Bells of the ChurchBY

Rev. H. T. Ellacombe

File 03 – Chapter VIIPages 297 to 388

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TINTJNNABULA.

UHAPI'ER VII.

ANCIENT ECCLESIASTICAL HAND BELLS,

TINTINNABULA.

"A noeogay of culled flowers, haviDg brought nothing of my own .,.o the •tring that ti• them together."-.Montoipe.

297

We are informed by Dr. Rock, in the Church of our Fathers (v. iii., p. 2,

p. 153,) that at the celebration of the Mass "as the priest said the Sanctus. &o., the custom was to toll three strokes on a bell, which was hung in a bell cote between the Chancel and the nave, that the rope might fa.Jl at a short distance from the spot where knelt the youth or person who served at Mass. From the first part of its use, this bell got the name of the " Saints;' " Sanctye," or " Sanctus" bell, and many notices about it are to be met with in old ooc.ompts."1 A.t other Altars about tLe Church, a small hand bell was employed for this. " It is very likely (says Dr. Rock) in most places there were two distinct bells, one for the " Sanctua," the . other for the elevation. Sometimes they were made of silver, and were called the " Sacring '" bell. On hearing the Sacring bell's first tinkle, those in Church, who were not already on their knees, knelt down, and with upraised hands, worshipped their Maker in the holy housel lifted on high before them."

The Cot~ncil of Exeter,• A.D. 1287, decreed that in every Church there should be " Campanella deferenda ad infirmos et ad elevationem corporis Christi" (Wilkins' Concilia, ii., 139). Fuller, in his Church History, says

J See Faulkner's Ke111ington, etc.

' So callPd from &ere to consecrate. &cringand &IHIC6 are synonymoUJ according to Halliwell. • We also meet with the Saunce bell used by the priest to call attention whtu he ~·

the " Pater n011ter." • Rock, vol. iii , pt. 2, p. 15 •.

0

298 TI~TI N N ABU LA.

" The hand bell was not fixed as the rest, in any place of Church or steeple ; but being diminutive of Saints' bell was carried in the sexton's hands at the coll8eCra.tion of the Sacrament, the visitation of the sick." &c.

In some Churches in Spain, there is fitted up a wheel of little bells, which, at "the elevation of the Host (Mr. Street in his Spain, p. 255, tells us,) are rung with all their force, in the place of the single tinkling bell so common on the Continent." There is one at Toledo ; he found another at Barcelona, (p. 306) "near the door to the Sacristie a hexagonal box for the wheel of bells is fixed against the wall." At Gerona "against the north wall is a very pretty example of a wheel of bells, this is all of

wo.xl corbelled out from the wal~ and is rung with a nolSy jingle of silver bells at the elevation of the Host."

At Mam·e3a, "in the choir aisle is a wheel of bells m its old case."­page 345.6

6 I am indebted to Mr. S ;reet's kindneal for allo:viDg me the \110 of the.e Cats.

TINTINN ABULA. t99

But the most remarkable wheel of little bells (about 150 in number) is in the Abbey Church at Fulda. in Germauy; the wheel has fourt€en arms forming a star, twenty-four feet in dia1neter, about which the little bells are suspended ; it was originally made of gold, but the one now in use, of the same dimensions. is made of brass ; it is a beautiful work of medireval a1·t, bearing the date 1515. There is a large pulley at

each end of the axis, from which the arms of the star radiate, &c., where there are silken ropes connected with a sort of tread-wheel, by which it is put in motion by a person walking inside it ; a full des­

cription, ~;th engravings, is given in Kircher's Musurgia, vol ii., 338,

Rome, 1650. It does not appear to be used at every service, but on festival occasions in company with the organ. It is called " Stella pensilis Fuldensium." Bonanni in his work on musical instruments, (Rome. 1776, p. 187). says it was invented in the time of Archbishop Boniface, by an English female, who had been converted from the idolatry of star-worship.

In the same work, Plate 131, is represented an acolyte kneeling near a celebrant at the Altar, ringing a wheel of bells, which is fixed to the north wall of the Chancel.

"In the Church of Broken borough, Wilt.s," says Aubrey, "an old man told me that his father, who died 24 years since, was 11 0 at his

death, and remembered in the tyme of the old lawe, eighteen little bells that hung in the middle of the Church, which the pulling of one wheel made them all ring, which was done at the elevation of the Hoste."'

At Y axley in Suffolk, and at Long Stratton in Norfolk. there are in pairs, ornamented iron discs, of medireval character, supposed to be the

rema.ins of such wheels. Du Cange, in his Glossarium, tom. v., Voc. Rota has a passage on this

subject, "Rota cum tintinnabulis, qure in redibus sacris appendi ad parietem versus latus alta~ et volvi solet ad elevationem hostire.

"Pneterea fecit vir venerabilis Athelwoldus quandam rotam tintinnabulis

plenam ; quam auream nuncupavit, propter laminas ipsius deauratas, quam in festivis diebus ad majoris excitationem devotionis reducendo volvi con­stituit. Hu.c spectat, quod habetur in Concilio Nicosiensi, ann. 1340, cap. 4.

"Item statuimus et ordinamus ac etiam mandamus omnibus Episcopis 8 Quoted by Britton in his Wilt•hi,.e, vol. iii., p. 181.

o'

aoo TINTINN.A..BULA.

Grrecis, et aliis pnesulibus quarumlibet nationum, et Sacerdotibus earumdem, quod debeant ordinare quoddam signum quo possit omnibus audientibus divinum officium not.um esse, ilia hora, qua perfecerint Corpus Christi, quando celebrant in altari : ita quod illo tempore Corpori Christi cxhi­

beatur reverentia tam debita, quam devota."-Adde Stattda Wilklmi Episcopi Prtrisien:~is, cap. xv., and Synodum lVt'gorniense-m, ann. ) 240, cap. ix.7

Though we do not know the exact date of the useful invention, there

is no doubt that the ancients had some sort of bells. The word tintin­nabula' occurs in .Jf artial, J u.venal, Suetonius, d:c. The Romans appear to

have been summoned by them, of whatsoever size or form they were, to their hot baths, and to tlte business of public places. Mr. Layard' found small bronze bells at Nimroud, which he has kindly allowed me to introduce from his Cuts. There were about eighty bells in a copper

cauldron, in a newly discovered chamber ot the north west palace. they had iron tongues ; other copper articles were with them.

In the Journal of the Bombay Branch of th!!- Royal Asiatic Society, (vol. iv. p. 380), is a most interesting Paper by Col. Meadows Taylor on Indian Cromlechs, Cairns, and various remains therein discovered ;

among other things, small bells occaaionally found in them. The three which are here represented were found at different places near the city of Hyderabad in the Dekhan, and are now deposited in the Museum of the Asiatic Society at Bombay.1 F'tga. 1 and 3 are of wrought copper ;

1 Mottlllticum A.nglieon., tom. i., f· 104, and vol. i., p 516, of Bandinel's edition. 1 Ellis' Popular A.ntiquitiu, vol, ii., p. 130.

• Discooeriu in the Ruin• of NinerJtrh atul Babylon, 1853, p. 177. 1 In the Tramt~etiom of tlu Royal lmh ~ ny, vo'. u:iv., Antiquities, p. a:>i, a Paper

b! Col. Taylor, on tbe.e relica ill publiahed.

TINTINNABULA. :JOt

Fig. 2 is of cagt bronze. I am indebted to the kindness of Col. Taylor. for the loan of these engravings, which represent them half-size.

I 2 3

In quoting from Mr. Hough, m his letters on the Nilgherris, Col

Taylor states : "In opening a cairn six milt-s to the north of Conoor, twn bells were

found among a great number of other antiquities." . And in quoting from Mr. Harkness' description of the Thautawars, a

singular aboriginal race inhabiting the summits of the Nilgherris, be adds : "A bell, which is generally deposited in some niche within the temple,

is the only object to which they pay any reverencE>. To this they pour out libations of milk, but merely as to a sacred implement. They do not sacrifice or offer incense, or make any oblations to it, significant of

its having any latent or mystic properties." I have also been informed by Mr. Carter, late Secretary of the Bombay

Asiatic Society, that in the Hindu Temples every person on entering takes hold of the clapper of a bell sn~pended just above the head and .knocks it against the side to announce his or her nrrival to the Idol-God.

~1y thanks are due to th ~ k indness of Mr. Tysl'len Amherst, of Didlington

Hall, Norfolk. for the two annexed engravings of smnll bells, from Egypt, which are st;pposed to belong to the Ptolemean period, 200 years B.C. They are in his extensive private Museum, which is rich in antiquities collected by himself in the East.

TIXTI ~N ABU LA.

Montfaucon,t speaking of tl1ese little bells, tells us "there were some­

times hung at their doors Tintt"rmabula, or little bel1s; which wrt of bells Rerved also for various other purposes: for they hung them on the necks of horses, oxen, ·and sheep ; and used them in their houses. as Lucian• informs us, to awake the family in the morning. In fortilied

towns the night-guard that walked the rounds used them ; they were also bung at the gates of temples ; and were employed, as we find in authors, for many other purposes."

F. Bonanni' has given us several of these bells, which are here exhibited.

The most remarkable of which is Fig. 4, with a Greek inscription written jn Latin characterE!, CBOVS ARTEMIS EPHIBTION .Affi MENI, which in Greek ~ught to read thus : xoii~ ;;pnpu: ~lj>ataTtOV a~p Jl fVU : Humus, diana,

' Humphrey's Edition, vol. iii., p. 69, fol, Lmi., 1722,

a " 'fwOlv n i11ro ~ew8w11t i~allaCJTa~ :" Mane ad tintinnabuli sonum surgeos. Lucian, de

Mercede Conductis, §. 2!. (Opp., tom. iii., p. 650. .J.mni., 1743). Again: "~ Kw~wv ~x.,aa." Did., §. 3J (Opp. tom- iii. p. 690).

'Mll6tnm Kirc'heriaftum, p. l'iS, Bo.re, 1707. They were in Kircher's Museum.

TINTI~N ABU LA.

3

2

4 5 6

ignis, aer manet. F. Bonanni is of opmwn this signifies the four elements, which is very probable, though it seems something difficult to assign a reason why Diana is put there for the element of water.

By the courtesy of Mr. Alexander Shaepkens, of Brussels, who published a brochure on this subject, 1857, I am enabled to shew two other ancient. hand belk :Fig. 7 is in the collection of M. Guyeth, at Antwerp; and Fig. 6 in the Museum of Antiquities at Brussels.

7 8

TINTI~NABULA.

In early manuscripts t.he name Tintinnabulum was applied to hand bells which were sounded when shaken by the hand:' thus in a manuACript in the library of Angers, in France, containing the figure of a band bell. the latter is described " Tiutinnahulum excutitur manu tenentis." A figure of one of the hand hells in the public library u.t Bonlogne-sur-mer, as given by M. Didron in An11ales Archaologiques, vol. iv. p 97, is here repro­roduced (Fig. 9.) It is of the elon~ated form, was evidently ~t. iH furnished with a handle of tLree loops, and a clapper of the ordinary form.

9 10

A very similar beli (Fig. 10) is repre.sen ted in Strutt's Manners and Oustoms,6 ~:md in an early manuscript in the Cottonian Collection in the British Museum, (Tib. c. vi., fol. 17), where this description is annexed : "Tintinna­bulum ferro et eramento facitur, quod personat per linguam ferream in medio suo quod concitatur et concutitur manu tenentis et suscitat adorationem."

Mr. West wood remarks thae " the custom of the early Irish Missionaries in carrying with them their manuscripts, and other objects for religious worship, is confirmed by various Icelandic documents which prove the early attempts made by the Irish to Christia.nise Iceland; the Landnamabok. &c., stating that before Iceland was settled by the Northmen (from

a For a full account of the use of Tin#nnahulo amongst the ancient Jews and Gentiles, ~ the work of Lazarinua Romf1!, 1821. Strabo Rervm Eccle•., cap. v.

• Edit. 1775, vol. i., p. 108, Plate XX., Fig. 5. 1 Wes,wood, kclatt!ol. Otlml>rem. vol. iv. p. 172.

TINTINNABULA.

