Stirling Delight Minor

About Stirling Delight Minor

Stirling Delight Minor is a member of the Cotswold group of methods, a class which has backward hunting above the treble. Below the treble the work is structured as per Cambridge Surprise apart from the Half Lead where 3rds place is made.

Stirling Delight Minor is one of a group of 4 Treble Dodging methods all having identical work below the treble.

• Stirling Delight Minor (Ibid)
• NETHERSEALE Surprise Minor
• ANNABLE'S LONDON Surprise Minor
• Cunecastre Surprise Minor

At of June 2025 Bellboard had 21 perofmances of Stirling of which just 5 performances (including 1 peal) were on handbells.

4ths place bell is the pivot bell and with the 2nds place lead end, the calling sequence for 6ths observation is as per Little Bob.

Method Structure.

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

Grid:

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

Plain Course structure
With 4ths Place Bell being the pivot bell (3rds at the Half Lead), and 2nds place Lead End, the leads are presented in Little Bob Lead End order.

Goals and learning approach

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

Get Started - use the structure

Above the treble the "Hills Group" work needs to be learned and practised. Below the treble the members of the method grouup are well suited to using the skill of associating method structure with the work of the treble.

Performance Level

If you are wishing to achieve 720s, Quarters, or peals:
start with the structural ringing as above, add in the bits that are natural to you.
Study 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 Stirling. Attempting to achieve mastery would give insights towards surviving trips which would be a re-usable skill in other methods.

Learning Stirling Delight Minor.

The Structure

Like all Cotswold Group Methods, Stirling Delight is an interesting challenge, the difficulties lie with the 1-2 section, whilst the work below the treble, in the case of Stirling, can be rung as a modification of Cambridge Surprise Minor. The spacings and touch points in Cotswold above are critical to success.

The Rules

Ring Cotswold Treble Bob Minor above the treble, and CAMBRIDGE Surprise Minor below the treble but with 3rds place at the Half Lead.

Double Blue Lines

Stirling Delight Minor, 1-2

Diagram: Stirling Delight Minor, 1-2.

Stirling Delight Minor, 3-4

Diagram: Stirling Delight Minor, 3-4.

Stirling Delight Minor, 5-6

Diagram: Stirling Delight Minor, 5-6.

Artefacts

Point 6ths occurs on Treble's first and last blows at lead, this marks a transition between forward hunting and backward hunting. The crankshaft runs in 3rds and 4ths from Treble's dodge 3-4 up to Treble's dodge 3-4 down.

Place Notation and Grid

The pictorial grid emphasises the structure of the method better than the Place Notation.

Pictels

Splitting into individual elements is of no value. However, check the notes on CAMBRIDGE Surprise Minor for any re-usable nuggets of information.

Ringing Stirling Delight Minor.

Track the treble

Awareness of the position of the treble is a key skill for most bellringing methods, and is the major key to ringing dodge together in Treble Bob Minor. Some hints and tips for developing the skill are given in the techniques section.

See Cotswold Treble Bob Minor for notes on learning the asymmetrical 1-2 section for handbells.

Positional Awareness

Place Notation Elements

The method contains 5 elements (36X34, X, 12, 36, 16).

Double Place Bells

164523 LE 12: Little Bob; Duke of Norfolk T.B., Bourne Surprise

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

Pivot Leads

4ths Place Bell is the pivot bell.

For 3-4 pair, the pivot point is when they dodge together in 1-2 at the Half Lead.
For 5-6 pair, the pivot point is when they cross over in 4-5 at the Half Lead.

Staging posts (a.k.a. Handrails).
The nearest thing to a handrail is the crankshaft.

The methood is tricky, period.

Awareness of other bells

Coursing Order in Stirling Delight Minor

Stirling Delight Minor exhibits glimpses of natural coursing order. The pivot bell can be used to check the coursing order because the bells pass the pivot bell in order. Also, at the half lead, the pivot bell's before and after bell dodge together in 1-2 (the parted pair). The coursing pair cross over in 4-5.

Tracking the coursing order above the treble can start with the transitions associated with calls..

Ringing the Method

Stirling could be a valuable entry method for the Cotswold Group.

Bobs and Singles.

Bobs replace the 2nds place at the Lead End with 4ths. This causes the bell that has just made point 6ths to make the bob and become 4ths place bell.

Singles Singles are rarely used in Stirling Delight Minor.

Touches of Stirling Delight Minor.

Bobs only touches of Little Bob will work for Stirling Delight Minor. If you dislike 65s at backstroke check your compositions carefully, even 600: W W W H H H has 4 65s at backstroke. See Complib 142740.