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| Transcriber’s Notes |
| |
| Passages in italics are indicated by _italics_. Passages |
| in bold are indicated by $bold$. Passages in blackletter |
| are indicated by ~blackletter~. Passages in small caps are |
| shown in uppercase without explicit indication. |
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~The
Arts of the Church~
EDITED BY THE
REV. PERCY DEARMER, M.A.
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~The Arts of the Church~ |
| |
| Edited by the |
| REV. PERCY DEARMER, M.A. |
| |
| 16mo. Profusely Illustrated. Cloth, 1/6 net. |
| |
| 1. $THE ORNAMENTS OF THE MINISTERS.$ By the Rev. PERCY |
| DEARMER, M.A. |
| |
| 2. $CHURCH BELLS.$ By H. B. WALTERS, M.A., F.S.A. |
| |
| 3. $THE ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.$ |
| By A. G. HILL, M.A., F.S.A. |
| |
| _OTHERS TO FOLLOW_ |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
[Illustration: _Frontispiece._
KING DAVID PLAYING ON HAND-BELLS.
From a manuscript Psalter in the British Museum. This subject was often
selected for the heading to the forty-sixth Psalm, as here. (See page
6).]
The Arts of the Church
CHURCH BELLS
BY
H. B. WALTERS, M.A., F.S.A.
Author of _Greek Art_, &c.
_WITH THIRTY-NINE ILLUSTRATIONS_
A. R. MOWBRAY & CO. LTD.
LONDON: 34 Great Castle Street, Oxford Circus, W.
OXFORD: 9 High Street
First printed, 1908
EDITOR’S NOTE
The little volumes in the ARTS OF THE CHURCH series are intended to
provide information in an interesting as well as an accurate form
about the various arts which have clustered round the public worship
of GOD in the Church of CHRIST. Though few have the opportunity of
knowing much about them, there are many who would like to possess the
main outlines about those arts whose productions are so familiar to
the Christian, and so dear. The authors will write for the average
intelligent man who has not had the time to study all these matters
for himself; and they will therefore avoid technicalities, while
endeavouring at the same time to present the facts with a fidelity
which will not, it is hoped, be unacceptable to the specialist.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Acknowledgements must be expressed to the following persons who
have assisted in supplying photographs or other materials for the
illustrations to this book: to the Rev. W. H. Frere, Mr. A. Riley, and
the Committee of the Alcuin Club for permission to reproduce in plate 4
a page of a MS. Pontifical; to Dr. Amherst D. Tyssen and the Rev. Dr.
Jessopp for blocks; to W. Watson, Esq., of York, and Miss Wilson of
Idbury for photographs; to Messrs. Wills and Hepworth of Loughborough,
Messrs. Mears and Stainbank, and Messrs. Taylor and Co. of Loughborough
for blocks, negatives and photographs.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. EARLY HISTORY AND METHODS OF CASTING 1
II. THE ENGLISH BELL-FOUNDERS 21
III. BIG BELLS; CARILLONS AND CHIMES; CAMPANILES 43
IV. CHANGE-RINGING 67
V. USES AND CUSTOMS OF BELLS 81
VI. THE DECORATION OF BELLS AND THEIR INSCRIPTIONS 105
VII. THE CARE OF BELLS 139
INDEX 157
ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
KING DAVID PLAYING ON HAND-BELLS _Frontispiece_
SAXON TOWER, EARL’S BARTON 3
A PERFORMER ON HAND-BELLS 7
TOWER OR TURRET WITH BELLS 11
BLESSING TWO BELLS NEWLY HUNG 15
LATE NORMAN BELL-TURRET AT WYRE 19
INNER MOULDS FOR CASTING BELLS 23
OUTER MOULDS FOR CASTING BELLS 27
MOULDS READY FOR CASTING 31
FORMING THE MOULD 35
RUNNING THE MOLTEN METAL 39
THE MORTAR OF FRIAR TOWTHORPE 42
BELL BY AN EARLY FOURTEENTH-CENTURY FOUNDER 47
BLESSING THE DONOR OF THE BELL 51
STAMPS USED BY LONDON FOUNDERS 54
BELL BY ROBERT MOT OF LONDON 59
A RING OF EIGHT BELLS 63
THE 9TH BELL OF LOUGHBOROUGH CHURCH 66
TENOR BELL OF EXETER CATHEDRAL 73
“GREAT JOHN OF BEVERLEY” 77
THE GREAT BELL OF TONG 83
“GREAT PAUL” 87
THE OLD “GREAT TOM” OF WESTMINSTER 91
THE BELFRY OF BRUGES 94
THE CAMPANILE, CHICHESTER CATHEDRAL 99
THE OLD CAMPANILE OF KING’S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE 102