Norway), there were men there called by the Northmen Papm. These men were Christians, and are thought to have come from the far west, for there were found I ris'l, books and bells, and various other things, whence it was thought they were W estmen." 8

" M. Coussemaker, the author of a series of articles upon· ancient musicaJ instruments in M. Didron's work (Annales Archaologique.<~, vol. iv., p. 97), st.ates that "on donnait aussi le nom de cloche a cet instrument. mais ce mot, d' origine Germanique fut bientot employe presque · exclusiY'ement pour

designer lee grosses cloches places dans lea tours d' Eglises." " M. ·Coussemaker cites the following passage from the ninth letter of

S. Boniface 'Cloccam qualem ad manum habui ture paternitati mittere cura­vimus,' · shewing the application of the name Cloc to hand bells. This

is an interesting passage, proving not only the high value pla<'.ed upon hand bells during the first half of the eighth century (S. Boniface here

sending a hand bell as a present to the Pope), but evidently showing the great probability of the use of this kind of bell at the close of the seventh century, in the neighbourhood of Exeter,t where Boniface was hp~ and

reared ; and where, as at Glastonbury, mlllly Irish and W els~ reiigionists were doubtless resident. This will also account for the employment by

Boniface of the term clocca, which, as will be shown in another part

of this article, was the term given to hand bells in the early Irish Church; and it ~nables us to correct the statement of M. Coussemaker

8 Antequam Islandia A Norvegis inhabitaretur, ibi homines fueruJ>t, quos Norvegi Papas .

vocant, qui religionem Christianam profitebantur, et ab occidente per mare advenisse crednnturJ

ab iia enim relicti libri Hibernici, nolal (biolor), et litui, et re11 adhuc plures reperiebantur,

qum indicare videbantur illos Vestmannoe fuisse." Ex Landnnmabok, in Johnstone'11 Anti­

guitatu Oelto-Scandicm, p. 14, Haunie 1786.

e "Ad Credinum fluvium, in primitiva Anglorum Ecclesia, aedes floruit Epiacopalis in ejusdem

oognominis oppido Crediantum, nunc contracte Kirton, quod natale solum Winfridi illius aive

Bonifacii, qui HU88oa, Turingoe, and Frisios Germanie ad fidem convertit. Nunc autcm

mercatu minus m;quenti et Exoniensia Epiv.opi mdibua notum, patrum autem memoria multo

notius erat Collegio duodecim Pnebendariorum, qui nune evanuerunt." Oambthnu..

" In floc erqo oppUlo Crediantuno nP~ .JUrlqn Nlttt• ut 8. Bonafaciua, circittw QftfiGm

DCLXXX ; atqru pon "~tam a prseritia in mOf'liUteriw peractam, primo E;ronim in tKUkms DePonia, deitade Nt~Uc~l~ tn &uthamptonitJ, con1ecratua ut Sacerdos, · triginta aut ampliua ·

annorum babens etatem, circa annum DCCXII."-(.dcta &11crorvm, JHii, tom. i., p. 44

de S. Bonifacio, .Arehiep. Mart.) p

806 TINTINNABULA.

as to cloo being a word of German .origin, which . he was, doubtless. led to infer, in consequence of S. Boniface's chief labours having been in Germany."'

"M. Coussemaker states that the term Tintinnabulum was also given to a set of small bells, of different tones, suspended in a row, and

struck by a hammer held in the hand by the player. He . gives an illustration of this usage from a MS. of S. Blaise, asserted to be of tht> ninth century" (Fig. 1) . . A similar representation may be seen on the capital of a column in. the Church at S. George de Bocherville, Normandy, founded by William the Conqueror. An engraving of this is in Turner's Tour in }{orma.ndy, vol ii., p. 13. The same is shewn in Fig. 2

{David), from an ancient Psalter in the British Museum. M. Shaepkens

2 3

1 The Irish is "dDg." We have ·'' clocca" in Adamnan's Lif~ of St. Colu!RN, twice: Lib.

i., cap. 8, " Cum euet vir sanctaa in lona inaula, aubito ad auum dicit miniatratorem Dior­mitiwn, eloccam pulA, oujus sonitu fratres invitati ad ecclesiam, ipso aanoto praale

pi'IBeunte, ocyua currunt." Lib. iii., cap. 28: " Tum proinde media nocte pulaata personantAI elocc:a, festinua aurgen.e, · ad ecclesiam pergit." See Dr. Reeves' Edition, 1867, pp. 83, 8f, and hia Notes.

TI~TI.NN AUULA. 807

has kindly lent me Fig. 3, representing a female playing on a set of four bells taken from u. MS. in the Royal Library at Brussel£.

" AccOrding to Eberhart, the Tintinnabulum was composed of seven be11s yielding the following notes, la, si, ut, re, mi, fa, sol ; whilst we find in the Gwssary of Du Cange the term applied to the rows of little bells wit.h which high personages, both lay and ecclesiastical, ornamented their vestments." An example of which may be seen in Mr. West wood's lllttminated fll~Utrat£011.$ of the Bible, from MS. Reg. 15, D. 3.

M. Didron has also given a representation of a bell, attributed to the seventh century. still existing at Cologne, wherB it is known under the name of Soufang. This cut is copied from the engraving in the An11ales

Arckceolcg£ques, vol. iv., p. 95, where may be seen the following dtscrip­tion of it by M. Ramboux, the Conservator of the M11senm in that city. "Cette petite cloche est de quelque importance pour l'histoire arcMologi­que de musique. Elle appertenait a 1' ancienno eglise Saint Cecile de Cologne, actuellement chapelle de l'hoRpital. Le hasard l'a sauvee, elle se trouve, sur la. votite de la. tour de l'eglise. Cette cloche est composee de trois lames de fer battu, jointes par des clous, a la. maniere de chaudrons. Cette construction pa.rait a.voir precede l'usage de fondre les grosses cloches. Cette petite a 42 centim~tres de ha.ut ; elle est de forme allongee, aplatie ; 1e son en est a.ssez fort, et sonore. On dit queUe a ete baptisee par Cum bert, quinzieme ev~que de Cologne. On l'appelle Le Soufang, par­cequelle aurait et6 trouvoo un cochon, une truie, vera l'an · 613. Selon

p•

808 TINTINNABULA.

le tradition populaire, rest dans un marais pr$ des Eglises St. Pierre et Ste. Cecile, que . la truie aurait trouve cette cloche. ll y avais autrefois a Cologne, une petit cloche appelee le Ra'\lertchen, elle etait plus ancienne, que le premiere cathedrale . commencee en 814, par HildeboH, ami de Charlemagne. Cette cloche a disparu sans doute pendant le revolution."

The passage in one of the Capitulars of Charlemagne, dated in 789,

quoted at tl,le beginning of Chapter V., not only indicates the use of the term cloc, but points out the distinction between the cloc, or small hand-bell, and the large bells, in these terms " cloccaJ non aunt bapti­za.ndts ;" whereas the practice of christening bells (Signa seu CampanaJ,} is of a very remote date ; thus, whilst Baronius describes the christening of a large bell by Pope John XIII. (in the latter half of the tenth oontury,) to be placed in the tower of the Lateran Church ; Menard refers the custom to a much earlier period.

We can scarcely conceive any instrument more convenient for calling together the inhabitants who were first visited by the early mtsstonanes than a portable bell of some form or other, borrowing the usage from the Christians of Italy to denote the hours of devotion and summon the people to Church. Though their use for devotional purposes was sup­pressed in the East by the Arabs and Turks, yet in the West their use increased.

In this chapter I purpose to bring together a number of scattered notices of such portable hand bells ; which, although for many ages regarded with the highest veneration by thd early Christian8 of the British, and Irish, and Scotch Churches, have long been disused and neglected I am the better able to do this, from the very liberal permission allowed me by the various writers on the subject in cli.fferent volumes,. mostly of Archreological proceedings ; and to cu1l from their researches every thing of interest to the general reader, ancl also the use of many wood blocks and costly engravings, without which the descriptions would have lost half their interest.

" The small ancient quadrangular portable hand-bells of iron or bronze are some of the most interesting objects of the early Christian period.

The notices which have been collected together relative to them, clearly

TINNTINABULA.

shew that they were regarded with the like feeling of veneration in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, wherever the British Church was main­tained, by bringing e.1l those notices together, the subject will be more fully illustrated ; for, with regard to Ireland, we know from Bede,' that the early British Church differed in no respect from that of Ireland, which was known in the early ages of Christianity under the name of Scotia, the religious establishments of the north of Great Britain having been founded by Irish saints."-Westwood, Arch. Camb. v. iii. p. 230, &c.

Stavelev, in his History of Chu'rches, informs us that the Welsh and Irish used to think that bells could perform cures, miracles, &c. ; and Fosbroke' has collected various notices of the regard in which bells were held amongst them ; and in the remote ages of the Celtic Church, bells were even supposed to have wonderful powers of locomotion.' I men­tion this now to a.ccount for the superstitious veneration· which, I shall presently point out, was bestowed upon these relics of antiquity. " I have met with no notice" (to quote again the words of Mr. Westwood m his artide on these little bells, iu the Archmol. Oambriensis, vol. ill. p. 232,) "of the mode of employment of these sme.ll hand bells in any of the works on the early Liturgies which I have consulted, whether, therefore, used as Altar bells, or whether employed in their ambulatory ministration by the early Christians in these islands, cannot therefore perhaps, be now determined. The reverence bestowed upon them in these ialand.s, seems not to have been shared in by the ChriStian Church."

"It is remarkable that the numerous illuminated Anglo-Saxon manuscripts (many of whieh contain illustrations of the various customs of that early period) give us no clue to the use of these small hand bells. Strutt, who collected such ample materials from this source, has given nothing bearing upon the present subject in his work on the Anglo Saxon antiquities."

"The bells so highly reverenced by ,the British and Irish Christians during the middle ages were relics of some or other of the early fountlers of Christianity in these islands, to whom they had belonged, and which had been preserved ever since the time of the saint in the monasteries, or other

s EcckliMtical Hutory, vol. ii., cap. 4.

a Britu!. Monachum, 4t-o. 429.

' Popular .4.ntiguitiu, ii. 594.

810 TINTINNABULA.

religious establishments founded by the saints themselves, or elsewhere k ept in the custody of an hereditary keeper."

"Be11s appear to have been used in Ireland as early aa the time of S. Patrick (died A.D. 493). They are mentioned in the lives of most of tbe early Saints. in the annals of the Four Maste1·s, nnd in other ancient

compositions. Giraldus Cambrensis, in his Welsh ltine·rary, as translated by Sir R C. Hoare, says that "both the laity and clergy in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, held in such veneration ~rtain portable bells, that they were more afraid of swearing falsely by them than by the goopels, because of some hidden and miraculous power with which they were gifted ; and by the vengeance of the saint to whom they were par· ticu1arly pleasing, their despisers and tranRgressors were severly punished."'

The following quotation from the Lives of the English Saints, (S. Augustine, p. 35,) relates to the practioee of the British Church in the

day of S. Germanus. "It is important to shew the great antiquity of certain ecclesi.a.~cal

customs, the origin of which is sometimes referred to a later period. One characteristic of the British Church in the fifth oenturv was the great honour paid to the sanctuaries and offices of religion. Every person

who met a priest made obeisance to him, and asked him for his blessing. Similar marks of respect were also paid to Churches, and the appurtenances of Divine worship, such as Bells, Service books, and Vestments."

Gildas is also said to have sent to S. Brigit, as a token of his regard. a small bell, cast by himself.

At the time when S. Teilo was raised to the episcopal dignity, we are

informed in the Liber Landavensis, p. 342,6 that "the people presented him with a bell that was more famous than great, more valuable in reality than appearance, because it exceeded every organ in sweetnef.IS of sound;

it condemned the perjured, it healed, the sick, -and what appeared more wonderful, it sounded every hour without any one moving it ; until, being prevented by the sin of men, who rashly handling it with polluted hands,

0 See Hardiman's Iriila Min~trilly, quoted in Wakeman's HtJttt/b()()l: of Imla ..!ntigt~iNt, p. l57.

• Liber Lantlallenli.T-Life of 8. Teilo: Girald. Cam b., Ikr., Omnb. lib. i., cap. i. p. W i

Moore's ireland, p. 257 ; Williams' Eccl81 • .Antiq. of <:ymry.

TINTINNABULA. 311

it ceased from such sweet ·performance. Nor was be presented with such a. gift unsuitably ; for like as a. beU invites men from the depths of sleep

·and slothfulness to Church, so the eminent prelate, Teilo, being made a. pr.eacher of Christ, by incessant preaching wins them to heaven." From this account we should suppose the bell of S. Teilo not to have been one of the portn.ble bells ; but we are informed by Mr. Williams (Eccles. Anliq. of Oymry, p. 188,} that "the patriarch of Jerusalem presented S. Teilo with a. ~mall bell, which is supposed by some to have been at the Church of Glaacum in Elvein, in the time of Giraldus Cambrensis, and to have been called Bangu."

Gimldus Cambrensis, (Sir R C. Hoare's edit. vol i. p. 5,) states "that at Elevein, in the Church of Glascum, (a small village in a mountainous and retired situation between Bualt in Brecknockshire, and Kington. Herefordshire,) is a. portable bell endowed with great virtues, called Bangu.,

and said to have belonged to S. David. A certain woman secretly conveyed this bell to her husband, (who was confined in the ca8tle of Racdergwyn, near W artbremon. which Rhys, son of Gruffydh, had lately built,) for the purpose of his deliverance. The keepers of the casUe uot only refused t{) liberate him for this consideration, but seized and detained the bell, and on the same night, by Divine vengeance, the whole town, with the exception of the wall on which the bell hung was consumed by fire."

Upon this Bangu, Sir Richard Hoare, p. 22, makes the following annotation : .. This was a hand bell kept in all the Welch Churches during the times of Popery, which the clerk or sexton took to the house of the deceased on the day of the funeral ; when the procession began a psalm was sung ; the bellman then sounded his bell in a solemn manner for some time, till another psalm was concluded ; and he again sounded it at intervals, till the funeral a.rriyed at the Church. The Bangu. was at this period deemed sacred, which account-a for the superstitious attributEs given to it by Gira.ldus. This ancient custom prevailed till lately a.t Caerleon ;' a. bell of the same kind being carried about the streets, and

'Sir Richard Hoare published in 1806.'

