BELLS AND BELFRIES.
The history of bells is lost in antiquity, and little is known about
them previous to the XVth century. It is probable, however, that they
were used in India and China centuries before they reached Europe.
Bells were used by the Romans for many secular purposes, and although
their use was sanctioned by the Christian Church about 400 A.D., they
were not in general use in England until 650 A.D.
The earliest bells were hand bells, quadrangular in shape, and made of
thin plates of copper or iron riveted together, and their abominable
sound when struck must have been one of their chief merits, as the early
bells were much used for the purpose of frightening the devil and other
evil spirits.
Our oldest bells are hand bells, S. Patrick's bell at Belfast (1091) and
S. Ninian's bell at Edinburgh, which is probably of even earlier date.
From 1550 to 1750 was the golden age of production for bells, more
especially so in Belgium and the Low Countries, where the bells of the
towers and belfries were rung to arouse the country in times of danger
and invasion. It is quite possible that the bells used for secular and
religious purposes were kept distinct. Bells played a very important
part in mediæval life, and next to cannon were regarded as the chief
city guardians, for he who held the bells held the town, and the first
thing done by the invader on taking a town was to melt the bells and
thus destroy the means of communicating an alarm.
In England our old towns, being almost entirely constructed of wood,
were liable to periodic and devastating conflagrations, which fact
suggested to that genius, William the Conqueror, the institution of
Couvre-feu, or in its more popular form, Curfew, which rang at eight
o'clock in the evening, when all lights were to be extinguished. The
ringing of curfew has survived in many of our towns and villages to this
day, but it is doubtful if the custom has been continuous from its first
institution.
The secular use of the bell is, however, only incidental, and it is in
its connection with religious life that we are now concerned, for all
church history, church doctrine and church custom and observances are
set to bell music. Bells in fact may be said to sum up the short span of
our mortal life, for the birthday, the wedding and the funeral, are all
welded to religion by the church bell.
Bells were used for ecclesiastical purposes in England long before the
erection of our parish churches, for Bede, speaking of the death of S.
Hilda, A.D. 680, says that "one of the sisters in the distant monastery
of Hackness, thought she heard as she slept, the sound of the bell which
called them to prayers," and Turketul gave to Croyland Abbey a great
bell called Guthlac, and afterwards six others which he called Bartholomew
and Betelin, Turketul and Tatwin, and Pega and Bega.
S. Dunstan gave bells to many of the churches in Somerset, and he also
seems to have introduced bell ringing into the monasteries.
A few words may be of interest concerning the number and purposes of
these monastic bells, with which the life of the monks must have been
completely bound up. The _Signum_ woke up the whole community at
day-break. The _Squilla_ announced the frugal meal in the refectory; but
for those working in the gardens, the cloister-bell, or _Campanella_,
was rung. The abbot's _Cordon_, or handbell, summoned the brothers and
novices to their Superior; whilst the _Petasius_ was used to call in
those working at a distance from the main building. At bed-time the
_Tiniolum_ was sounded, and the _Noctula_ was rung at intervals throughout
the night to call the monks to watch and pray. The _Corrigiumcula_ was
the scourging bell, while the sweet-toned _Nota_, a choir bell, was rung
at the consecration of the elements.
The use of the bell-tower was recognised in the ancient Saxon law, which
gave the title of thane to anyone who had a church with a bell-tower on
his estate, and two of our most interesting Saxon churches, Brixworth
and Brigstock, both in Northamptonshire, have each a semi-circular tower
rising together with the bell-tower, and forming a staircase to it.
One of the most beautiful campaniles or bell-towers still standing
is that at Evesham, in Worcestershire, which is a good specimen of
Perpendicular architecture. It was built by Abbot Lichfield, the last
abbot but one of the abbey, and took six years in building, and was not
quite completed when the famous abbey, of which it was a final ornament,
was pulled down.
In addition to this example at Evesham, detached bell-towers exist, or
once existed, at Chichester, East Dereham, Glastonbury Abbey, Bruton, in
Somerset, and in several other places.
Markland, in his _Remarks on Churches_, says: "The great bell-tower
which once formed part of the abbey church of S. Edmundsbury was
commenced about 1436. From the year 1441 to 1500 legacies were still
being given towards the building. In 1461 an individual, probably a
benefactor, desired to be buried _in magno ostio novi campanilis_."
In Protestant use church bells have been stripped of much of the former
superstition and symbolism. They are no longer rung to announce the
miracle of transubstantiation; neither are they called upon as of old
for the purpose of scaring devils, demons, and other evil spirits which
formed so prominent a feature in the faith of the early Christian
communities.
[Illustration: Bell Turret for 3 Bells. Radipole, Dorset.]
Closely connected with the subject of bells and belfries are the
bell-gables or bell-turrets, so frequently found at the west ends of
our smaller churches which have no towers. They usually contain but one
bell, but are sometimes found with two, and at Radipole Church, near
Weymouth, the bell-turret was originally designed to carry three bells.
They are generally most picturesque little features of which a few may
be of Norman date, but by far the greater number of them are Early
English, a style in which they are frequently found. In addition to
these bell-turrets at the western ends of our churches one sometimes
finds a similar, but smaller, erection at the eastern end of the roof of
the nave, but used for a very different purpose, for while the bell at
the western end was rung to summon the parishioners to service, that at
the eastern end, known as the Sanctus or Mass-bell, was rung on the
elevation of the Host during the celebration of mass; although usually
placed on the apex of the roof, this bell sometimes occupied a position
in the lantern or tower, or in a turret of larger dimensions. In churches
where no turret existed it was carried in the hand, and such is now the
prevailing practice on the continent. The turret for the Sanctus bell
still exists at Barnstaple, Devon, and St. Peter Port, Guernsey. The
Sanctus bell was generally made of silver, and occasionally a number of
little bells were hung in the middle of the church, and by means of a
wheel they were all made to ring at once.