This photograph hangs in the ringing chamber in Ditcheat tower, where he was a ringer for sixty years.   Speaking at the 1923 Ringers Supper Mr. T.G. Vincent jun. referring to his late father, TG Vincent sen, had during his 35 years of office rung in the whole of the wedding peals, 78 in all; while Mr. Saul Lintern had participated in 77.

Shepton Mallet Journal - Friday 05 November 1886

Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

PYLLE,

Accident at a Quarry. —Early on Saturday morning a number men were engaged in a quarry at Pylle, hoisting a block stone, which had been loosened by blasting, with a crow-bar, on the end of which plank was placed, and on this the men stood to prize the block up. It was bad morning for the work, and the plank slipped, allowing the crow-bar to fly back with the weight of the stone. It caught a man named Saul Lintern, of Ditcheat, under the chin, fracturing his jaw. He was at removed to Mallet Hospital, and though it was at first feared that the injuries were very serious, he progressing favourably. 

Shepton Mallet Journal - Friday 14 February 1902

Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Ditcheat

Bell Ringers.—On Saturday last the above guild of ringers journeyed to the grand old belfry of Queen Camel, where, under their esteemed captain, Mr. T. G. Vincent, sen., they performed during the afternoon and evening on the bells (which are considered to be one of the best peals of six in the county) a very good record. There were present besides the captain, Messrs. T. G. Vincent, jun., Lewis Hillard, Saul Lintern, Charles Lintern, Edwin Clark, Esau Rimes and Tom Merryfield (tenor), and they were joined W. March, the Pylle ringers. With their usual ability the company performed one set of 42 changes and 2 sets of 60. Under the presidency of the captain, accompanied by ringers and friends of Queen Camel, the company partook of refreshments at the Mildmay Arms, the Ditcheat men being warmly welcomed and congratulated by their good friends at Camel. Home was reached shortly after 11.30pm, when, in despite of blinding snowstorm enroute, one and all of the company expressed themselves highly pleased with their outing.

Shepton Mallet Journal - Friday 29 January 1926

Image © Reach PLC. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

DITCHEAT

AN OLD RESIDENT PASSES

Death has taken from the village well known and highly respected inhabitant, Mr. Saul Lintern, who died on January 19th, in his seventy-ninth year. He was the oldest ringer in the County Somerset, and there are very few towers east of Taunton which he had not rung. Naturally, to him there were no bells like Ditcheat’s far-famed peal. It was the age of thirteen that Saul first tried his hand at ringing in the village tower, and he became an expert very early in life. On one occasion at Sherborne, when ringers were not as plentiful as they are now, an uncle of Saul’s asked him to ring in one of the Churches there. A mere youth, he walked from Ditcheat to Cadbury overnight, completed the journey on foot next day. and entered the tower. To the surprise the Sherborne ringers he took the treble, rang the peal, and returned home. He rang when Queen Alexandra was married, and one of his greatest regrets was that his health would not allow of his ringing muffled peal on the occasion of her death last year. During the war, when ringers were reduced in numbers, Saul was a general factotum, and many times was he sent for to fill a gap in towers far from home, and never was he asked in vain. No bell in any peal ever came a miss to him, and rarely was he either a little “bit front,” or “a little bit behind.” Church bell-ringing was his hobby, and he was a true, master of the art.

Quiet, inoffensive, respectful and respected, but not a man to be tampered with, his features carried the marks of more than one boxing encounter. That he was man conversant with the noble art is proved by the fact that he sparred with the famous Tom Sayers when he was at the zenith of his career. It was a saying of the deceased gentleman, that he had been “bested but never beaten” ; and only after sixty-five years of faithful service did he admit failure. He died as he had lived, quietly and bravely; and truly may be said of him as of any who died in their sleep, “His end was peace.”

The funeral took place on - Saturday last. Muffled peals were rung that day well as on Sunday. The wreaths were very beautiful. That sent by the Ditcheat ringers took the form of large bell, made of white chrysanthemums, with a “clapper” of blue violets. The Rev. H. H. Tripp, Rector, officiated. Evercreech ringers were represented by Mr. R. Whitehead, and those of Baltonsborough by Mr. H. Reynolds.

The deceased was a regular attendant at evensong, and on Sunday last his favourite hymn “God is working His purpose out as year succeeds year,” was feelingly sung by the choir and congregation. The Rector made appropriate allusion in his sermon to the loss the parish had sustained by the death of Mr. Lintern.

A short time before his last illness, Mr. Lintern was presented by his fellow-ringers with a framed life-size photograph of himself, which now hangs in the belfry of the Parish Church.