It is the custom at O.d'ord for a bellman to precede the funeral procession of any member of a College, 10unding a hand bell at inte"al• tiD the corpee arrivea at the place of intenr.ent.

312 TINTINNABULA.

sounded just before the interment of a corpse ; and some old people now living remember this ceremony to have prevailed in many other places."

Cressy, in his Chu·rch History, informs us, " that in the gesta.. of S. Oudoceus (second Bishop of Llandaff,) in the year of grace 560, croeses and the use of be1Js were known in the British Churches." The following is the legend about the bell of S. Oudoccus at Llanda.ft: from L·£ber La.ndavensis, p. 37!:S. " S. Oudoceus being thirsty after undergoing labour, and more accustomed to drink water than any other liquor, came to a fountain in the vale of Llanda.ft: not far from the Church, that he . might drink, where he found women washing butter, after the manner of the country ; and sending to them his messenger and disciples, they requested that they would accommodate them with a vessel that their pastor might drink therefrom ; who, ironically, as mischievous girls, said, We have no other cup besides that which we hold in our hands, namely, the butter; and the man of blessed memory taking it, formed one in the shape of a small bel~ and he raised his hand so that he might drink therefrom, and he drank. And it remained in that form, that is, a golden one, so that it appeared to those who beheld it, to consist altogether of the purest gold ; which, by Divine power, is from that day reverently preserved in the Church of Llandafl: in memory of the holy man, and it is said that by touching it, health is given to the diseased 8

At Llangeney (Llangenan, or 8. Cenan's), near Crickhowel, we are informed by Jones (Brecknock.shire, vol. ii. p. 467,) that a "small bell was dug up (some years previous to 1809) on the site .of the original chapel or oratory of 8. Cenan, on a farm eastward of the present Church, called Pen-y-daren, upon the summit of a little rocky knoll, aa the name signifies. The shape is singular ; instead of being round, as usual, it has four sides or faces, is twelve inches and half in height from the handle, by which it was hung from the mouth, which expands, and is considerahly broader than the top, where i:t is about seventeen inches in circumference, whereas at the bottom it is twenty-four inches. It does not weigh twenty pounds; but the iron, which was formerly

a Mr. Williams aays (p. 188,) tha~ tue inscripti&n on this bell " is in characters apparently of the age in which that holy man lived ; that is, they are similar to the letters of _Samson's monQUlent in 'Llanylltyd VaWT." This bell is not at preaent known at LlandafF.

TINTINNA BULA. 313

cased with bell metal or brass, is much corroded, and the tongue is gone. It was then in the possession of the Rev. H. T. Payne.' Its height is 12} inches, the mouth is 7! by 6 inches.

" An ancient copper bel1, which. from the slight description given of it, was evidently one of the ecclesiastical bells, is alluded to by Mr. Rowland, in the Antiquitates Parochiales, (published in the Archaol. Cambrens. vol. iii. p. 59,) near to the township of Tre'r Drew, or of S. Beuno, formerly subject to the monastery of Clynnog, a fact which he considered to be confirmed by the ruins of a chapel there, commonly called Capel Beuno, near the house of Tre'r Drew, and a1so by a certain copper bell of an unusual shape, which is religiously preserved at the house of Tre·r Drew, called Clock Velen Veuno, i.e., the ye1low bell of Beuno."1

"At the Carnarvon meeting of the Cambrian Archreological Association, T. L. Jones-Parry, Esq., exhibited a small quadrangu]ar bell of mixed meta1, which had, time out of mind, been kept in the Church of Llangwynodl, Camarvonshire, which is here represented. It measures 5! inches in height (exclusive of the handle), and at ita mouth it is 6l inches in its longest, and 4 inches in its shortest width. The two widest sides are nearly straight., but the ends rather bu1ge outwards in the middle. The mouth has the edge formed into a rim, and has several small cracks extending a

9 This engraving of Mr. Payne's bell will also be found among the Illustrations at the

end, alongside that of S. Ninian, which it resembles. It is now in the possession of Mr.

Kerslake, Bookseller, Bristol, who bought it in 1858, at the sale of the eft'ecta of the­

late Archdeacon Payne. 1 I have not succeeded in finding this bell.

q

8H TJ~TINNABULA.

little way upwards. Within, is a clapper, formed of a long iron stem, with a ring of the same metal fastened near its extremity, suspended from a aoop of metal fixed within the upper part of the bell beneath the handle. The handle itself constitutes the most interesting portion of the relic, each end being attached to the bell by a dilated part, representing the head of some nondescript animal, with a truncated nose, having two nostrils a.t the

angles, behind which is a deep oblique impression, with the two ey~ impressed considerably higher up in the handle. The detached figures exhibit one of the hea<b in front and in profile. The bell is in excellent preservation, with the surface smooth and polished." '

"In the absence of any inscription, it is, of course, very difficult

to determine the age of this relic. Its quadrangular shape, and the monstrous heads by which the handle is attached to the body of the bell, are peculiarities of a very early period ; in fact, the heads of similar animals are represented in the oldest Irish and Anglo-Saxon illuminated manuscripts. The exce11ent preservation of the object, and its good workmanship, seem, however, to refer it to a comparatively recent period." Mr. Jones Parry, to whose zeal we are indebted for a knowledge of this bel1, gives the following account of it in a letter to Mr. Westwood, whose description of it I have taken (with his permission) from his article on the subject in the A.rch(]Jologia Oambr,ru., 1849, p. 168.

t There is a bell in the British Museum of very similar type, from the collection of !fl. Cooke's Irish Bells, a figure of it will be found among the DlOBtrations at the end.

TINTINNA HULA. 315

"The bell which has escaped the notice of all other antiquarians, I found was used to call the children into school, which was, and is held in one of the aisles of the Church, which was partitioned off for the purpose. I was told that the bell had been formerly round, but was squeezed into its present form by the famous Llwyd Faur, a gigantic ancestor of Lloyd Edwards, Esq. of Nanhoran. Before a funeral, the clerk used to go round the Churchyard ringing the bell There are persons still living who remember that in Carnarvon, a bell used to be rung through all the streets to give notice of an approaching funeral. At Holywell, Flintshire, a person goes round the town ringing a bell to call the inhabitants to Church, thence called the Walking Steeple. The ter­ulinations of the handle are certainly serpent's heads. The hell is rather oblong than square, and sounds differently when the clapper strikes the contrary sides of it.'' . "At the Carnarvon meeting of the Cambrian Archmological Association, the Dean of Hereford, Dr. Merewether, exhibited an ancient bronze

bell, which he has thus described in the Journal of the Archmological Institule, vo1. v. p. 330."1 "This bell was found at Marden, Hereford­shire, in cleaning out a pond, below the mud and rubbish which had

a This engraving has been lent to me by the publishers of the Journal, Meesra. Parker.

t/

316 TINTINNABULA.

accumulated for centuries, and at a depth of eighteen feet below the level of the adjacent ground. The pond is only a few yards from the Church, built on the spot where the body of S. Ethelbert, murdered by Offa, was said to have been deposited, and in which there is still a hole in a stone of the floor, where, tradition says, the body rested, and a miraculous spring arose. The pond is in a field belonging to the Vicar. The site of the Vicarage house baa been asserted to have been that of Offa's palace ; whilst others claim that distinction for " Sutton W al1s,"' about a mile off: and which was evidently a Roman encampment, thoug~ possibly, afterwards occupied by Offa., and his palace built thereon. It is an elevated spot, and in the area there is a hollow still called the King's Cellars, where, it is said, a precious diadem was found some years since."

" The bell appears to have been formed of a sheet of bell metal, which had been hammered into shape, and it is rivetted on each side ; the handle · a.t the top is rounded beneath for the hand ; the clapper is gone, but there is a loop inside from which it was suspended."

"There is a tradition here among the common people, that therA is, m the river Lugg, near the Church, a large silver bell, which will never be got out until two white oxen are attached to it to draw it."

"The great tithes and glebe of Marden, held by the Dean and Chapter of Hereford, were granted to that Church by Offa.''

"The bell itself appears to be formed (says Mr. Westwood,) of mixed• metal, which is very much corroded, even to small boles in a few places. It does not stand quite upright, and measures 12 inches in height (ex­clusive of the handle,) 7! inches across the bottom, or widest diameter of the mouth of the bell, and 5 inches across the narrowest diametei of the mouth, the upper part measuring 5 inches in the longest, and 3

• My own opinion is that all these little bells, having the appearance of bronze, were formed in the same way as sheep bells are made to this day. There is a. family at Market Lavington, Wilts, by the name of Potter, who have made them for generations, and so sonorous are their bells, that on a still night they may be heard on Salisbury Plain, at a distance

of four miles. Sheet iron is bent into the fonn, then rivetted together, then the intended bell is bound round with narrow strips of thin brass; some boraz is applied as a jlure, and the whole

being enveloped in loam or clay, is submitted to the heat of a. furnace, by which the brass ill melted, and gets intermixed with the heated iron, and 110 renders it sonorous. Or

else, they were platsd with brass (the iron being first dipped in tin), as plated articles of brau

are now produced.

TINTINNABULA. 317

inches in the narrowest diameter, where it is 15 inches in circumference, whilst at the mouth its circumference is 24l inches. The construction of this bell is exceedingly rude, and must be referred to a very early date. The longer sides of the mouth bulge outwardly, whilst the shorter ones are nearly straight, and the seams of the edges, on each side, are covered at the top by a flap of metal bent downwards. The edgee of both sides or the bell are also fastened with four large rivets. The two ends of the metal loop for supporting the clapper are attached beneath the ends of the hand.Je."6

" The proximity of the locality where this bell was found to Wales, leads me to regard it as a relic of the British, rather than of the Anglo-Saxon Church, an opinion strengthened by the description of a very similar bell preserved at Birnie (of which hereafter) in Scotland, the Christians of which country were disciples of the early Irish Church, between which and the British, as stated before (p. 309) on the authority of Venerable Bede, there were no material distinctions.

I add a short note of two hand bells in Anglesey ; one already pub­lished in the Arclueol. Cambrens., 1861, which was found in the Church of Llandeusant, the engraving of which has been kindly lent to me (Fig. 1).

The other from Llanrhyddlad Church (Fig. 2), is of small dimensions, being only 4 inches high, and 2t by 2 inches at the bottom; both are of cast bronze ; they were probably used at the celebration of Mass.

2

• The minute description of this bell given by the Dean will apply to many otbera of the same form whioh have been found in other places, and are illustrated in the plates at the end.

316 TINTI:-lN A HULA.

I now pass on to bells of a simi1ar description, whicn have been found in Scotland, and with the kind permission of Dr. Wilson, who has also allowed me the use of his valuable illustrations, for which I here return my sincere thanks, I extract from the second edition of his valuable work, the Prehistoric Annals of Scotland, vol. ii., pp. 460 to 475, in which there is mixed up an account of some Irish bells.

" Among genuine ecclesiastical relics, none appear to have been held in higher eRteem than the rude handbells, employed in the Church Service by the first Christian Missionaries, and frequently covered with costly coverings, or elaborately decorated shrines, by the piety and superstition of later ages. One of the most interesting is the beautiful bell-shrine and bell, discovered about the year 1814, on the demolition of a ruined wall on Torrebhlaurn farm, in the parish of Kilmichael~Gl888rie, Argyleshire and now among the most valued treasures in the Museum of the Scottish Antiquities."8

Without entering into any discussion as to the Norwegian origin of these relics, it is sufficient for our purpose that both the style and circum· stances under which it was discovered equally prove its great antiquity, and its native workmanship, points, perhaps, hardly requiring to be discussed.

"It is not difficult to show that bells were in use in Scotland upwards of four centuries before the conversion of S. Olaf and his Norwegian Earls. They were indeed introduced by the first Christian Missionaries, and summoned the brethren of Iona to prayer, whilst the gloriosum c(E'TU)bium

of the sacred isle was only a. few wattled huts. The reference of Adamnan to St. Columba's bell, when he bad notice that king Aidan was going forth to battle, sufficiently indicates its use.» (See the pa.ssa.ge in Note

p. 306). "We have as little reason for supposing that the frail curracb of Sl

Columba waR freighted with a ponderous Church bell, as that the first Monastery of Iona was distinguished by a lofty belfry tower. But the little h~md~bell of the primitive bishop would abundantly suffice to sum· mon together the band of pioneers in the wilderness of Iona. If the a.nnexed engraving do not represent the identical bell of the Scottish Apostle, it is one consecrated to him, and sufficiently primitive in ita

6 See Plate at the end.

TINTINNABULA. 819

cha1'8cter to have called together the family of Iona to their or1sons, beneath the osier groins of the firat Cathedral of the isles. It is the bell of S. Columbkill from the Dungannon collection. The original, which measures 11! inches in height, was preserved for many generations in the family of the M'Gurk.s, from whose ancestors the parish of Termon Maguirk, in the county of Tyrone, takes its name.