THE “BELL HOUSE” AT EAST BERGHOLT 107
DIAGRAM SHOWING METHOD OF HANGING A BELL 110
PEAL OF EIGHT BELLS, ABERAVON CHURCH 113
RINGERS AT S. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL 119
RINGING THE SACRING BELL 123
SACRING BELL HUNG ON ROOD-SCREEN 126
ANCIENT SANCTUS BELL 129
TOWER OF WALTHAM ABBEY CHURCH 133
SYMBOLS OF THE FOUR EVANGELISTS 137
BELL BY JOHN TONNE 141
GOTHIC INITIAL LETTERS, ETC. 145
„ „ „ 149
PART OF A SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY BELL 153
~The Arts of the Church~
CHURCH BELLS
[Illustration]
CHAPTER I
_Early History and Methods of Casting._
The origin of the bell as an instrument of music is, one may almost
say, lost in antiquity. Its use is, moreover, widely spread over the
whole world. But I do not propose to enlarge on its early history
here, or on its employment by all nations, Christian or heathen. Space
will not permit me to do more than trace its history and uses in the
Christian Church, and more particularly in the Church of England.
The word “bell” is said to be connected with “bellow” and “bleat” and
to refer to its sound; the later Latin writers call it, among other
names, _campana_, a word with which we are familiar, not only as
frequently occurring in old bell inscriptions, but as forming part of
the word “Campanalogy,” or the science of bell-ringing. The French and
Germans, again, call it _cloche_ and _glocke_ respectively, the words
being the same as our “clock”; but that is a later use, and they really
mean “cloak,” with reference to the shape of the bell, or rather of
the mould in which it is cast. Modern bell-founders, it is interesting
to note, speak of the mould as the _cope_, which again suggests a
connection with the form of a garment.
It is not known exactly when bells were introduced into the Christian
Church; but it is certain that large bells of the form with which
we are familiar were not invented until after some centuries of
Christianity. The small and often clandestine congregations of the ages
of persecution needed no audible signal to call them together; but
with the advent of peaceful times, and the growth of the congregations,
some method of summons doubtless came to be considered necessary.
Their invention is sometimes ascribed to Paulinus, Bishop of Nola, in
Italy, about A.D. 400; sometimes to Pope Sabinianus (A.D. 604), the
successor of Gregory the Great. At all events, from the beginning of
the seventh century notices of bells of some size become frequent. The
Venerable Bede in 680 brought a bell from Italy to place in his Abbey
at Wearmouth, and mentions one as being then used at Whitby Abbey.
About 750, we read that Egbert, Archbishop of York, ordered the priests
to toll bells at the appointed hours. Ingulphus, the chronicler of
Croyland Abbey, mentions that a peal of seven bells was put up there in
the tenth century, and that there was not such a harmonious peal in the
whole of England; which implies that rings of bells were then common.
If any doubt on the matter still remained, it would be dispelled by
the existence to this day of some hundred church towers dating from the
Saxon period, and evidently, by their size and construction, intended
to hold rings of bells (Plate 1).
[Illustration: _Plate 1._
_Photo by_] [_C. Law._
SAXON TOWER, EARL’S BARTON, NORTHANTS.
A tower built in the first half of the eleventh century and intended to
contain bells. (See page 5.)]
I speak of “rings of bells”--and that is a more correct term than
“peal,” which refers to the sound they make--but it must be remembered
that in those days bells were not rung as in modern times. At best they
were “chimed,” i.e., sounded without being rung up; but change-ringing,
which implies the full swinging round of the bell through a complete
circle, so that the clapper strikes twice in each revolution, was only
introduced in the seventeenth century, and moreover has always been
peculiar to this country.
[Illustration: _Plate 2._
A PERFORMER ON HAND-BELLS.
From a MS. Missal in the British Museum.
(See page 5.)]
