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DR John Leary, one of a small band of bellringing experts who actually composes peals, has died suddenly at his home in All Cannings, near Devizes, aged 56.

Dr Leary began bellringing at the tender age of 15, while a pupil at Hymer's College in his home town of Hull.

Following his first degree at university, he moved into the pharmaceuticals industry, where he stayed all his working life.

He studied for his PhD in chemistry at Chelsea College, University of London, while working for Berk Pharmaceuticals.

While living in Guildford he met his future wife, Sophie, who had come to learn bellringing at her local church. He literally taught her the ropes and the couple were married in the same church shortly afterwards.

They have a seven-year-old son, Fred.

The couple moved to All Cannings in 1993 when Dr Leary was employed by Cardinal Health in Swindon. Latterly, he was their European director of quality systems.

All Saints Church, All Cannings, had a good reputation as a ringing church even then, but it improved when Dr Leary spearheaded a campaign to raise the £12,000 it cost to add a fifth bell to the church's peal.

Dr Leary's name was known throughout the bellringing world because of his rare ability to create new peals or modify others to fit particular sets of bells.

He would work them out with pencil and paper first and then check his results on computer.

In 1991 he took part in a record peal at Exeter Cathedral rung to celebrate the release of the Archbishop of Canterbury's envoy, Terry Waite, from captivity in Lebanon.

His funeral takes place at All Saints Church, All Cannings, at 11am on Monday, April 16.

11:49am Thursday 5th April 2007

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