"This bell was held by the native Irish even of the present generation in peculiar veneration, and though usually called by them the Clogna Choluimchille, or bell of St. Columbk.ill; it also bore the name of o,a OlOohatcur, or God's vengeance; alluding to the curse implicitly believed to fall on any who petjure themselves by swearing falsely on it. This bell was used till very lately throughout the county of Tyrone in cases of solemn asseveration, but much of its essential virtue must have exhaled on its transference to the repositories of the antiquary."

"The Kilmichael-Glassrie bell, now in the museum of the Scottish An­tiquaries, appears to have closely corresponded to the simple iron clog figured above. Within the beautiful brass shrine shown in the engraving is a rude iron bell, so greatly corroded, that its original form can only be imperfectly tniced; yet this, and not the shrine, was obviously the chief object of veneration, and may · indeed be asssumed with much probability to be some centuries older than the ornamental case in which it is preserved. The name of Dia Dioghaltus, or God's vengeance, specially appropriated to the bell of S. Columba, is applicable to all

.•

820 TINTINNABULA.

the relics of this class, which we shall find were among the most venerated objects of the Celtic Church."

"It remains to be seen if any such ecclesiastical implements, or symbols of office, ever pertained to the Scandinavian Church, though they may have been in general use throughout the earlier Christian countries of Europe, centuries before Scandinavia abandoned the creed of Odin."

"With such evidence of the use of the consecrated bells as one of the most essential ecclesiastical implements of the first missionary bishops. we can be at no loss to account for the origin of the beautiful relic found in the parish of Kilmichael-Glassrie, Argylesbire.

" The very accurate engraving' renders any minute description un­

necessary. It is an ornamental square case or shrine, probably of the tenth century, attached to the bottom of which is a thin plate of brass pierced with a circular hole in the centre. Inside this case, but entirely detached from it, is the rude and greatly corroded iron bell,

which is no doubt of an earlier date. When first discovered, it appeared to have been carefully wrapped in a piece of woollen cloth then al­most entirely decayed. The bole in the lower plate is large enough to admit of the insertion of the finger, and was perhaps designed to allow of the bell being touched as a consecrated and miraculously gifted relic, without removing it from ita case. Dr. Petrie remarks on the quad­rangular form of the Irish portable bells as an evidence of their great antiquity, and refers to the inscribed one in the Dublin Museum, as a remarkable example of the transition to the later circular form in the ninth century. 8

"At a very recent date ancient consecrated bellR appear to have be~n

preserved in Scotland with superstit ious reverence ; and evidence of the moet satisfactory kind proves the existence of others dedicated to primitive Scottish saints, some of which are still in the custody of their hereditary custodiers.

''The accompanying engraving represents one example of the most primitive form, 4i inches in height, obtained in Pertbshire, and preserved along with other valuable Scottish relics in the collection of the late Charles

, See the Plate at the end. • Ecclu • .bcAitMul't1 qf Ir~JlMul, Svo. p. 262.

TINTINNABUI.A.. til

Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Esq., but, unfortunately no clue exists to ita origin&! dedication or early history. Like most relics of this class, it is fashioned

out of a single plate of sheet iron ; and the ring which forms the handle projects internally, so as to form a loop, from which the clapper was

suspended. Another bell of somewhat larger dimensions, and equally rude workmanship, found at Hume Castle, near Kelso, is preserved in the collection of the Tweedside Antiquarian Society there ; but this example also is no longer hallowed by the associations which give to some similar native relics so peculiar an interest. n

" Representations of these venerated relics of the Celtic Church have been introduced on various early Scottish seals, and the bell of S. Kentigern, the great apostle of Strathclyde, a.ft..er forming for centuries a. prominent feature in the armorial bearings of the archiepiscopal see, still figures in the modern city's arms. It has been thought that the original bell escaped the indiscriminate destruction of sacred relics at the Reformation, from an entry in the accounts of the treasurer of Glasgow for the year 1578, of a charge of two shillings 'for ane tong to Sa.nct M~gowe's bell'1 But this was, no doubt, a larger and more practical instrument than the original bell of the western saint, figured on the ancient civic seal, used in the reign of Robert. 1., a.s well as on the contempora.r:f Chapter seal; and described by father Innes as on the

lJ Burgh llecord1 of GltUgow, Maitland Club. p. I 04. r

322 TINTINNABULA.

burgh seal attached to a charter, now lost, of the year 1293.' On the former of those it is very distinctly shown, corresponding to the earliest square portable bells with looped handles ; and various references both in the Registrum Episcopatus Gla.sgue·asis. and in the Liber Colkgii 'TU)Stri Domini Glasguensi.s. MDXLIX.. to the Campana Beati Kemigerni, abun­dantly confirm the evidence of its sanctity. It is also repeatedly referrel to in the Aberdeen Breviary. as in the anthem appointed for the day of the Apostle of Strathclyde :

"Visita.t alma pii vite septena loca Petri Presul oampama cui seruit in ethere sacra.."

An author of the seventeenth century affirms that the venerable relic survived even to the reign of Charles I.' Nor is there anything in· conceivable m this, when so many others of the same kind are still pre­served."

" This woodcut represents another of those Celtic relics, which, though preserved along with other memorials of Ireland's saints, in the valu· able collection of the late Mr. Bell, of Dungannon, pertains to one of the primitive apostles of his own natjve land, the celebrated Scottish missionary bishop, S. Ninian, or S. Ringan. The clog Rinny, or bell of S Ninian, of malleable iron, is coated, as usual, with bronze, and measures only 6! inches in height. It is rude enough to have been contemporary

2 .Be!fot. Epi8copat. Glalg~Mnl., Plates II. and V. 1 Dat~idu 0am8rani tk Scotorum fortitudirte, &c., Pari11, 1631; Note in Liher Col. IIOitri

Dom. Gla.gu.

TINT INN ABULA.. 823

with the Candida Casa of Whithem in Galloway, and to have summoned to the preaching of the missionary bishop the first of the tribes of North Britain converted to the worship of the true God.

"The honour attached to the custody of these most sacred relics occasioned in various cases the creation of special offices with emoluments and lands

pertaining to their holders, and the transference of these to lay impropriators, on the overthrow of the ancient ecclesiastical system, ha..q led to the pre­servation of some few of the relic.q of primitive Scottish saints, even to our

own day. But for the rude shock of civil war which, in the last century, involved so many of our oldest nobility in the ruined fortunes of the fated Stuart race, more of them might have been still in existence. Both the Sacra Campana Sancti Ke$sogii, and the Sacra Campana. Sancti Lolani, were included among the feudal investitures of the earldom of Perth; a

sufficiently significant proof of the value ascribed to them. They are re­ferred to so recently as the year 1674.4 The Clagan, or little bell of S. Barry, a fu.vourite old Celtic saint, who gives name to the district of Argyleshire where he is said to have ministered, remained t ill the close of last century in the possession of the principal heritory of Kilberry parish."

" The bell of St. Barry's Chapel,'' says the compiler of the old account of the pari<~h of South Knapdale, " is still in preservation at Kilberry

Castle, and has been long prostituted to the ignoble purpose of summoning the servants of that family to their meals. It is inscribed with the saint's name in the Latin language and Saxon character, but unfortunately without date."~ I learn on inquiry from T. Campbell, E'lq., the present proprietor of Kilberry Castle, that the ancient bell no longer exists. In the letter with which he has favoured me, he remarks, "I have heard my father say that it fell clown and crar.ked ; the metal was re-cast into another

bell which is here now, I have heard him mention the inscription, but do not believe there was any copy of it kept."6

"~ore minuk information relative to the preservation of another of the

ancient Scottish Saints' ~lis, as the evidence of hereditary right to the privileges attached to ita custodier, is supplied by The Airlie Papers

' Inquil. ad Capell. Dom. Regil BAtomatarum, Perth, NN. 708, 880. 6 Sinclair• Stat . .d-ec., vol. xix., p. 818.

6 MS. IAtUr• from J. Campbell, Esq., of Kilberry Castle, to Dr. Wilson. r

124 TINTINNABULA.

printed in· the Spalding Miscellany ;1 one of these is a formal resignation

of the bell of S. Meddan by Michael Davi<L the hereditary curator, to Sir John Ogilvy, and the transference of it by him to his wife. Margaret Countess of Moray, of date 27 June, 1447. It is followed by "the

instrument of Sessyn of the bell." dated twenty-one days later, from which we diaoover the substantial advantages pertaining to the custody of this relic. The Countess was thereby put in possession of a house or toft near the Church of Luntrethin, which pertained to the bell, of which it formed both the title and evidence of tenure. The instrument

of Sessyn further describes the Countess having been shut into the hoUBe by herself after receiving the feudal symbols of resignation of the property by the delivery to her of earth and stone."

" The holy bell of S. Rowan, in like manner, still remains in the keeping of the family of the Dewars, of Monivaird, as the evidence and guarantee

of certain hereditary chartered rights ; and though no such substantial benefits now pertain to the Guthrie bell, it is preserved by the Guthries, of Guthrie, among their valued heirlooms. This beautifully inscribed bell is represented on a Plate at the end, engraved from a careful drawing of the original. According to the traditions of the family, it pertained to the Church of Guthrie, in Forfarshire, a prebend of the Cathedral of Brechin,

and shows, by the costly decorations it has received at different periods, the great veneration that was once attached to it. It measures only

8} inches high, and has consisted of a mere iron clagan of the rudest simplicity. But this, after suffering dilapidation from age and violence, has been richly decorated at more than ona subsequent period, with bronze, silver work, niello, and gilding. The inscription is inlaid in niello, on a broad silver plate att.ached to the lower edge of the front of the bell, m characters of the fourteElnth century :

jaf)annt£S alt:J;aniJti me fieri fecit. The figure in the centre representing our Saviour on the Cross, and wearing a cap closely resembling a Scotch bonnet, in place of the crown of thorns, is of bronze gilt, and obviously the work of an earlier period than the surrounding figures, including the First Person of the Trinity,

7 Airlie Papers, Spalding Milcelkmy, vol. iv., pp. 117, 118.

TINTINNABULA.

represented 88 the Ancient of days. These are wrought in silver and finished with the graver, 88 is also the larger figure of a bishop, on the left side. The figure represented in the accompanying woodcut, the full size of the original, occupies the right side of the beU, where the rivets still re­

maining show that a second figure had accompanied it. This corresponds in material anc.l archaic execution to that of our Saviour, and represents an ecclesiastic in a plain sleeveless gown, holding a book in his left hand ; but, owing to ite greater age and exposed position, the features are nearly obliterated.,

"The Aberdeen Breviary commemorates a Scottish bell, pre­sented to S. Ternan the apostle of the Pict.s by Pope Gregory the Great, which was preserved with other relics of the saint, at the Church erected over his tomb at Banchory, Aberdeenshire; and legal deeds of the fifteenth

century are extant to show the importance attached to the custody " of the bell of Sanct Ternan, callit The Ronecht,''8 a name probably derived from the Gaelic Ronnaich, a poet- Rannoch, a songster, in allusion to its melodioua

sounds, though such is by no means a usual characteristic of these primi­tive bells, their cloga'rnach or tinkling being anything but musical."

"The old account of the parish of Killin, in Perthshire, contains a notice of the bell of another favorite Celtic saint, that of S. Fil1an, who flourished in the middle of the seventh century, not only preserved, but had in

• reverence for its miraculous powers, almost to the close of the eighteenth century. It is described as "of some mixed metal, about n. foot high, and of an oblong form.9 It usually lay on a gravestone in the Church­yard. When mad people were brought to be dipped in the Saint's pool it W88 necessary to perform certain ceremonies, in which there was a

mixture of Druidism and Popery. After remaining all night in the . Chapel bound with ropes, the bell was set upon their head with great solemnity. It was the popular opinion that, if stolen, it would extricate itself out of th9 thief's hands, and return home ringing all the way. For some years past, this bell has been locked up to prevent its being

8 ~t. Epi8c • .tl.berdon., vol. i., pp. 327, 328; SptJltling Yucellany, vol. iv., Pref. p. xxii. 9 See. Gentleman' • .MQgazine.

326 TINTINNABULA.

used to superstitious purposes."• Pennant visited the locality, and refers to the peculiar gifts of healing ascribed to the Saint, but he does not appear to have known of this bell. Some portions of the ruined Chapel exist, and the pool of Strathfillan remains, as of yore, still distinguished by the peasantry as the Holy pool, and even visited by some who have faith in its virtues ; but if the bell is to be seen, it must be sought for among the treasures of some private collector. "It was stolen," says the author of the recent account of K.illin parish, writing in 1843, "by an English antiquarian, about forty years ago." Unhappily, the old virtues of the bell had departed, or the saint no longer favours a faithless gene­ration, else its potent clogarnach should long since have announced its return to Strathfillan."

