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