Michael (Mick) Vernon passed away peacefully in hospital on 10^th January aged 87 years.

Mick was born in August 1934, the first child of George and Mary Vernon, the village grocer, and twin to John. He was always proud to be older than his brother by an hour!

Mick was baptized at St. Michael’s Church Stoney Stanton and continued to worship there for the rest of his life. He had been a Chorister, Bell ringer, Church Warden, Church treasurer and for a short time Ringing Master. He also served some time as the Hinckley District Secretary of the Leicester Diocesan Guild.

During his early teenage years, he would run errands for the old folk in the village, from his parent’s grocers’ shop and his grandfather’s butcher’s shop. On leaving school he joined his grandfather in the shop and after his spell of National Service became the village butcher, following in his grandfather’s footsteps. Mick would always keep the first customer talking till the second one arrived, so it always looked like he had a queue. On Tuesday evenings you could visit with your own basin and buy his freshly cooked faggots, if you weren’t early, he would have sold out He also roasted his own ham, truly a traditional village butcher. At age 60, Mick sold the business and moved into healthcare, working as a psychiatric healthcare worker till he finally retired, well into his seventies.

Mick was taught to ring at Stoney Stanton, I believe by Nun Walker, the guy who taught many to ring, including myself. He rang his first peal at the age of 15, in 1949 and by December 1954 was particularly competent ringing two bells to call his first peal in hand. Mick’s life was driven by his butcher’s shop, so he never had too much time for ringing. In my early years he would rush into the practice at Stoney Stanton for the final touch, still in his smock and his wellies still wet from having just mopped out the shop ready for the early start the next day.

Over a span of 63 years Mick rang 100 peals, 44 of these in hand and with some of the more prolific handbell ringers, Phyllis Pool, Peter and Jill Staniforth, Walter (Titch) Whitehead and Alf Ballard to name but a few. After Pealbase arrived on the scene, Mick was intrigued by the number of ringers who had rung peals over the age of 90. He set his target to ring 100 peals and in October 2012 I was privileged to conduct his 100th peal. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t persuade him to ring another.

With two of his daughters living in Australia, and the restrictions prevailing regarding travel, Mick was laid to rest at a private cremation with only family and friends present but streamed live to Australia. Four members of the Leicester Guild rang a course of Grandsire triples in hand as the cortege moved into the Crematorium where a very fitting service was conducted by the Revd. Sharon Constable, rector of Stoney Stanton. After a short introduction by his eldest daughter, Joanne, a video was shown, prepared by his daughters, which depicted his full and very happy family life. After the wake, Stoney Stanton bells were rung by some of the local ringers before a band rang a quarter peal of Grandsire Triples, the method which no doubt would have been Mick’s choice.

It is expected there will be a memorial service later in the year when the wider family can travel, and his many friends will be able join in to celebrate his life.

Mick Angrave
Hinckley District Chairman and lifelong friend.