"But another bell of the same favorite Saint, the Buidhean, of Strowan, in Blair Atholl, is still preserved in the district where popular veneration long a&::ribed to it nearly similar virtues. One favorite tradition tel1s that the native of a neighbouring parish hav;ng stolen the Buidhean, he sat down to rest, in the course of his flight, on the top of a neighbouring hill, and laid the bell on a stone beside him while he drew breath. On attempting to resume his journey, however, he found it immoveable; and it was not till the · affrighted and penitent thief turned his face towards Strowan with the resolution of restoring the abstracted treasure, that it became once more portable, and was easily borne back to its favorite shrine. The Buidhean of S. Fillan is of iron coated with bronze, and rudely riveted after the fashion of such Celtic relics. It is now in the possession of T. B. M'Inroy, Esq., of Lude, who gave the parish a modern bell of more practical utility in exchange for the ancient clagan."

"Two interesting additions to this curious class of Scottish ecclesiastical relics have been made in recent years. In 1843, the Kingoldrum bell, now in the Scottish collection at Edinburgh, was dug up in the Church­yard of the parish of Kingoldrum, in Forfarshire, and contained, in addition to its detached tongue, a bronze chalice and a glass bowl. More recently, the researches of Mr. James Farrer have led, a-mong other and more valuable discoveries, to the recovery of another iron skeJlach measuring twelve inches high, which lay buried in the ruins of a burgh or tower a.t

1 Sincl!lir'• 8tatilt • ..d.Dcotmt, vol. xvii., p. 377.

TINTINNABULA. S27

Saverough, in Orkuey, alongside of a group of atone cists, and protected by a similar vault of stone. It is of iron coated with bronze, riveted

at the side; the loop for the clapper still remammg. Incluiling the handle, its height is 14! inches, and 9 by 7 at the mouth. It is now de. posited with the accompanying relics in the Scottish Museum."

"On the island of Inniskenneth, which is affirmed to derive its name from Kenneth, a friend of S. Columba, whom the prayer of the Saint rescued from drowning, there are the ruins of an ancient Chapel of small dimensions, about forty feet in length, and arOlmd it some finely sculptured tombstones of early date. Here, towards the close of the last century, accoriling to the old account of the parish, a relic still existed, described by the statist, as " a small bell used at the celebra­tion of mass," which had previously attracted the attention of Dr. S. Johnson in his Hebridean tour. After describing the little Chapel, he says, 'On one side of the Altar is a baa-relief of the blessed Virgin, and by it lies a little bell, which, though cracked, and without a clapper, has remained there for ages, guarded only by the venerableness of the place.'' Unhappily, the reterrent spirit to which the bell of S. Kenneth so long held its safety has expired, and it must now be sought for in private hands ; but with so many evidences of the recent existence of such relics of the first preachers of the faith in Scotland, it is not un-

' Tour to t'M Wutern I1lafuk, 1773.

TINTINNABULA.

reasonable to conceive that this, M well as others, may be in sare keeping among the heirlooms of old Highland families, which a wider effusion of an intelligent spirit of reverence for national antiquities may bring to light. Meanwhile, these notices suffice to show that the beautiful bell found at Torrebhlawn is by no means unique in Scotland Probably. none of the earlier Christian missionaries were without such a potent relic, and the only Scandinavian influence which history would justify us

in connecting with them, is the diminution of their number, and the spoiling and slaying of their owners down to the comparatively late date of S. Olave's conversion, and his mission to the Pagan Norsemen of the Orkneys, armed with more carnal weapons than the bishop's crozier and consecrated bell."

To this very interesting aroount by Dr. Wilson, may be added a brief' notice of a small bell preserved at Cawdor Castle, a representation of which I am enabled to introduce here by the kindness of John Stuart, Esq., who has lent the block. (Fig. 1.) "A bell very similar to that found at Marden, in Herefordshire is preserved at Birnie, in Scotland. (Fig. 2.) Another, very like these, called the bell of S. Godeberte, is pre­served at Noyon, in France. It is supposed to date from the seventh

3 2

TINT IN~ ABULA. 329

century. I am indebted to M. l'Ab~ Jules Corblet for the loan of this representation (Fig. 3).

Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, in his A.ccownt of the Great Flvods, August 29, 1829, in the province of Moray and adjoining Districts, etates that: "Birnie was the first episcopal seat of the Bishopric of Moray. The eanctity of the old Church is still so great, that it is common to send from great distances to ask the prayers of ita congregation tor people in extremity. The popular saying is, • If a man be ill, let him be prayed for in the Kirk of Birnie, which will either end him or mend him.' There is a beautiful Saxon arch in the interior, and a very ancient stone font. But the most curious piece of antiquity is the Ronnell bell of Birnie, exhibited above (Fig. 2,) from a photograph kindly given by the Rev. George Gordon, the minister. It is said to have been brought from Rome by the first bishop of the see. It is about eighteen inches high, by six inches one way a.nd four inches the other at the mouth. Ita shape is angular, and joined at the sides with nails. It has a handle

• at the top, and no tongue remaining. Its metal seems to be bronze." In the Aberdeen Breviary (London, 1854), reference is made to a square

iron bell at Lismore in the Rixth century. The following account is from Dr. Stuart's Preface to vol. ii. of The Sculptured Sto-nes of Scotland, p. 24 : "We have an early notice of a Scotch blacksmith in the legend of S. Moloch, the patron saint of Lismore, and pupil of S. Brandan, who died in .A.D. 592. The saint requiring a bell of iron, and of a square shape for his Church, desired the neighbouring blacksmith to make it. The blacksmith being unwilling, pretended the want of fuel, on which the saint brought a bunch of rushes, and told him to make use of it for fuel. The indignant blacksmith put the bunch with the iron into the furnace, in the belief that it would be at once consumed, but it amply supplied the want of coals, 'et ferrum inde malleo aptum reddidit, ex quo campanam fabricavit, que hactenus in ecclesi.a. Li.smorensi in magno precio habetur, in hodiernum diem.'" a

The engraving of the Cla.odh Bhreanu bell (Fig. 4) is most kindly given

1 Bretriar .41Jwtlon., Part Eatil'. fol. 6. This passage of the Brev. Aberd. waa firat noticed in print by Dr. Reevett, in his rata S. Oolumbd:, !l· 84.

8

330 TINTINNABULA.

by Stewart Menzies, Esq., of Culderes. It is kept in a hole in the wa.ll of the burying ground, close by Kerrumore farm house in Glenlyon.

There is yet another Scotch bell (Fig. 5), of cast bronze, that of S. Fin ian. I am indebted to the kindness of Miss Jane Macdonald, of Lochiel, for the representation of this very ancient relic.

4 5

Irish Bells.-We will now cross over w Ireland, the richest si:A:>rehou.se of ancient ecclesiastical bells, though Scotland, as we have seen, claims W

herself many interesting varieties which have been described in the pre­ceding pages. As the early Church history of the two countries was so closely connected, it would have been difficult w avoid an allusion to some of those in the sister country at the same time, though I have endeavoured w separate the bells of each kingdom.

In the museum of the Royal Irish Academy there are eighteen different examples, including several of an exceedingly primitive character. The following is the description given by Professor Wilson in his Pre-­historic A.nnals of s~otland, Edition 1851, p. 656, "of one of the most remarkable, though not the earliest of them, which is inscribed Cto0 beanu10hce, or Blessed bell, called by Dr. Petrie, the Bell of Armagh ; it is a good example of this cla.ss of ecclesiastical Celtic relics, and IS

almost unique." The following account was forwarded w Mr. Wilson by Mr. Bell of

TINTINNABULA. 381

6

Dungannon; it affords a singularly lively illustration of the superstition with which such relics have been regarded even in our own day :

" The bell of Ballynaback, better known as the Clog beanuighte was preserved in a family named Hennings, whose residence is in the low road between Lurgan and Portadown, in the county of Armagh. Unlike other ancient Irish quadrilateral bells it bears on one of its sides an incised inscription, which renders it interesting, since the Church of Rome permitted only a cross, or the image of the patron saint, to be

engraved on such ecclesiastical bells. It would be idle to attempt re­counting the miraculous judgments visited on such as profaned or violated the oaths taken on the bell, or the wide spread desolation which befel such as were anathematized by it; for early in the twelfth century, as we are told by Meredith Hanmer, William of Winchester, by the authority of Celestine II. in a Council held at London, brought in the use of cursing with bell, book, and candle, 'which liked the Irish priests well, to terrifie the laytie for their tithes.' Paul Henning was the last keeper of the Clog beanuiqhte, and when any of his con­nex.ions died it was rung by him in front of the namna gul, the old women who, according' to the Irish fashion, caoine and bewail the dead. It was an ancient custom to place the bell near any of the Hennings, who were dangerously ill. I visited Mrs. _Henning, the widow of Paul Henning, on her death-bed. She lay m a large, badly lighted apart­ment, crowded with people. The bell, which had remained several days

s'

332 TINTINN ABULA.

near her head, seemed to be regarded by those who were present with much interest. The vapour of the heated chamber was so condensed on the cold metal of the bell, that occasionally small streams trickled down ita sides. This ' heavy sweating' of the bell, as it was termed, was regarded by every one with peculiar horror, and deemed a certain prog­nostication of the death of the sick woman, who departed this life a few hours after I left the room. The agonized bell, I was told, had on many previous occasions given similar tokens as proofs of ita sympathy on the approaching demise of ita guardians." From this family it paBSed to the Very Rev. Henry Dawson, late Dean of S. Patrick's, Dublin, and at his death was purchased and presented to the Royal Irish Academy.

I am informed by an eminent Irish Archreologist and linguist, that the oorrect reading of the inscription is given in the Proceedings of the Royal Ir£sh Academy, vol. i., p. 4 77, where the bell is described, and it is stated " the age of this bell can be determined with perfect accuracy from the following inscription in the ancient Irish character which is carved upon it :

'+ Op ar Chumarcach me a,t,ua,'-+ A prayer upon (i.e., for) Cumascach son of Ailill.

This Cumascach was <Economus of the Church of Armagh, and his death is recorded in the irish Annals, at 904."

The dimensions of the bell are Ill inches high, including the handle, 11 inches by 8 inches at the mouth.

Mr. Wilson goes on to say : " both the rounded form and the inscrip­tion are evidence of ita being of a later date than . the simpler quadran­gular form, and it is unhesitatin~ly assigned by Dr. Petrie,t as a work executed towards the close of the ninth century. The same quadrangular form of hand bell is represented on some of the Irish stone crosses of the ninth and tenth centuries."

The following notice in the Annotations of Tirechan, in the Book of

Armagh, is extremely interesting, as shewing the· bell among the OOcle­siastical gifts bestowed on Fiacc, Bishop of Sletty, when S. Patrick con­ferred on him the episcopal dignity, and may, therefore, suffice to account

tor ita possession by S. Columba, as one of the most essential insignia

• Eccles. .Architecture of Ireland, Svo., p. 252.

TINTINNABULA. 338

of the pastoral office : " Patrick conferred the degree of bishop upon him, so that he was the first bishop that was ordained among the Lagenians ; and Patrick gave a box to .Fiacc, containing a bell, and a menstir: and a crozier, and a poolire ;6 and he left seven of his people with him."

In Bishop Jeremy Taylor's Preface to A Dissuasive from Popery (first edition, 1664,) is a passage which curiously illustrates the credulity of the Irish with reg-c.t.rd to these ancient bells. He says:

"I was lately within a few months very much troubled with petitions and earnest requests for the restoring a bell which a person of quality had in his hands in the time of, and ever since, the late rebelliou. I could not guess at the reasons of their so great and violent importunity, but told the petitioners, if they could prove that bell to be theirs, the gentleman was willing to pay the full value of it; though he had no obligation to do so (that I know of) but charity; but this was so far from satisfying them, that still the importunity increased, which made me diligently to enquire into the secret of it. The first cause I found was, that a dying person in the parish desired to have it run~ before him to Church, and pretended he could not die in pea.ce if it were denied him ; acd that the keeping of that bell did anciently belong to that family from father to son ; but because this seemed nothing but a fond and an unreasonable superstition, I inquired further, and at last found, that they believed this bell came from heaven, and that it used to be carried from place to place, and to end controversies by oath, which the worst men durst not violate if they swore upon that bell, and the best men amongst them durst not but believe him ; that if this bell was rung before the corpse to the grave it would help him out of purgatory ; and that therefore when any one died, the friends of the deceased did, whilst the bell was in their possession, hire it for the behoof of their dead, and by this means that family was in part maintained. I was troubled to see under what spirit of delusion tho.'le poor souls do lie, how infinitely their credulity i3 abused, how certainly they believe in trifles, and perfectly rely on vanity, and how little they regard the truths of God, and how not at all they drink of the waters of salvation."

a Menstir, a reliquary ; poolire, a leathern bookcase or satchel. See Dr. Petl'ie's Ecclu

.Architecture of Ireland) p. 38.