Several ancient manuscripts have pictures which throw light on the
use of bells in early times, as, for instance, one which depicts a
performer on a row of small “hand-bells” suspended from an arch, which
he strikes with a hammer (Plate 2). Another portrays King David engaged
in a similar act (Frontispiece); and others give representations of
church towers or turrets with bells hanging in them, apparently without
wheels or ringing arrangements (Plate 3). In the Bayeux tapestry
there is a representation of the funeral of Edward the Confessor, in
which the corpse is accompanied by two boys, each ringing a pair of
hand-bells.
[Illustration: _Plate 3._
FROM A MANUSCRIPT IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM.
Two bells hung in a church tower or turret; the method of hanging not
shown. (See page 6.)]
Ancient bells were invariably dedicated with elaborate ceremonies, and
were baptized with the name of the saint or other person after whom
they were named (Plate 4). The bells at Croyland, just mentioned, were
named Pega, Bega, Turketyl, Tatwin, Bartholomew, Betelin, and Guthlac.
There is, however, much disputing as to the exact ceremonies employed,
some authorities maintaining that bells were neither baptized nor even
“washed,” but merely blessed and consecrated, so as to be set apart
from all secular uses.
In the Norman and early Plantagenet period the use of bells must
have been generally recognized. In London we hear of one Alwoldus,
a _campanarius_ (1150), which can only mean “bell-founder.” And as
early as the reign of Richard I the Guild of Saddlers were granted the
privilege of ringing the bells of the Priory of S. Martin-le-Grand on
the occasion of their bi-weekly masses in the church. The priory was
also entitled to claim the sum of 8_d._ for ringing at the funeral of
deceased members of the Guild. Some of the bell-cotes of our smaller
parish churches, as at Northborough in Northants and Manton, Rutland,
appear to date from the Norman period (Plate 5). In the twelfth century
Prior Conrad gave five large bells to Canterbury Cathedral, and in 1050
there were seven at Exeter; to ring the former no less than sixty-three
men were required!
But these are all mere historical records, and it may be of more
interest to know whether any bells of this remote date still exist
in England. With one or two exceptions, bells did not begin to bear
inscriptions until the fourteenth century, and even then we do not
find dates upon them. The only early-dated bells in England are at
Claughton, in Lancashire (1296), and Cold Ashby, Northants (1317).
There are, however, here and there bells of a peculiar shape which it
is possible to assign to a period previous to the fourteenth century.
They are long and cylindrical in form, with hemispherical or square
heads, and usually very unpleasing in tone, as the straight sides check
vibration. One such bell, formerly in Worcester Cathedral, and now in
the possession of Lord Amherst of Hackney, must belong to the ring put
up by Bishop Blois in 1220 in honour of our LORD and His Mother. Even
more remarkable is a bell at Caversfield in Oxfordshire, dedicated “in
honour of S. Lawrence,” a long inscription on the edge showing that it
was given by Hugh Gargate, Lord of the Manor in the reign of King John
(about 1210), and Sybilla his wife. Such an inscription is very rare
at this early date; and it is interesting to note that it is in plain
Roman or Saxon capital letters, whereas all the later inscribed bells
have what are known as Gothic or Lombardic letters, which came in about
the end of the thirteenth century. Most counties possess examples of
these long, narrow bells; they are specially common in Shropshire and
Northumberland.
* * * * *
The earliest bells were probably not cast, but made of metal plates
riveted together, like the modern cow-bell. Not a few bells of this
kind have been unearthed at different times, but they are all mere
hand-bells of very remote date, i.e., before the Norman Conquest, and
the process of casting must have been introduced in very early times
into England.
Bell-metal is a compound of copper and tin, in varying proportions, but
usually three to four parts of copper to one part of tin. The former
metal adds strength and tenacity to the bell, the latter brings out
its tone. The popular superstition that silver improves the tone of
bells is not only entirely baseless, but in point of fact it has just
the opposite effect! The numerous stories which are current, of silver
being thrown into bells at their casting, of which Great Tom of Lincoln
is an example, must therefore be discredited. In recent years steel
bells have been made by one English firm, but they are only one degree
less objectionable than the tubes of metal which are sometimes also
dignified by the name.
