Association History
The Shropshire Association of Church Bellringers was founded in July 1926 at a meeting held in the vestry of St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury. Although ringers from the whole of Shropshire were welcome to be resident members, in practice the Association has been mainly active in the part of Shropshire which forms the Salop Archdeaconry of the Lichfield Diocese and in 2005 the title was changed to reflect this fact to The Shropshire Association of Church Bellringers for the Archdeaconry of Salop. This comprises roughly the area north of the River Severn, and stretching from near Wolverhampton in the southeast to Selattyn in the northwest, a distance of nearly fifty miles. The rest of Shropshire is in the Hereford Diocese, and most ringers in this southern part of the County are members of the Hereford Diocesan Guild, with whom we enjoy cordial relations.
Prior to the formation of the Shropshire Association of Church Bellringers, ringing in northern Shropshire was organised by the Salop Archidiaconal Guild. This, as the name suggests, officially covers the Salop Archdeaconry. During the early 1920s disputes arose between the ringers of Shrewsbury and Coalbrookdale (this tower being in the Hereford Diocese) which led to the demise of the Guild and the forming of the present Association.
The Association is one of the smallest territorial societies having around 250 members. It is not organised into branches, the membership preferring to remain as one.
A list of Masters of the Association can be found here