THE Master of the Company of Ringers at Lincoln Cathedral, Jeremy Wheeldon, has said that it is “a great honour” to have his name added to the wall of the Ringers’ Chapel.
The company “is the oldest to have a continuous history of ringing”: it was founded in 1612, and letters patent were issued in 1614, the cathedral said last Monday.
Mr Wheeldon said that it was “such a great honour to see my name added to the wall in the Ringers’ Chapel, alongside such notable ringers, and to see this tradition continued. It’s incredible.”
Master since 2015, he has been ringing regularly at the cathedral for 27 years. As a teenager in the 1980s, he was taught to ring by Jack Millhouse, a former Master whose name appears on the wall.
The east wall has a 17th-century wall-painting with a list of names of the Masters of the Company of Ringers. The original painting, still visible underneath, dates back to the 13th century.
Mr Wheeldon’s name has been added in the style of previous additions by Jay Chapman, a signwriter based in Newark. Often Mr Chapman works with oil paints and enamel, but for this job he used “special breathable water-based paint” because he was “painting directly on to the lime plaster”.
Mr Chapman said that it was rare to meet the person whose name he was writing. “It’s so nice to meet Jeremy: it so seldom that happens. I do lots of honours boards, and it’s very rare I meet the face behind the name. Jeremy’s name’s there for ever now — it’s not going anywhere.”