The process of casting a bell, as employed both by ancient and modern
founders, may be described somewhat as follows:--The first business is
the construction of the core, a hollow cone of brick somewhat smaller
than the inner diameter of the intended bell, over which is plastered a
specially-prepared mixture of clay, bringing it up to the exact size
and shape of the interior of the bell. This was usually modelled with
the aid of a wooden “crook,” something like a pair of compasses; but
is now done with an iron framework called a “sweep,” which revolves on
a pivot and moulds the core by means of metal blades. This clay mould
is then baked hard by means of a fire lighted within it. The next
stage was the construction of the cope or outer casing of the mould,
which used to be also made in hard clay, its inner surface following
the _outer_ shape and dimensions of the bell. The “thickness” of the
bell itself, i.e., the part to be occupied by the molten metal, was
formed in a friable composition which was laid over the core and then
destroyed. In modern times the “thickness” has been dispensed with,
the cope being formed by lining a casing of cast iron with clay shaped
to the external form and dimensions of the bell. The mould is now
complete, except for providing for the cannons or metal loops which
attach the bell to the stock, and the loop to which the clapper is
suspended inside. Every care having been taken to adjust the respective
positions of the cope and core with exactness, the molten metal is
then poured in through an opening, and left to cool, after which the
bell comes out complete. The process is analogous to that known as
_cire perdu_, employed by sculptors for the casting of bronze statues.
Illustrations of the moulding processes are given in Plates 6-10.
Inscriptions and ornaments are produced in relief on the bell from
stamps, also in relief, which are pressed into the mould, making a
hollow impression in it. Copies of coins were often produced in this
way by the older founders. Down to about the end of the seventeenth
century each letter, or sometimes each word, was placed on a separate
_patera_ or tablet of metal. The usual place for the inscription is
just below the “shoulder”-angle; but modern founders prefer the middle
or “waist.”
[Illustration: _Plate 4._
THE BLESSING OF TWO BELLS NEWLY HUNG IN A CHURCH TOWER.
From a MS. Pontifical of the fifteenth century. (See page 6.)]
A very interesting illustration of these processes is given in the
famous bell-founder’s window in the north aisle of York Minster, dating
from the fourteenth century, part of which is here reproduced. The
window is divided into three lights, each having five compartments, and
in each light is a large principal subject surrounded by ornamentation
in the form of bells, grotesque animals, and other devices, with two
rows of bells hanging in trefoil-headed arches above. In the central
compartment of the middle light (Plate 13) the subject is the blessing
by an archbishop of the bell-founder, who kneels in a supplicating
attitude; in his hands is a scroll inscribed with his name, RICHARD
TUNNOC, and under the canopy above the group a bell is suspended.
The other two lights have as their main subjects scenes from the actual
processes of bell-founding. In the left-hand light (Plate 9) we have
the forming of the inner mould or “core,” as already described. One
figure is turning it with a handle like that of a grindstone, while
another moulds the clay to its proper form with a long crooked tool.
The core rests on two trestles, between the legs of which two completed
bells are seen; above are a bell and a scroll with the founder’s
name. In the right-hand window (Plate 10) are three figures engaged
in running the molten metal, which is coloured red. The metal is kept
heated in the furnace by means of bellows, worked by two boys, while
the chief workman watches the molten stream running into the mould.
The next process, in the case of a “ring” of bells, is the tuning which
is generally necessary, though sometimes the founder is fortunate
enough to turn out what is known as a “maiden peal.” Formerly this was
done by chipping the inside of the bell or cutting away the edge of the
lip. But it is now more effectively accomplished by a vertical lathe,
driven by steam. The modern bell-founder can attain to much greater
exactness in this respect, because it is now recognized that there is a
regular ratio between the weight of a bell and its diameter, and that a
certain size or weight implies a certain musical note. Thus for a ring
of eight in the key of F, the weight of the tenor would be 14 cwt., and
its diameter at the mouth reckoned at 42 inches, the treble 5 cwt., and
its diameter 29 inches.
The frames are made separately, and the bells hung on them in the tower
with their headstocks already attached[1]; until recently all these
fittings were made of wood, and iron or brass were only used for the
smaller parts, but it is now the custom of some founders to employ
iron frames, and even iron stocks, which may be an improvement in
lightness and stability, or for ringing purposes, but are hardly so in
appearance.
[Illustration: _Plate 5._
_Photo by_] [_J. Glover, Pershore._
LATE NORMAN BELL-TURRET (ABOUT 1180) AT WYRE CHURCH, WORCESTERSHIRE.
There are openings for two bells, but only one is now used. (See page
8.)]