Bells of All Nationsby

Ernest Morris

File 01 – Acknowledgements, Foreword,Contents, Illustrations, Preface – Pages (i) to (xv)

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BELLS OF ALL NATIONS

By the same Author

HISTORY AND ART OF CHANGE RINGING LEGENDS 0' THE BELLS CHRONOLOGY OF BRITISH BELLFOUNDERS HISTORY OF ST. MARGARET'S CHURCH, LEICESTER HISTORY OF ST •. MARGARET'S SELECT VESTRY, LEICESTER

America's national treasure, the " Liberty " Bell of Philadelphia (First cast in England I 752)

BELL§ OJF ALL NATIONS

by

Ernest Morris F.R.Hist.S., F.R.G.S., M.R.S.L.

Ringing Master, St. Margaret's, Leicester; Member of the

Ancient Society of College Youths, London, and many Provincial Guilds of Ringers

ROBERT HALE LIMITED 18 Bedford Square London W.C.I

First published

P,-inted in Great Britain at the BURLEIGH PRESS, Lewins Mead, B RISTOL

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

THE AuTHOR WISHES to acknowledge with gratitude the help and encouragement given by the following, without whose assistance much of the information given could not have been included. Mr. George A. Ball (Ball Bros.) of Muncie, Indiana; Mr. C. Chambers of Johannesburg, S.A.; Rev. F. Llewellyn-Edwards Rector of Kington Magna, Dorset, Eng. ; Chas. H. Grainger II, New Haven, Connecticut ; Rev. F. M. Hnik, D.Phil.D.D. of Czechoslavakia ; Kamiel Lefevere, Carillonneur of New York and his son Willie Lefevere; John R. Nichols, Esq. (author of Bells thto' the Ages), Stamford, Lines. ; H. M. Nornabell of Asheville, North Carolina; Casa de Portugal ; Mr. Wm. Taylor of Penwortham, Lanes; Pastor J. Ursin, Norwegian Church, Rotherhithe, Eng.; Mr. G. Werner, Lincoln, Nebraska; Cecil Hunt, London; and the following bellfounding firms : Messrs. Gillett & Johnston of Croydon, Eng. ; Mears & Stain­bank of Whitechapel, London; Meneeley Bell Co. Troy, N.Y., U.S.A. ; Franz Schilling Sohne, Apolda, Germany; Messrs. J. Taylor & Co., Loughborough, England.

v

FOREWORD

by

the LORD BISHOP OF LIVERPOOL the Right Rev. Clifford A. Martin, D.D.

I GLADLY COMMEND this most interesting book to all who are interested in campanology.

·Here is a book which deals with every kind of bell from the tiny tinkler on the sheep to the mighty Bourdon Cathedral and Temple Bell. It is a mine of information and shows that the author has given much time to the preparation of the work.

CLIFFORD LIVERPOOL.

VII

CONTENTS

PART ONE

CHAP.

AcKNOWLEDGMENTs

FoREWORD -

ILLUSTRATIONS

AUTHOR's PREFACE

I. ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT

II. BLESSING OF BELLS

III. CusTOMS AND UsAGEs

IV. FROM FouNDRY TO TowER

v. BELLS AND CANNON -

VI. jAcKs o' THE CLocK-

VII. CHIMES

VIII. CARILLONS

IX. SIGNA (GREAT BELLs)

X. TINTINNABULA (SMALL BELLS)

XI. BELLs OF THE OcEAN

X II . CAMPANILES (BELL TOWERS)

XIII. CuRious SuBsTITUTEs FOR BELLs

XIV. ANCIENT BELLS OF CELTIC SAINTS -

lX

PAGE

v

Vl

Xl

Xlll

I

X CONTENTS

PART TWO

CHAP. BELLRINGING PAGE

I. THE ENGLISH STYLE - 97 ( i) England - 97

(ii) Wales - - II7 (iii) Ireland - 119 (iv) Scotland - 122

II. CoNTINENTAL STYLE - 125 (i) Belgium - 126 (ii) France - 131

(iii) SWITZERLAND - 136 (iv) Italy - 137 (v) Cyprus, Malta - - 139 (vi) Greece - 139

(vii) Czechoslovakia - - 140 (viii) Germany - 140

(ix) Spain - - 14S (x) Portugal - 149

(xi) Austria - ISO (xii) Netherlands - lSI

(xiii) Denmark - ISS (xiv) Sweden - ISS (xv) Norway - ISS

(xvi) Russia - IS7

III. AFRICA - - 165

IV. AusTRALASIA - 167

v. AMERICA - 173 VI. CANADA - 191

VII. THE FAR EAST - - 193 (i) Burma - 194

(ii) India- 19S (iii) China - 196 (iv) Japan - - 198

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PLATE

THE LIBERTY BELL ; PHILADELPHIA

THE HIGH PRIEST

PAGE

Frontispiece 8

2 ANCIENT ''TAPPING '' OF BELLS. (From Worms Bible, A.D. I I48) 8

3 OLDEST BELL IN THE WORLD 9

4 WHEEL OF SACRING BELLS 9

(a) Gerona. (b) Menresa-Spain

5 CURFEW-BRAss, CHASED WITH GROUPS OF ST.

GEORGE & DRAGON I6

6 YoRK MINSTER-STAINED GLAss WINDOW I7

7 BANWELL : TYPICAL STEEL AND IRON FRAME 24

8 FRAMEs DESIGNED FOR SMALL TOWERS : 24

(a) Two storey. (b) Three storey.