TINTINNABULA

7

Tbere is a bell at Stival (Fig. 7) in the canton of Pontivy, in Bretagne, of very similar form to that of the bell of Armagh. According to tra­dition, it belonged to an early Breton saint, named Meriadec, aud it was

commonly called th6 Cap of S. Meriadec. It was supposed capable of curing maladies of the bead and ear, even deafness. It is of copper, mixed with silver, not cast, but beaten with a hammer. It is of the size of the hell of Armagh, though, unfortunately, the t"\Vo representations are not done on the same scale. On one side may be distinctly read the words, "Pm TUIUJ'IC IS TI "; they are written in a line from the top to the bottom of the bell. Palreographers have been led to believe that the words were engraven in Ireland a few years after the death of S. Patrick. They are the same characters in which are written the Manu· scripts of Durrow and Kells, in the library of Trinity College, Dublin, the date of which is conjectured to be from 550 to 800. With regard to the meaning of the words, I will merely add that the following has been suggested by an eminent Irish archreologist: PmTUR (i.e., Victor) F.ECISTI·'

6 See a fuller description of this bell by Le Viscomte Hersart de Ia VillemarquC, in E.INilia Mitnoiret th l'.k4demU, del Imcriptionl el Belle~ Lettret, tome uiv., partie II., 1864.

TINTINNA BOLA.

Referring again to Mr. Westwood's valuable article in the .A.rchaol. Cambrens. vol. iii., which he has most. kindly allowed me to copy, and for which I here return him my very Rincere thanks, I proceed to make the following extract :

"In the Dublin Penny Journal, vol iv., p. 237, are contained re­

presentations of two square religious Altar bells of the ancient Irish. One of these (Fig. 8), here represented, was discovered in the county of Monaghan, with various Celtic weapons.

8 9 •• The other (Fig. 9), much corroded by time, and composed of a mixed

metal hammered and riveted together, was dug up at Lough-More, in the county of Limerick, near the celebrated Abbey of Mungret, said to have been erected in the fourth century, before the arrival of S. Patrick in Munster."

"The second of the..'!e bells is not so conical as the one figured abo...-e, with a rim round the lower part, a small knob of metal in the middle of the top, which also appears to have been present in the one above represented, as indicated by the two holes in the top. The handle is flatter and broader than that of the bell of Armagh, resembling the handle of the top of a kitchen saucepan. There also appears to have been a loop of metal on each side at the upper angles."

« Amongst the sculptures which formerly decorated the ecclesiastical buildings at Glendalough, which Dr. Petrie a.<>cribes to the middle of the eighth century,7 the greater portion of which are now entirely destroyed, wa.<> one which formed the tympanum of the priest's Church, as it was

7 Dr. Petrie's Ecck1: .d.rclaitecture of Ireland, 247-251.

386 TINTINNA BULA.

called, an engraving of which was published by Ledwicb, and another, evidently far more perfect, by Mr. Petrie. This piece of sculpture is (or rather was) valuable for its representation of ecclesiastica1 personages.'

Mr. Ledwicb, ignorant of its real meaning, adopted it as a proof of the venality of the Irish Clergy. In the centre figure, however, which is represented as holding a book. we recognize not a bishop or priest, but Christ, or one of the four evangelists, or rather, perhaps, the saint under whose invocation the C'Th.urch was placed ; the left hand figure, which Ledwich calls a pilgrim leaning on his staff. is a bishop, with his short pastoral staff or cam batta ; and the right hand figure, which Ledwich describes as ' the young man holding a purse to cotumute it for penance,' is evidently an ecclesiastic holding the sacred bell used in Ireland."

This explanation. which was first published by Mr. Westwood in an article on the Psalters of S. Ouen and Ricemarchus,8 was subsequently given by Mr. Petrie in his description of the buildings at Glendalough.'

Mr. Westwood goes on to say, that " at Old Kilcullen, there is a

portion of a square stone pillar, covered with carvings, which has been engraved by Ledwich, and Petrie (Excursions through Ireland), and in the Dublin Penny Journal, (vol. iv., p, 229), in one of the compart­ments of which we perceive another figure of an ecclesiastic, bearing a pastoral staff in one hand, and holding what appears to be the hand· bell in the other hand, standing near a dead body, which the former is probably on the point of restoring to life." " But probably the old~t

a Pal<Bogr. Sacra Pictoria.

9 Eccle1. bchitectur11 of Ireland, p. 248.

TINTINNABULA. 387

of all the representations of Irish ecclesiastics are those upon the cumdach or cover of the Duke of Buckingham's Manuscript of the Gospels, described

in Dr. O'Conor's fine work, entitled, Rerum Hibernicarum Scrip­tores. One of the figures represents a. bishop with the short crook or ca.mbat.ta, whilst another, which is here copied, holds in his hand a portable bell. Dr. O'Connor considered that this figure was the only representation now known to exist of the consecrated portable bells used in the eighth, ninth, and tenth centuries, stating that the little rounded globules, with which it is studded, are the jewels with which such were ornamented.

This enrichment of these portable bells is alluded to by Giraldus Cambrensis in his Topographia Hiber1~ia! : " Campa.nas, bajulas, baculosque Sanctorum in superiore parte recurvos, a.uro et a.rgento, vel rere contextos, in magna. reverentia tam Hibernire et Scotire quam Gwallire populus et clerus habere solent. Ita ut sacramenta super hrec Ionge magis quam super Eva.ngelia., et prrestare vereantur et pejerare." And Colgan states that "diebus nostris extiterunt plurima talia. (carupanre) in Hibernia, a.uro, argento et gemmis tecta, qure magna ex parte ab hrereticis, isti auro et a.rgento inhiantibus, sunt destructa," (Acta, S.S., p. 149), adding in the Trias, "Pulsus cymbali S. Patricii contra Demones et magorum maleficia pulsantis auditur pe1· totam Hiberniam (Trias Thaum Moralis Index, p. 725) ; and Jocelin says, "Cymbalum suum percussit, cujus sonitum per omnes fines undique Hibernire Dominus audiri fecit." (Trias Thaum, p. 103.)

" The names expressive both of bells and croziers, which are peculiar to the Irish language, namely, clocc and cambata, were adopted from the disciplos of Columbanus by the French in the seventh centurj. Glocc is the Irish for bell, and was used by Adamnan in the seventh century, for the instrument by which the Irish were summoned to prayer, "pulsante clocca ;" whilst in Jonas' Life of Columbanus, written in the seventh century, the word campana never occurs, the expression "signo pulsante" being employed."1 To ~hich Colgan adds, 'Per clocca.m intelligit campa.nam, (T1-ias Thaum, p. 374); whilst Jonas relates that S. Gall summoned his

' See note at page 306. t

338 TINTINNABULA.

monks to pray for the soul of C'olumbanus; and 'signo pulsato Oratorium ingressi, prostraverunt se in oratione, et creperunt mi.ssas agere.' "'

"Cormac of Cashel, also in the ninth century, bequeathed his clocc to the religious of S. Senan.• .

" From the authors of those times it, however, appears that the signum was not a bell, And clocca was a wooden board, having knockers affixed to it, as still used in Eastern Churches, where the use of bells was unknown till A.D. 865, when a belfry was first added to S. Sophia by the Emperor Michael, to receive twelve very artistic and musical bells, which had been presented to h.im from Italy. • In fact, cwcca is a ·Celtic name, for the instrument with which the ancient Druids ailled the Irish to congregate together.• Thus, in process of time, according to the practice of the early Christians, the name of a pagan instrument was transferred to ib; representative in the ceremonies of the Christian Church."'

In later times, the words signur11, and campana were synonymous; though the former was usually applied to the largest bell.

On February 11, 1839, Dr. Aquilla Smith exhibited to the members of the Royal Irish Academy, an ancient Irish bell of a square form, found near Fintona, in the county of Tyrone. I have been informed by my friend, the Rev. Henry Tottenhaw, the present rector of Fintona, that the bell is still in existence, and is in the custody of a family by the name of Mc'Enhill; that when any member of the family dies, it is rung in front of the funeral procession. The tradition is that the bell was found in the family burying ground in the Churchyard of Drumragh, near Omagh, county of Tyrone.

The annexed cut (Fig. 10), kindly lent to me by Sir William Wilde, re­

present.q the Blaelc Bell of S. Patrick ; he considers this the very oldest in Ireland. With his permission, I copy his description of it from his book Lough CO'rr/,0. "It had long been in the possession of the Geraghty family, near Ballinrobe, who brought it every year to the 'Pattern,' held on the top

2 Fktmingi Ooll8ctaMa &via, Ed. Sirinw, p. 242 b, (Lovan, 1667.) a See Campbell's Stricturu, P• 192,

• See Bona, Rerum Liturgicansm, 1671, p. 282. 1 May clocca be derived from the Teutonic cloc ?

6 O'Conor'a Bihl. Stowettm, App!tnd. p. 31-2.

TISTINSABULA. 389

10

of the Reek. or Croagh Patrick. on Garla.ud Sunday, and when in the the little oratory there, the pious pilgrim was allowed to kiss it for a

penny ; and if he had been affected by rheumatism pains, he might put itt three times round his body for two pence. But times got bad, the Pattern thinned, and the M our, or keeper of the Clogh dubh, sold it to help to pay his passage to America. Certainly if wear and tear is a sign of age, this antique should claim our highest veneration. It is eleven

inches high and six wide, and is formed, like the most ancient of our Irish bells, of iron intermixed with other metals. It formerly belonged

to the parish of Killower, near Headford, where, in one of the ancient descriptions of the hereditary property of the O'Kaherties and their descendants, it is said that ' Mac Beolan, of Killower, is the keeper of

the black bell of S. Patrick.' It was believed in the locality, that this bell W:l.S a present from an angel to the saint, and was, originally, of pure silver, but that it was rendered black and corroded, as at present seen, by its contact with the demons in Croagh Patrick, when the apostle

of Ireland was expelling them thence.''T There is a. very fine ancient bronze ecclesiastical bell in the possession

of the Earl Dunraven (Fig. 11), the following description of which his Lord­ship kindly communicated to me from his Ht'story of the M arwr of A dare. It was found at Cashel, 1849; it is 12 inches high, 9l inches wide, and

6t inches deep. This clog, for its size and incised ornamented cross, is. 7 See O'Flaherty'• Wed OonnGVfJlat, p. 37 a; Wilde's Lougla Ootrih, pp. 196-7.

t'

TllSTJNNABULA.

almost an unique example ; for only one other like it is known, and that is the bell of Bangor, (now in the possession of Dr. Stephenson, of Belfast,) from which the annexed woodcut (Fig. 12) has been t!lken. " Both these

J J 12

bells are obviously of contemporaneous ages;" they are considered by emi· nent Irish antiquaries "to be of the seveuth century; certainly not later than the eighth."

It is Rtated in BelftUt and it& Environs, 1842, p. 71, that "this last was found some years ago near the site of the ancient Abbey of Bangor in the county of Down; a.nd having been purchased by the late Dr. Stephenson, is now in possession of his son. It is cast in the finest bronze, weighing twenty-one pounds, and measuring in height 14 inches, in breadth at top 5k inches, and in greatest width at bottom 9 inches. It is remark­able for the elegant finish of its hamlle, upon which, as well as all round its lower margin, a varied and elaborately designed pattern is slightly engrave-d. A cros.q of elegant form appears on each of the two larger sides of this fine bell, which, except that the tongue is wanting, is in as fine preservation as when it was originally cast."

The next engraving (Fig. 13), represents an ancient relic in the Museum at Belfast, called the Solar Bell, named from the little parish in which it was found, on the coast of Antrim.

A beU very similar to this was in the possession of James Bell, Esq., of Prospect, county Antrim. It was found in a small stream which separatks

TINTINNABULA.

13 14

the town-lands of Craigatempin and Glenlough. in a deep pool, called by the county people, Bannat a linn, which means the blessed pool, or holy pool,

probably from the circumstance of the bell being lost or deposited there. The dimensions of it are l 0 inches . in height, 7 inches by 5 at the mouth, and 6 by 3 at the top. It is made of sheet iron, bent and riveted together by three rivets at each side, and had been bronzed over. The

two stumps only remain of the hMdle on the top.8

The Rev. Mr. Reade, Rector of Inishkeen, has kindly sent me a photograph of an ancient bell in his possession, from which the annexed engraving

baa been made (Fig. 14 ). It very much resembles some others, but is more perfect ; it is of iron, having a coat of brass riveted on to the out-side. It was found at Gartan, S. Columba's birth place, in the county of Donegal, and had been prel:!erved in a family there from time immemorial It was

an adjuration bell, and also used for medicinal purposes, a draught of water out of it being the panacea.. In 184 7, toe potato failure drove the family of "the keeper'' to America, and it was then sold to the person from

whom Mr. Reade bought it for £3. The rivets are bronze, the handle · iron, and the outer covering is nearly perfect. The inside lining of iron,

consists of four plates, and appears to have been put there to keep the

venerated bronze together, as there are rivets indicating that purpose. The iron does not line the top, which is convex. The bronze outside is one coating. It is called the Bell of S. Columba.. Its dimensions are;

8 Letter from Mr. Bell to Dr_ Reeves, October 31, 1846.

TINTINNABULA.

8 inches in height, exclusive of the handle, and '7i by '7 inches at the mouth.

