peal

In campanology (bell ringing), a peal is the name given to a specific type of performance of change ringing. The precise definition of a peal has changed considerably over the years. Currently, for a performance to be recognised as a peal by the Central Council for Church Bell Ringers it must consist of sufficient changes (at least 5040 changes on up to seven working bells or 5000 changes on higher numbers), meet a number of other criteria (collectively referred to as the decisions), and be published in The Ringing World. On typical tower bells a peal takes around three hours to ring; the precise length depends on factors including the exact number of changes and the weight of the bells.