The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-31
OLD CHURCH BELLS.
Some Famous Castings That Are
Still in England.

have witnessed the rise of an aquarium
hobby which concerns itself with
church bells, and more especially the
few medieval bells which still hang in
the church towers or lie cracked on
belfry floors. The ancient founders
cast very fine-toned bells and adorned
them with deliberately moulded inscrip-
lions and devices. But. though our
churches have been noted and described
in numberless publications. bells till
quite lately received little notice, and
were too often neglected in every sense
of the word. The compiler of one of the
last accounts of the church bells of
the country records that belfry keys
we're constantly handed to him with
the friendly caution, I'm afraid you
will find a great mess up there, but,
to tell you the truth, have never been
up myself"
The medieval bells usually bear in
scriptions. very commonly in rhyming
leonine hexameters, piou5 invocations,
or slaves in honor of their supposed
beneficient powers. The Oldest found
ers rarely put on the bells their own
names or the dates; but most of them
have been identified by the foundry
stamps and other devices with which
)
bells were introduced in England about
the sixth century. the earliest founders
being monastic. Dunstan concerned
himself with bell founding. The Croy-
land Abbey ring, cast by monkish ex-
perts. persisted by fire in 1897. a man
uscript in the library of Corpus Christi
college, Cambridge, contains directions
for bell-founding by monk of Eve
sham in the time of Henry III. The
modern art of change-ringing, which
took it's rise in the seventh century,
led to rings of eight and even twelve
bells being hung in some towers, but in
very early times cathedral and abbey
churches often had rings of heavy bells,
some of the Oldest surviving parish
churches, such as Bridgstock and
Brixworth in Northamptonshire and
Bene't church in Cambridge. were evil
IDENTIFY designed to hold several bells
The medieval bells now surviving are
comparatively few in number. In Sur
rey. out of 1090 bells. only a trife over
per cent were found in date before
the year 1000. In Lincolnshire the pro-
portion was us per cent. In Norfolk
about one bell in six dates before the
reign of Queen Elizabeth. The mon
astery bells seem to have vanished
when the monasteries were suppressed
Some disappeared in private hands;
others were sold by the crown. The
Augmentation Rolls show that in
pounds of bells and bell metal were
sold for $500, with license to Convey,
utter and sell" the same beyond sea. A
very few monastery bells still hang in
stu. Forde Abbey, in Dorset, still pos
sesses one of the old bells, cast by the
Brasyers. who had a foundry at Nor
witch about the fifteenth century, bear
ing their foundry stamp and a hand
sonely moulded invocation of ST. Mar
garet
The parish church bells were fnven-
toried and valued under commissions
about Edward WIS time, and some may
have disappeared by private dishon-
esty, but such instances were probably
few. Between that time and this the
greater part of the old bells have dis
from various causes. Many
We're sold from time to time. as money
was needed for repairs, or even desired
for secular purposes. At Norwich, in
Queen EliZabeth's time, the dean and
chapter were selling bell metal whole
sale. The corporations were also selling
parish church bells. Three DeVonshire
parishes gave away bells in aid of max
ing harbor, and the parishioners of a
village sold two bells and
spent part of the money in securing
out their haven. Very many bells dis
appeared in the neglectful times of the
18th century. Five bells were sold from
Cathedral in 1777. Kings
college, Cambridge, sold several large
bells in 1853 When such corporations
made merchandise of their bells, par
shes were hardly likely to be more
Bells were sold by incum-
oents, church wardens and parishion-
ers. sometimes with faculties. some
lines without, sometimes to save the
making the rates for church repairs,
for purely secular purposes.
Strange and almost incredible things
ook place. Stories and traditions lin
ger of bells stolen from churches. The
people of Hertfordshire parish are
'ecorded as divided in their minds
whether their ancestors sold a miss
ng bell to q certain other parish, or
whether the people of third parish
toIe it. SO little respect was paid to
he bells that in a parish on the south
.oast smuggled goods we're regularly
hidden inside them, dashed fast to the
.lappers.
Many bells. old and new. have been.
md still are, wrecked by careless and |
lnskillful ringing, and, notably, by the !
loyenly habit Of "clocking" that is. |
wing a cord to the cIapper and jerking !
t against the bell in manner xyhich |
hecks in vibration Two medieval |
,ells still lie cracked on the floor of a |
vest country belfry. broken by lads |
Who got into the belfry and hammered |
n the bells with heavy blows: nor is !
his an unique instance of such van
alism. And in our own day many |
loble and old bells. as we'll as many |
,eautiful old churches, have persisted |
in over-drastic and de- |
tructiYe restoration.
Although the oldest English found |
rs very rarely dated their bells. a !
ew instances exist to the contrary. !
lancashire possesses a dated 18th cen !
ury bell. and Lincolnshire one dated |
a23. A Sussex church has or had q he'll |
" a low country founder dated 1863 |
Me medieval English founders turned |
ut such fine bells that there was small I
emptation to employ foreigners. In |
scotland foreign work is less uncnm-
aon. A few bells of Mechlin found /
r have been found in England, and !
ne of these. hung in a bell-cot on the I
oof of a tiny seaside church in Cover, |
lisled q popular author into Gupposing |
hat foreign foundry had existed in |
hat secluded corner of Glamorganshire. |
60
Notice to Sporrsmen and Hunters.
Having brought direct from the east
'rof +. A Wrathall, expert taIider-
list, securing his services for a long
eriod, beg to announce are prepared
D execute special high class taxidermy
t most reasonable charges. Fine spec
mems purchased. E. Mehesy. Jr., Fur
Ter and Taxidermist, Knutsford.