The late John Bell, Esq., of Dungannon, had a collection of ancient bells ; they have lately been purchased of his executors, and are now de­posited in the National Museum of Antiquities in Edinburgh. I have been favoured by Mr. Me Cullock, the curator, with the following list of them, namely, the bell of S. Columbkill, of S. Patrick, of S. Bridget, of S. Ninian, of S. Ringin, of S. Ruadan, one from near Loch Dearg, two

without names, and one hand bell In the Transaclions of the Kilkenny Arclueological Society, vol. ii., p. 47,

there is a Paper by T. L. Cooke, Esq., of Parsonstown, in which he very minutely describes the remains of seven bells of Irish Christian saints,

and Rome spherical and pear shaped crotals of pagan times. The bells

here described are now in the British Museum. "The first is the BeU of S. Molua; if it be of Clonfert Molua, in the

Queen's county, as it is supposed, of the 13ame era with the saint whose name it bears, it has existed 1245 years. Nothing but the most. pro­

found spirit of veneration, heightened by a feeling of religious awe, could have preserved this remnant of an intrinsically valueless piece of metal for such a length of time, especially in such a disturbed country as Ireland" bas been. It is represented in this Cut (Fig. 15); but I must

refer the reader to Mr. Cooke's Paper, if he wishes to follow in detail its entire history.

17 15

16

TINTINNABULA. 3i3

I must not omit to mention that this bell, like many others of the same kind, was used for the purpose of adjuration. On this subject the Rev. Mr. Egan, the former owner of the bell, wrote to Mr. Cooke in these words : " I need hardly inform you, that down to times nearly within my own recolled,ion, it was customary with the people, especially of Kyle, to swear on or before it. The manner of swearing was, UB I have heard, to place the right hand· on the reliquary, and to call God and S. Molua to witness the truth of whatever was asserted. The false swearer of such an oath would. according to popular belief, be immediately, visibly, and terribly punished, and cases have been cited in proof of this belie£"

The use of bells in the administration of oaths, (which has been already alluded to) is almost as ancient as Christianity in Ireland. They were with that view consigned to the custo<.ly of particular families and persons, This practice made it not uncommon to designate an individual by the title "keeper of an adjuration bell." Accordingly, the Four Masters, ad ann. 1356, write: Solomon O'Meallan, keeper of an adjuration bell, died. He was the most illustrious of the clergy of Ireland." Bells used for adju­ration were generally carried about in leather cases, called " rninister." Camden (Brit. pp. 331-334) has in his account of the Irish, the following observations regarding their modes of swearing on bells and other relics of saints : "Secundo, ut adhibeat sibi testem sanctum aliquem, cujus baculum recurvum, vel campanam tanga.t et osculetur." Nor was this mode of testifying to the truth unknown to pagans. Thus, Pliny (lib. xix., c. 6), informs us, that "Allium, pomun, cepasque inter Deos jurejurando habuit JEgyptus."

If Christians swore by the bells and crosiers of saints, and the Egyptian by his onion, in like manner we find that the Jews swore

by the Temple, the Altar, &c. . Mr. Cooke next describes the Bell of S. Gttmmin (Fig. 16), of Kilcommon,

in the King's County. This bell is made of iron, fastened with rivets, and united by a soldering of brass. This relic is much corroded by rust, but it is far more perfect than the bell of S. Molua, and, though much injured by time, it at present measures 10 inches in height, and 7 by 5 at the base. It was presented to Mr. Cooke in 1848, by a farmer

TINTINNABULA.

occupying lands in Kilcommon near the ruins of the Church, to the founder of which this bell once belonged.

The next relic described by Mr. Cooke, is the BeU of S. Gamin (Fig. 17), Kilcamin, King's county. It is only a fragment, being the top and handle, with a small portion of one side and one end ; it measures 6

inches long by 3 inches in breadth. It has been exposed, no doubt, to the worst of usage. Within a short time before Mr. Cooke added it to his collection, it was left open to the vicissitudes of the weather, in the fork of a white thorn bush, within the precincts of the burial ground at Kilcamin. Enough, however, survives to show that it was made of iron, and in the parallelogram shape. The date of the death of the saint is March, 653.

The next object is a small bronze Bell from Scattery Island, near the

18 19

20

mouth of the Shannon (Fig. 19). Mr. Cooke obtained this bell from a Mr. Underwood, a dealer in antiquities, who informed him that it was found at Scattery. It is composed of bronze, having a crimson coloured fracture, as if some antimony had entered into its composition. It is almost the smallest known example o~ rectangular shaped bells, not being at the mouth more

TINTINNABULA.

than 2 inches by 1 !. It is 2i inches high. besides the handle, which was ca.'lt with the bell. A staple, or the traces of one, remain within, as if for the suspension of a. clapper, and so a proof is supplied that tongues were sometimes used in small bells.

Passing over for the present the next bell described by Mr. Cooke, viz.,

the Barnan Coulaum, I would now mention that of S. Rttadhan (Fig. 20), of Lorrha, county of Tipperary. This saint is said to have died A.D. 584. The bell was presented to Mr. Cooke by the Rev. Mr. O'Brien, Roman Catholic Priest of Lorrha, in which parish the relic was preserved. The reader will observe a great similarity between this bell of S. Ruadhan, and the Welsh bell in the possession of Mr. Jones Parry, described at p. 314.

Mr. Cooke exhibited at the same meeting the Bronze BeU of S. Cuana (Fig. 21 ), of Kill-chuana, alias Killshanny, in the west of the county of Clare; he is supposed to have died about A.D. 450. It wa.s given to Mr. Cooke by the late Rev. Mr. Nowlan, the parish Priest of New Quay, county of Clare. The engraving sufficiently shews its character.

21 22

These seven bells are now deposited in the British Museum. In the Transactions <if the Kilke?Lfl'!J Arclusological Society, vol. ii., p.

124, are represented and described the very rude remains of a quadrilateral u

!l46 TINTT~NARULA.

tron bell, with clapper. It i!'l only 1 ~ inch in height, and at the mouth

li by I! inch.

The next engraving (Fig. 22) represents a fine specimen of an old

bronze bell, apparently CH.st, w1th three finger holes at the top; it is in the possession of Chichester Hamilton, Esq., of Red House, Ardee, who kindly sent me a photograph of it. It was found in a field in the

parish of Drumholm, county Donegal, 1840. Its height is 11 inches,

and at the mouth it measures 8 inches by ~ inches.

There is in the Museum of the Antiquarian Society at Newcastle-upon­

Tyue, a small ancient circular bell cast in bronze, with three finger holes

of similar construction. It is 3 inches high, including the handle, and

2f diameter. It was presented to the Society by Mrs. Wyndham, latP.

Miss Emma Trevelyan, 5 November, 1839.

The engraving (Fig 18, page ~43) is the representation of an ancient

bell in the possession of Dr. Trenan, of Omagh. He informs me that it

was found by a peasant cutting turf on the top of a mountain in the parish of Lower Badony, county of Tyrone, in 1856, about two feet below

the surface: it then had a clapper. Its height, including the handle,

is 5~ incheA, being a; inches by 2! inches at the mouth. Judging from the site of its discovery, and its size, may it not be considered to have been a cattle hell1

Another bell, known by the name of the Kildare Bell, is an exact

counterpart of the above, it is in the Museum of the Historical and

Archreological Association at Kilkenny. It was found in the ruins of the

White-Abbey Church, Kildll.fe, near the spot where the High Altar stood.

A bell of the very same type, but of larger dimensions, is now in the

po.qsession of A. K. Young, Esq., of Monaghan ; the traditi•m about which is, that it fonnerly belonged to the Abbey of Cappagh, county of

Tyrone, founded 792. It was given by the Rev. F. Quin, P.P., to Mr. John Donnelly, of Omagh, from whom it passed, by purchase, to its p!Ujent

owner, 1858. The height of this very beautiful specimen, including the

handle, is 1lfo inches; the mouth is 6! inches by 31 inches. We now come to four eoclesiatical bells in the collection of tbe

Archbishop of Annagh, which, by His Grace's kind permission, I am

enabled to describe, by extracting from the valuable Paper which tbe

TINTJNNABULA. 347

Rev. Dr. Reeves communicated to the Royal Irish Academy, Deeember 14, 1863; and from an article in the Proceedings oj the Society of Antiquaries, London, June, 1865. For the loan of the blocks of these four bells I am thankfully indebted to that Society.

"About 1833, the Rev. M. G. Beresford, then Vicar of Drung and Larah, in the county of Cavan, purchased from a man called Keleher, two articles of great antiquarian interest, which, conjointly, bore the name of the Clog .Mogue, or bell of S. Mogue (Fig. 23). One of them was the prin­cipal surviving fragment of an extremely ancient Irish bell, which had been disintegrated by the dirt of corrosion ; and the other, the mutilated and partly dismantled cover or shrine which at an early period had been made for the same bell. The bell was of iron ; three fragments remain, two of which are attached to the inside of the case, and the third is a flat piece, of irregular fonn, which originally was part of the front or back. The case is of copper, and was ornamented with silver plated bands (repre­sented here the ful1 size, Fig 24) which were attached along tte margins. On the front were two small figures, also plated with silver. One of these is wanting, but that which remains represents a habited ecclesia.<Jtic holding a book at his breast (Fig. 25 ). The case, which was probably a handsome object in its day, is very much injured, and now chiefly interesting as a

24 23 25

curiosity. Its dimensions are: height. 6 inches; breadth at top, 5~ inches, breadth at bottom, 7 inches; depth at bottom 5t inches." It is formed of four plates of brass, which have been joined at the angles by rounded mould-

u'

348 TINTINN ABULA.

ings, of which only one remains. To the front have been attached silver omamenta, consisting of banda, fonning margins to the panel The pattern of each is different ; a straight band of silver is in the centre, and above have probably been a crucifix and two figures of the same metal ; or the latter, only one remains. The front plate is 9 inches high, and 6f

inches wide. The Clog Mogue was formerly preserved in the family of Magoveran, in the county of Cavan, who were hereditary keepers of the relic, which was carefully rolled up in rags, and only exposed when it was required in the parish of Templeport, or the neighbourhood, for the administration of oaths. The legend of the bell is, that it was placed by S. Kilian on the flag hearth stone which, miraculously floating. had conveyed S. Mogue as a child across the water to be baptized, and by the latter was left w the parish in which he had resided. S. Aedh, Moedoc, or Mogue, was born about A.D. 555, and died A.D. 625, after founding a number of churches both in Ireland and

Wales. He waa the first bishop of Ferns." The next bell is the Barry Gariah (Fig. 26). " This wa.s bought by

the Primate, from a peddler, at his own gate, when Rector of Drum. It had been obtained somewhere in Connaught, by this itinerant dealer, during the famine year, when hunger severed many strong ties. It bore the above name, and Dr. Reeves concludes from the name, that it was a bell belonging to S. Barach of Tennonbarry, in the county of Roscommon, and that it is the one which is said, in his life, to have

been given w him by Dagama the artificer ; ' igitur discedenti (S. Beracho) baculum seu pedum dedit, quod Hibemice Bacullh-gearr, id est, baculiiB brevis ; et cymbalum, quod Clog-be:raigh, id est, tintinnabulum Berachi vocatur, quod Oluan-Dalachia usque in hodiernum diem aBBervatur.• The height of this bell is 7 inches, width of mouth 7 inrhes by 4f inches. It is of cast bronze.

The next bell in the Archbishop's collection, described by Dr. Reeves, is the CWfruJrjullah (F'tg. 27) "which signifies 'the bell of blood,' in allusion to some tradition or supposed powers of retribution ; it is believed to have been one of the fifty consecrated bells which S. Pattick bestowed upon the Connaught Churches ; it had been kept at Fenagh, and afterwards at Mohill, by its hereditary custodians, the O'Rorkes. It was, like other

TINTINNABULA. 349

bells, used in administering oaths, and in recovering lost property. It was hired out by the keeper on the following terms : the borrower, before it was committed to him, paid down a certain fee in silver ; he then took an oath on the bell, that he would safely retum it within a certain time, and, that while in his possession, it should never touch the ground, or pass out of human hands. In consequence, it was customary for the person who borrowed it, when he required to

be disengaged, to place it in the hands of a second person, and so on ; and when night came, the family used to sit up, or the neighboUl'B to be

co1lected as at a wake, so that when one was tired holding it, another might relieve him, and thus fulfil, till the period of the loan had expired, the terms of the oath, that it was never to pass out of the hand of man."

28

" The Primate purchased it about 1840 from one of the O'Rorkes, whose wants, coupled with the declining veneration for the article, led him to dispose of it." It is made of sheet iron, riveted down the sides, and is partly coated with bronze, both within and without ; the height is

1 Ol inches, and 5t inches wide at the upper part, and 8 inches by 6 inches at the mouth. The handle is lost.

The next in the Archbishop's collection "is of cast bronze, 7l inches high by 6f inches at the mouth. It belonged to one of the old Churches in

300 TINTINNA HULA.

the county of Monaghan (Fig. 28). It was sold lately at Monaghan,

among the effects of 1!- medical man." Dr. Reeves next exhibited a "drawing of the famous Clog-na.-righ, or,

Bell of the kings," which is honorably mentioned in the Book of Feno.gh, and which derived its title from the belief, that it had in early tima~

been used as a cup for the baptism of kings. Its form is circular, and resembles an inverted goblet. In shape and pattern it is unlike other ecclesiastical bells, and would lead one t-o suppose that it was of a

comparati~ely modern date, werd it not for the early mention of it in the Book of Fenagh, and the Irish Annals at the year 1244.

