Samuel Page (born 1849 died 1928) was part of Squire Proctors band of bell ringers during the “Golden Age” of Benington Bells. His obituary is from The Ringing World newspaper of 02/03/1928:
BENINGTON’S FAMOUS BAND. ANOTHER VETERAN GONE.
The last but one of the famous old Benington band has passed to the other side, namely, Mr. Samuel Page, who was in his 80th year. He was laid to rest on Saturday afternoon last in the old churchyard that he had so often trod on his way to the tower and the bells he loved so well, and not many yards from the resting place of his old Master, Squire Leonard Proctor, who was such a well-known figure in the ringing Exercise 70 years ago.
‘Old Sam,’ as he was familiarly called, was a man whose word was his bond, and punctuality was part of his life. A promise from him, humanly speaking, was a certainty, and to be late was, in his eyes, a crime. Himself one of the very finest of strikers, and a keen listener to every change in touch or peal, no excuse was allowed for any man, who called himself a ringer, for bad striking. Mr. Page had been trained in a strict school. The writer can well remember in his childhood days hearing Benington bells across the fields, striking with the regularity of machinery.
Thomas Page, Sam’s father, had the training of his son, and Sam has often repeated the words of his father to him, viz.: ‘If I was going to be a ringer I’d be one,’ and these words were carried out to the full by both.
The old squire would often take young Sam to various parts of England for ringing, and he was never tired of telling of his visits to Birmingham, Warwick, Ipswich, London, Lavenham, Saffron Walden, and many other places, as well as of the places visited by the whole band together to open peals, etc. For instance, the band visited Braughing on the anniversary of the opening (May 10th) for 50 years without a break, and it was seldom that all the standard methods were not rung during the day. The prowess of the band can be somewhat estimated by the newspaper report upon the visit to Galleywood, Essex, for the opening of the new church and bells, which reads: ‘The opening of the church was taken advantage of by Mr. Pryor, who kindly invited the Bonington baud to attend, and, although they had to travel a distance of nearly 70 miles, they reached Galleywood in time to ring for morning service, after which they rang in masterly style the following touches in ten methods: Grandsire Triples 336, Stedman Triples 420, Bob Major 336, Double London Court 336, Double Norwich Court Major 1,008, Oxford Treble Bob Major 576, Kent Treble, Bob Major 704, Superlative Surprise 448, Cambridge Surprise 448, London Surprise Major 448. Conducted by Thos. Page. As will be seen, the whole amounts to a peal of 5,060 changes, and, indeed, a wonderful performance which, without a doubt, no other village in England could approach.’
A few words as to the history of ringing at Benington will interest many. The church stands in a picturesque spot and in a most picturesque old-world village, with its timbered houses and rookery near by. The old bells were a ring of six. When, in 1838, Squire Proctor came to reside there at the old Lordship, two trebles were added, and a peal tablet in the tower records that the bells were opened on Jan. 29th, 1838, and the next day a peal of Grandsire Triples was rung by the Royal Cumberland Youths, Wm. Lobb ringing in it, and Leonard Proctor ringing the tenor, the peal being conducted by E. Giles.
The next peal recorded was one of Double Norwich in 1849, the first in the county of Hertford, rung by residents. The next was in 1855, a peal of Superlative, the squire taking part with a mixed company. Then in 1865 came the first peal of Stedman in the county by a resident band. On December 26th, 1870, from what can be gathered, Sam rang his first peal at home, which was a 6,048 of London Surprise by all residents—truly a remarkable thing for those far-off days and for a small village. Before this date, however, he had rung in a peal of Stedman Caters at Hertford upon the old ten, years before they were burnt down. He was then 21 years of age, and the peal was conducted by John Cox, of the Cumberlands. No proper account of the number of peals Mr. Page had rung can be found, but the number must be considerable for a ringer of that time, as, upon the death of his father, the conducting fell upon him, and Benington was the Mecca of many famous men. Cox, Haley, Miller, Lobb, and, in later days, Washbrook, Rev. F. E. Robinson, Nathan and Frederick Pitstow and many others were visitors, and at the Lordship the old squire kept ever-open doors to ringers. It was nothing strange, 45 or 50 years ago, to hear the bells of Benington ringing upon any day of the week, for if a peal was wanted Squire Proctor had only to call up his men, and visitors could
be accommodated with any method they required.
In 1873, a board records a 5,600 of Cambridge Surprise rung by residents, and there must have been many that are not recorded, for the ringing was kept up to a very high standard right up to the time of Mr. Proctor’ s death, which occurred in 1895. Surprise methods were regularly rung for Sunday services, and the fame of the Benington men at that time spread throughout England. Though all men of humble calling, they were great at ringing.
And now one more of this band has left the scene. The bells he loved and had rung so often were rung half-muffled after the funeral
service by his colleagues, W.H. Lawrence taking a rope in the tribute to on old and respected friend. W. H. L.