9 LOUVAIN UNIVERSITY, BELGIUM 25

IO MR. CLIFFORD BALL AT CLAVIER OF BOURNVILLE

CARILLON - 2 5

I I COPE AND CORE OF BELL 32

I 2 BELL ON TUNING MACHINE 33

I 3 ANTON BREES (ANTWERP) 40

I4 LIVERPOOL CATHEDRAL-" GREAT GEORGE " 40

I5 YoRK MINSTER BELL-" GREAT PETER" 4I

I6 BucKFAsT ABBEY-" HosANNA" 4I

I7 BEVERLEY MINSTER-" GREAT jOHN" - 48

I 8 THE OLYMPIA BELL IN BERLIN 49

Ig LLOYD's LUTINE BELL 56

20 GroTTO BELL TOWER 56

2I HEMISPHERICAL BELLS 57

22 TUBULAR BELLS 57

23 TINTINNABULA •· 64

(a) Pack-horse bell. (b) Horse collar bells. (c) Muffin bell and Camel bell.

2 4 " LATTEN " OR WAGON BELLS 6 5

25 THE GuTHRIE BELL SHRINE - 72

26 ST. PATRICK's BELL SHRINE - 72

27 ToWER FOR RINGING PEAL 73

28 RINGING THE CHANGES 73

Xl

Xll LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PLATE PAGE

29 CHIMING BELLs (ST. joHN-THE-DIVINE, LEICESTER) 88 30 RINGING TUNES ON HANDBELLS 88 31 Bow BELLs,. LoNDON-BEFORE AND AFTER

32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39

so

51 52 53 54 55 s6 57 ss 59 6o

RESTORATION

RINGERS IN THE BELFRY-HOBART, TASMANIA

RINGING THE GREAT BELL, NoTRE DAME, PARis

MELCHTHAL TENOR BELL-SWITZERLAND

8g 8g

104 - 104

BELL OF PISA CATHEDRAL - 105 VERONA. CoNCERT oF THE CATHEDRAL - 105 BIG BELL FOR BIRCHIRCARA, MALTA - - I 12 REYKJAVIK CATHEDRAL BELL- - I 13 MEISSEN CATHEDRAL TENOR BELL- - 128 HaMBERG CHuRCH, TENOR BELL - - 129 MEISSEN. CARILLON OF PORCELAIN BELLS - - 136 SANDEFJORD, NoRWAY - 136 Moscow, THE KREMLIN - 137 ST. PETERSBURG (LENINGRAD) CATHEDRAL BELL- 137 STARGARDT BELL, PoMERANIA - 144 MISSION CHURCH BELL TOWER, EAST AFRICA - - 145 NEw YoRK, RocKEFELLER MEMORIAL CARILLON- 152 FLoRIDA, MouNTAIN LAKE SANCTUARY TowER- 152 LuRAY CAVERNs, U.S.A. - 153 CoLORADo SPRINGs, U.S.A. THE WILL RoGERS

SHRINE

A QuAINT BELFRY. A MAoRI ToTEM -

CHRIST CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA

THE MissiON INN, RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA -

MINGOON BELL -

THE PRONE pAGODA, BURMA

" GREAT CHING " OF SHANGHAI -

CHINESE BRONZE BELL, 722-22 I B.C. -

CHINESE SCRIBE's BELLS -

TEMPLE BELL OF SHOKAIJI, jAPAN

j IUJO sHRINE, MoDozom, jAPAN -

- 153 - 16o - 161 - 168 - 168 - 169 - 169 - 176 - 177 - 184 - 184

61 DIAGOJI BELLS, KYOTO, jAPAN

62 SAIKOKUJI BELL, BINGO, jAPAN

63 jAPANESE BELL WITH FOUNDER

64 jAPANESE GoNG, A.D. 546

- 185 - 185 - 192 - 193

" FROM YOUTH TO AGE the sound of the bell is sent forth through crowded streets, or floats with sweetest melody above the quiet fields. It gives a tongue to time, which would otherwise pass over our heads as quietly as clouds, and lends a warning to its perpetual flight. It is the voice of rejoicing at festivals, christen~ ings, and marriages, and of mourning at the departure of the soul. From every churchyard it summons the faithful of distant valleys to the house of God ; and when life is ended they sleep within the bell's deep sound. Its tone, therefore, comes to be fraught with memorial associations and we know what a throng of mental images of the past can be aroused by the music of bells."

XV

This document is provided for you by

The Whiting Society of Ringersvisit

www.whitingsociety.org.ukfor the full range of publications and articles

about bells and change ringing