142635, with 6th observation, the calling positions are In, Out, 4ths, Wrong, Home.

Use bobs-only touches of St Clement's College Bob.