Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive.) CURIOUS CHURCH CUSTOMS. [Illustration: AN OLD-TIME BISHOP WITH CROSIER.] Curious Church Customs And Cognate Subjects. EDITED BY WILLIAM ANDREWS, F.R.H.S., AUTHOR OF "CURIOSITIES OF THE CHURCH," "OLD CHURCH LORE," "BYGONE ENGLAND," ETC. HULL: WILLIAM ANDREWS & CO., THE HULL PRESS. LONDON: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT, & CO., LTD. 1895. HULL: PRINTED BY WILLIAM ANDREWS AND CO., THE HULL PRESS. Preface. It affords me pleasure to be the means of giving to the reading public another volume dealing with the byways and highways of church history. The authors who have been good enough to favour me with contributions are recognised authorities on the subjects they have written about, and I hope their efforts will not fail to find favour with the press and the public. WILLIAM ANDREWS. THE HULL PRESS, _Christmas Eve, 1894_. Contents. PAGE SPORTS IN CHURCHES, by the Rev. J. Charles Cox, LL.D., F.S.A 1 HOLY DAY CUSTOMS, by the Rev. Geo. S. Tyack, B.A. 21 CHURCH BELLS: WHEN AND WHY THEY WERE RUNG, by Florence Peacock 33 INSCRIPTIONS ON BELLS, by William Andrews, F.R.H.S. 49 LAWS OF THE BELFRY, by William Andrews, F.R.H.S. 64 RINGERS' JUGS, by Isaac J. Reeve 74 CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS OF BAPTISM, by the Rev. Canon Benham, B.D., F.S.A. 78 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS, by England Howlett, F.S.A. 99 BURIAL CUSTOMS, by England Howlett, F.S.A. 126 CONCERNING THE CHURCHYARD, by John Nicholson 147 ALTARS IN CHURCHES, by the Rev. Geo. S. Tyack, B.A. 161 THE ROOD LOFT AND ITS USES, by John T. Page 167 ARMOUR IN CHURCHES, by the Rev. J. Charles Cox, LL.D., F.S.A. 174 BEATING THE BOUNDS, by John T. Page 182 THE STORY OF THE CROSIER, by the Rev. Geo. S. Tyack, B.A. 191 BISHOPS IN BATTLE, by Edward Lamplough 198 THE CLOISTER AND ITS STORY, by S. W. Kershaw, F.S.A. 232 SHORTHAND IN CHURCH, by William E. A. Axon, F.R.S.L. 246 REMINISCENCES OF OUR VILLAGE CHURCH, by the Rev. Canon Benham, B.D., F.S.A. 261 CURIOUS CHURCH CUSTOMS. Sports in Churches. BY REV. J. CHARLES COX, LL.D., F.S.A.