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Richard Pullin's Change Ringing Site
Double Grandsire Doubles
This interesting method is not rung very often, but should be enjoyable to ring and musically rewarding. As its name suggests, it is almost identical to Grandsire, but has places made in thirds and a dodge on the front when the treble hunts back down. The plain course looks like this:
12345 12453 12534
21354 21435 21543
23145 24153 25134
32415 42513 52314
34251 45231 53241
43521 54321 35421
34512 45312 53412
43152 54132 35142
41325 51423 31524
14235 15243 13254
12453 12534 12345
The bobs and singles are just the same as in normal Grandsire Doubles. However, it is not possible to devise a true 120 in the method by using these calls. True 120s of normal Grandsire Doubles are possible because the B-Blocks (bob courses) of that method are only 2 leads long, and so do not run false against each other when joined together by plain leads. But in Double Grandsire Doubles, the B-Blocks and P-Blocks (plain courses) are both 3 leads long, so one In-Course B-Block will always run false against another In-Course B-Block. The Same for P-Blocks (this is why 120s of normal Grandsire Doubles based on P-Blocks are also impossible.)
But true 240s of Double Grandsire, in which every change occurs twice - once at handstroke and once at backstroke - are possible. A. J. Pitman, the greatly revered composer, seems to have been the first to have discovered these 240s. He devised three different 240s, and I'm sure that with a mind like his, these are the only ones obtainable, with any other 240 just being a variation of one of these three. The first peal in the method seems to have been the one by Pitman's band at St. Thomas, Neath, in July 1958, in which the conductor called 19 different variations of the three 240s - no mean feat. On the one hand we must be careful not to assume that the method hadn't been rung before 1958. But on the other hand, as a true 120 is not possible and 240s had not become acceptable until shortly before that time, it is fairly likely that the method would have been rejected by the earlier composers.
Here are the three 240s, as they appeared in a handwritten letter, still extant, from Pitman to Gwyn I Lewis:
240 (1) 240 (2) 240 (3)
2345 2345 2345
2453 - 3425 - 3425
2534 s 2435 s 2435
- 5324 - 4325 - 4325
s 2354 4253 4253
2543 4532 - 2543
- 5423 - 5342 - 5423
5234 s 4352 5234
s 3254 4523 s 3254
3542 - 5243 3542
3425 - 2453 - 5432
s 2435 2534 s 3452
- 4325 - 5324 - 4532
4253 s 2354 - 5342
4532 2543 s 4352
- 5342 - 5423 4523
s 4352 5234 - 5243
4523 s 3254 - 2453
- 5243 3542 2534
5432 - 5432 - 5324
s 3452 s 3452 s 2354
3524 3524 - 3524
3245 3245 3245
s 4235 s 4235 s 4235
- 2345 - 2345 - 2345
Do give it a try, either for Sunday Service ringing or at a practice night, or in a peal or quarter. In addition to the 240s you can call a touch of 60 changes (BBS x 2), or simply stick to the plain course. You still get those lovely sounding Grandsire lead ends, and it will be much nicer to listen to than Bob Doubles. (In case I've made a mistake, check the truth and accuracy of the 240s before you call them.)