Landmarks in the History of the Society

1637 – 5th Nov

The Society was founded. William Lord Brereton served as the first Master.Stone carving of Lord Brereton in Brereton Hall (part of a mantlepiece).

c.1642

The Society rang "a plain six-score on five bells".

c.1650

Robert Roan (Master in 1652) invented Grandsire Doubles and Bob Minor.

1668

Tintinnalogia published, dedicated to "the Noble Society of Colledge-Youths".

1677

Campanologia published, containing Stedman's Principle.

1684 – 18th Nov

Three 720s rung consecutively on the back six bells at Southwark.

1690 – 7th Jan

"The whole peal of Plain Bob Triples" believed to have been rung at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate.

1725 – 19th Jan

The first peal on 12-bells was rung - 5060 Grandsire Cinques at St Bride's, Fleet Street.St Bride's, Fleet Street

1725 – 26th Apr

The first ever peal of Bob Major was rung - at St Bride's, Fleet Street.

1725 – 22nd Nov

The first ever peal of Bob Royal was rung - St Bride's, Fleet Street.

1726 – 26th Feb

The first ever peal of Maximus was rung - Plain Bob at St Bride's Fleet Street.

1728 – 18th May

10,080 Bob Major was rung at St Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey. This was the longest peal to date.

1758 – 12th Mar

The first peal of Treble Bob Maximus was rung - at St Saviour's, Southwark.

1762 – 14th Apr

10,188 Grandsire Caters was rung at West Ham.All Saints, West Ham

1777 – 19th May

11,080 Oxford Treble Bob Royal was rung at St Leonard's, Shoreditch.Shoreditch

1787

The first peal of Stedman Caters was rung - at St John's, Horsleydown.

1788 – 6th Oct

The first peal of Stedman Cinques was rung - at St Martin-in-the-Fields.St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square

1851 – 31st Jan

The first non-conducted peal (Holt's 10-part Grandsire Triples) was rung at Christ Church, Spitalfields.Christ Church, Spitalfields

1854 – 21st Jan

First handbell peal of Stedman Triples.

1861 – 27th Apr

A record length of 8580 Stedman Cinques was rung - at St Michael's, Cornhill.

1868 – 27th Apr

The longest peal to date was rung - 15,840 Kent Treble Bob Major at Bethnal Green.St Matthew's, Bethnal Green as it looked then

1878 – 1st Nov

The new ring of 12-bell at St Paul's Cathedral were opened by the College Youths.St Paul's

1881 – 10th Dec

The first peal was rung at St Paul's Cathedral - Stedman Cinques.

1883 – 8th Dec

A record length of 11,111 Stedman Caters was rung at All Saint's, Fulham.All Saint's. Fulham

1890 – 7th Apr

First peal on the 12 bells at St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside.St Mary-le-Bow

1896 – 28th Nov

The tenor at St Paul's Cathedral was turned in single-handed to 5088 Kent Treble Bob Maximus - the heaviest bell so rung at the time.

1901 – 26th Jun

The first peal of Surprise (Superlative) on handbells.

1907 – 11th Nov

The first peal of London S. Royal was rung - at St Dunstan's, Stepney.St Dunstan's, Stepney

1911 – 28th Jan

The first peal of Cambridge S. Maximus outide Ipswich was rung - at St Michael's, Cornhill.St Michael, Cornhill

1913 – 22nd Feb.

The first silent peal of Stedman Cinques was rung - at St Michael's, Cornhill.

1922 – 22nd Apr

The longest length rung by one set of ringers was rung at St Laurence's, Appleton, 21,363 Stedman Caters.St Laurence, Appleton

1923 – 21st May

12,675 Stedman Cinques was rung at Southwark Cathedral. This regrettably turned out to be false.

1925 – 7th Feb

The first peal of Surprise was rung at St Paul's Cathedral - 5280 Cambridge S. Maximus.

1937 – 6th Nov

The 300th Anniversary Dinner was held at the Cannon Street Hotel where 418 people attended.

1940 – 21st Nov

"The Coffee Pot" (the Society's headquarters) was destroyed in an air raid. Much of the College Youths' property was lost.

1957 – 18th May

The first College Youths Peal Day.

1966 – 13th Aug

Liverpool Cathedral Tenor was turned in single-handed to Cambridge S. Maximus - the heaviest bell to be turned in in this way.

1977 – 12th Jun

The record length of 12,345 Stedman Cinques was rung on handbells.

1977 – 27th Nov

The record length of 14,144 London S. Major was rung on handbells.

1977 – 27th Dec

The record length of 40,320 Plain Bob Major was rung on handbells.

1978 – 23rd Jun

The record length of 10,032 Lincolnshire S. Maximus was rung at the Waterloo Tower, Quex Park.The Waterloo Tower, Quex Park

1978 – 28th Oct

The record length on more than 8-bells was rung at St Laurence, Appleton - 22,899 Stedman Caters.

1980 – 25th Aug

The record length of 13,968 Spliced Surprise Maximus was rung at Bradford Cathedral.Bradford Cathedral

1980 – 12th Dec

10,080 Stedman Triples was rung silent at Holy Trinity, Meldreth (Noonan's composition followed by Slack's)Holy Trinity, Meldreth

1983 – 14th Jun

The Society rang its first peal abroad - Stedman Triples at St Phillip's, Sydney, NSW.

1985

The Society restored and augmented the 10 bells at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate to 12.St Sepulchre-without-Newgate

1987 – 25th Apr

The heaviest peal of minor was rung - Cambridge S. Minor on the back 6 bells of Southwark Cathedral.

1987 – 7th Nov

The 350th anniversary dinner was held at the Porter Tun Room, The Brewery, Chiswell Street.

1998

The Society elected to admit women into its membership.

2002 – 23rd Nov

The record length of 25,560 London S Royal No. 3 was rung on handbells.2002 band and composer

2004 – 2nd Oct

The Society regained the record for the longest peal ever rung: 50,400 TD Minor on handbells.2004 band

2007 – 6th May

The same band break their own record with 72,000 TD Minor on handbells.