Rev J Michael Stephens, 9 June 1929 – 9 April 2026
May 3, 2026 9:38 pm | by Terry Brown | Posted in Tributes
John Michael Stephens (known as Michael) was born in Ilford, Essex on 9th June 1929 to Leslie and Millicent Stephens, and he was the eldest of three siblings. At the beginning of WW2, Michael and his family moved to Kempston, Bedfordshire to stay with his mother’s aunt until the permanent home became available. In 1945, at the age of 15, he took up ringing at All Saints’ Church, Kempston under the tutelage of Pearl Inskip, Tower Captain, with a band of very good pre-war ringers. His brother (Richard) and sister (Mary) also took up ringing.
Within a year of starting to ring, Michael achieved several notable milestones at Kempston. He rang his first Quarter Peal (the 2nd to Minor in three methods) on 3rd February 1946 and this was followed shortly afterwards by his first Peal (the 2nd to Minor in six methods) on 9th March 1946. His first Quarter Peal as Conductor followed on 17th August 1946 (Plain Bob Minor with two members of the band – Walter and Clifford Izzard – ringing their first Quarter Peals).
Michael rang 125 peals (Conducted 37) – this total includes 51 (Conducted 27) for the Bedfordshire Association and 42 (Conducted 6) for the Guild of Clerical Ringers. His first Peal as Conductor was Plain Bob Minor at Stagsden on 26th August 1949 with one member of the band (Stephen Ivin) ringing their first Peal. On 11th January 1951 at Ickwell Green, Michael and his brother were in the band which rang the first Peal on bicycle bells. This set of handbells was the result of 14 years’ work by Mr G William Wagstaff who was Churchwarden and Tower Captain of Northill. The set was made entirely of bicycle components – the clappers were made out of the spokes and the handles were straps from the panniers. At Kempston on 2nd June 1953, for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, Michael rang a Peal of Plain Bob Major which he conducted from the 2nd, his sister rang the 3rd, his brother rang the 7th, and his tutor (Pearl Inskip) was on the 5th. At Bedford on 10th October 1987 he rang in the Guild of Clerical Ringers’ first twelve bell Peal.
In the 1950s, Michael organised the Bedfordshire Young Ringers’ outings for six years – the name came from a description in The Ringing World of the time. They spent a week, all on bicycles, staying at Youth Hostels and ringing at about two dozen churches – in 1952 they cycled to Devon where one of the original members had married a farmer and the girls were put up in the farmhouse while the boys stayed in the hayloft! In recent times, in retirement, Michael organised reunions of the “young” ringers, but no longer on bicycles. Michael was the Bedfordshire Association’s Secretary and Treasurer from 1952 to 1955 and also from 1959 to 1962.
In 1954, Michael was working as a Chartered Surveyor in Deal, Kent where he met his future wife, Molly Thursby, at their lodgings, and he taught her to ring. They married in 1957 at St.Peter in Thanet, Broadstairs, Kent and they subsequently moved to Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire for work. They had four children – Janet (1958), Christopher (1961), Martin (1964), and Ruth (1966).
In 1962 Michael trained at Lichfield Theological College, was ordained in 1964, and then moved back to Kent. After his curacy at Birchington (8 bells), he was posted to St.Stephen’s, Tovil (1 bell), and later to Brabourne (6 bells) with Smeeth (1 bell). Michael had many happy memories of the Guild of Clerical Ringers’ annual outings in Low Week. Following retirement, in September 1994 Michael and Molly moved to Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire where their neighbours were John Sinfield (one of the original Bedfordshire Young Ringers) and his wife June. Following John’s death in 2003, Michael took over the position of Tower Captain and served in that capacity until 2014. Michael’s wife, Molly, sadly died in 2021.
On 5th May 2023 at Kirkbymoorside, at the age of 93, Michael rang a Quarter Peal of Plain Bob Doubles on the eve of the Coronation of King Charles III, thus becoming one of few ringers to have rung for two Coronations – a feat which resulted in him being interviewed in the tower by the local TV news programme, BBC Look North.
Over the past 25 years, Michael was a regular contributor to “Thought for the Week” in The Ringing World. His last contribution was in the Christmas 2025 edition in which he reminisced about his 80 years at the end of a rope.
Michael died peacefully in his sleep on 9th April 2026 at the age of 96 and a celebration of his life was held at All Saints’ Church, Kirkbymoorside on 27th April 2026 with half-muffled ringing before and after the funeral service. Quarter Peals in memory of Michael were rung at Pickering and Bedford on 26th April 2026. Rest in Peace.
Richard Hillson
Acknowledgements:
The Ringing World (5796-7.472), BellBoard, PealBase, Ann Fletcher, Martin Stephens,
Mary Elliott (née Stephens), and Phyllis Jones (née Gray).