"It is stated in the Book of Fenagh,' that 'S. Patrick gave this bell to S. Caillin, and that it was possessed of many wonderful powers, and was called Clog-na-righ, because it was the veRSel which contained

the water with which nineteen Irish kings were baptized. A layman was not allowed to carry this bel1 ; and the kings who were baptized out of it, were obliged to pay it certain dues when carried to them by twelve clergymen. If they refused to pay those dues, its clergy fasted, and the bell was rung, when plague, war, and other calamities were the consequence in their territories. The bell still exist8, and is preserved

in the Chapel at Foxfield, near Fenagh, county of Leitrim ; it is regarded there as a sacred relic, and held in much veneration. It is formed of thin braRS, about an eighth of an inch thick, which appears to have been cast, and probably afterwards hammered, the substance being rather soft and malleable. The upper part is ornamented with a thin cap of similar

brass, and the thickness of a worn shilling, perforated in four compart­ments of net and figure W(\rk, each differing somewhat from the others.

This cap is riveted to the bell with small brass rivets. A stronger piece of similar brass, attached by stronger rivets, stands up from the

9 The oldest copy is in the .British Mus<:!um. It i~ among the Cottonian MSS. Vespasiao,

E. ij., vellum, 4to., containing six different tracts. The fifth and sixth are in the Iriah character. In a preface, written in old English, it is stated that the 'book was written

by Callyen (S. Caillin), which was in tyme past Bisshopp and Legat for Ireland,' and

contains a portion of his life. He is said to have lived in the reign of Conall GolbiD,

who was slain 464, and buried at Fenagh by S. Cailliu. (See O'Donovan's .dnnoll of k~

TOl. iij., p. 311, note 7 ; also Notu tmd Queriu, 1867, v. iv., p. 225.)

TINTINNABULA. 361

head of the bell, and is embraced by a flat plate on each side of the substance of the iron axle, which is tram~versely riveted through the strong piece of brass. The axle above mentioned is 8~ inches long, the two ends for about Il inches are rounded into gudgeons, which worked in some frame or rest in which the bell was placed. At right angles horizon.tally extends an ann or lever, 6k inches long, bending a little upwards, and turned round at the end so as to form an eye, in which is an iron ring for the cord, by which the bell could be sounded in its fixed position. This iron axle and arm, though manifestly very ancient, appear more modern than the bell, which would seem, from its small size, to have been intended for the hand. The clapper or tongue is of iron ; and that part of the knob at the end of it, which comes in contact with the edge of the bell in striking, is so very much worn by use and rust, that it proves great antiquity. The liquid contents of the bell are Ii pint ; the gross weight of iron and brass, one pound avoirdupois."•

29 This engraving (Fig. 29) is from a copy of a drawing kindly lent to

me by Dr. Reeves. It was made in November, 1830, by the late Myles J. O'Reilly, Esq., who borrowed the bell for three days from the Chapel at Foxfield. I have been informed by the Rev. J. Bohan, P.P. that the dimensions are 41 in height and 41 diameter, also that the parishioners will not allow the person who has the charge of it to shew it to any one.

This seems to be an appropriate place to introduce the bell uaed by

'This description Dr. Reeve~~ gives from a Jetter of M. J. O'Reilly, Esq., io OrclftartcO

Brwoey lXJnotJipOfl~. Camn and Utrim, p. 190.

352 TINTINN ABU LA.

S. Gall m his dwelling at S. Gallenstein, near Bregenz, in Switzer­land, A.D. 612 : it is still preAerved in the Abbey of S. Gall. I am indebted to the courtesy of the Bishop of S. Gall for allowing

me to have a photograph of it, which was most kindly Bt!nt to me by Mr. Linden, the Bishop's Chancellor, and from which the annexed en­graving has been made. The height of the bell is 13 inches, diameter at

the mouth 9k inches; a.t the upper part it is square, and becomes oval at the bottom, perhaps not so originally, as it is of geuuine Irish type, being made of sheet iron, riveted together at t.he sides. The wood and lever must be comparatively modern.

S. Gall was born in Ireland soon after the middle of the sixth century : he was a constant companion of S. Columbanu9, and imitator of his virtues, sharing even in his persecutions. S. Columhanus retired into

Italy ; S. Gall was unwilling to be separated from him, but was pre­

vented from bearing him company by a fit of illness. Some time after

30

TINTINN ABULA. 353

he left Ireland and settled near the lake of Constance, and was regarded as the apostle of the territory.

The monastery founded by S. Gall was afterwards called by his name, and in process of time grew into great ecclesiastical and civil importance, the Abbot being a prince of the empire, and the city which was called from it giving name to a Canton. Several Irish manuscripts are preserved there to this day, and from them Zenss drew a very large proportion of the matter for his immortal work, the Grammatica Celtica. S. G!lll died 16 October, 640.8

We now come to what may be considered another class of ancient hand bells, which, from their great antiquity and traditional history through a.

series of centuries, have been looked upon as objects of the greate'3t veneration ; so much so, as to be inclosed in cases or shrines of costly materials and elaborate workmaMhip, affording specimens of the skill of the Irish craftsman in the art of ecclesiastical ornamentation at a very early period. Two of the same sort, but of much later date, have already been noticed as belonging to Scotland (pp. 320 and 324 ).

We are informed by the Rev. Dr. Reeves, in an elegant folio fn.sciculus descriptive of the bell and shrine of S. Patrick, published at Belfast, 1850,

that the most precious relic of this class in Ireland was the Cl<>g-an­edhachta-Phatraic, or " Bell of Patrick's Will." At the beginning of the twelfth century it had a special keeper, and was then deemed worthy of a. costly shrine case. In succeeding centuries ita custody was continued in the same family, and proved to them a source of considerable emolument. In after ages, when its profits ceased to accrue, long a.EISociations so bound it up with the affections of the keeper's family, that they almost held their existence upon the tenure of its safe custody, and thus handed i~

down from generation to generation till the stock a.t last became extinct, and the object of their former care passed into a. keeping established by friendship ; for Henry Mulholla.nd, the !Mt of the family, who had been the hereditary keeper, having no children, nor near surviving relative, bequeathed it to his friend, the late Adam M'Clea.n, Esq., of Belfast. He was told where it was buried, and there it was found, a.t eome depth in the ground, m an oak box, on the opening of which, there was presented

a See hia life, by: W ala£ Strabo.

354 TINTINNABULA..

to view the shrine, containing its precious deposit ; and with it an old Irish Bible.

This relic is mentioned as early as 552, in the Annals of Ulster, where it is called Ol.Qg-i:naidechta. 8 The next mention of it is in 1044, by the Four MCl$ters. Then we get a. date on the shrine, when it was made for protection ; after this it is occasionally mentioned in the A ttnals of

I

the Four M Cl$terS, when it was m the family of the O'Mellans. In 1441 it passed into the custody of O'Malchallyn, or Mulholland, and so to Henry just mentioned. Mr. M'Clea.n sold, it, about ten years ago, to the Rev. Dr. Todd, of Trinity College, Dublin, in whose possession it still continues.

Dr. Stuart, in his Historical Memoirs of tAe City of Armagh, Edit. 1819, tells us that " Donald O'Lochlan, king of Aileach Neid, gave to his. friend, Donald Ma.cAmalgaid, who was promoted to the see of Armagh, A.D. 1092, a bell of very curious design. This relic consists of an antique four-sided hand-bell, of rather uncouth form, composed of two pieces of hammered iron, connected by brass solder and by twelve rivets (Fig. 1). The bell itdelf has probably been designed for the internal use of a chapel, being only 9l inches in height. 5 in length and 4 in breadth. When struck by the tongue, a dull and solemn tone is produced. There is a hole in it, worn by time."

1 O'Conor's JUrtlm HibeNf. &ript0t'u1 vol. iv., p. 20.

TINTINNABULA.

So far, there is little interesting about it, except that it is an instn1ment of considerable antiquity ; but it is accompanied by a splendid cover, unique in ita kind, which serves at once to preserve it from injury and to announce the veneration in which it had been held in former times. The taste, costliness, and beauty of this cover demonstrate it to have been the production of a much later age than that of the bell itself.

Dr. Reeves· tells us (p. 4) that "some parts of the ornamental work on the front have been removed, as its late owner, when first the article came into his possession, did not think it necessary to place it under lock and key ; and his servants occasionally abstracted small portions as charms against disro.ses and for other superstitious purposes." The entire height of the case is 1 Oi inches. At the base it is 5! inches by 4 inches. The ground of the cover is brass, edged with copper, and enriched with a variety of elegant ornaments raised in all its parts. Ita top represents a compressed mitre, one side of which is adorned with a fine gold fillagrean work and silver gilt. (Fig. 2). The silver work is partly scrolled in

2 3

856 TINTINNABULA.

alto relino and partly in bcuso relievo resembling the knots in the collar of the Order of S. Patrick. In the centre of the top is a blue stone, set in :fine gold, and insphered in a glass bead. In the centre are four pearl coloured stones, with four green ones of a smaller size, representing an intersected cross ; under this is a circular space, now vacant, which had probably been once occupied by a gem. The other side of the mitre is silver, cut into various crosses." "One of the quadrangular sides, under the mitre, is tormed into thirty-one compartments by silver divisions ; nineteen of these are filled with various ornaments, in pure gold fillagrean, exhibiting the forms of serpents and snakes, curiously intertwined. Two of the other compartments are now vacant. In two of the remaining ten are considerably projecting oval pieces of polished transparent rock crystal, or Irish diamond, each about Ii inch in length, and set in silver. The setting of that which occupies the central compartment is silver, repre­senting, on its edge, small fleurs-de-lis. Of the eight smaller divisions, one is occupied by an ovlil garnet, and three by oval carnelians, the remaining four have lost their ornaments." The other side of the mitred top is of silver, which has been substantially gilt. The top is in ba-sso relievo, with scroll work, representing serpents; the remainder of it is divided into three compartments ; and in the central one of these appear two birds ; the other two present the profile of a nondescript animal."

"The area of the quadrangular surface, under this side of the mitre, is covered with a substantial plate of silver, cut into thirty-two crosses " (Fig. 3). There is an inscription on ita four edges, or margins, in old Irish characters-indicating, so far as it has been deciphered, that the bell was

presented by Donnald O'Lachlain to Donnald the Comorbha' of S. Patrick. The ]etters in this inscription are not separated into distinct words, and the difficulty of interpreting it is considerably increased by the points, or marks, formed by the rivets, as well as by the injuries of time. In the areas of the two other narrow sides, or ends, are pear-shaped sapphires, adorned with silver, which has been gilt.

" On one of these sides, which is beautified with stones, there are ornaments of :fine gold, representing serpents, curiously and elegantly intertwined in most intricate folds, and in various knots, Jike the compli-

4 • a.e, auccesaor.

TINTlNN AHULA. 357

cated involutions in the collar of the Order of the Kuight.a of S. Patrick. It may be worth remarking, that on one of the ends, and below the knob

and ring by which it is suspended, there are eight serp('nts, so singularly infolded and intermingled with one another, that it requires minute attention and considerable discrimination to trace each separately, and to

4 s

distinguish it from its fellows. Their eyes are skilfully formed of blue glass. Above the cross are four of the same kind, and in each of the four compartment.a, into which it is divided, there are two golden serpents

in relief. Below the knob of suspension, on tbe opposite end, or side, are six other serpents, with blue eyes, but differently intertwined. On the top is a strange representation of two of these creatures, with two legs; and in the compartments are curious knots resembling those in the collar of the Order of S. Patrick. Each of the two suspending knobs of the case, and the sides and ends, are also ornamented in a similar manner."

S.'i8 TINTINNABULA.

" When the bell is inclosed, a sliding brass plate on which it rests fills the bottom of the case. On this plate, the lower edge or rim of the instrument has strongly impressed its form. A collateral presumption of the antiquity, even of the cover, for the weight is not sufficient ·to have produced the effect, either by its pressure or by any friction which it could have occasioned, except in a long period of . time. It proves also, that when the case was made the bell bad an uneven base as at present, for the indications seem not to have been the effect of wearing, but of reiterated percussion."

"It appears almost unquestionable that the case is as old as the eleventh century as its inscription implies ; how much older the bell may be is a matter for the antiquary."

This inscription adds intense interest to the relic, because it fixes its date with historical precision. The Rev. Dr. Reeves, in his beautifully illustrated history of this bell, (to whose repeated kindness and most valuable assistance in this history of hand bells 1 am greatly indebted. and for which I here tender my most sincere thanks) describes it thus, " Commencing at the left hand angle of the upper margin it proceeds to the right, then turning the corner, it runs down the edge on the right. then along the baRe from right to left, and then up the left; side till it reaches the comer froiU which it started." Printed in sma.ll letters, and divided into words, it is to be read thus :

'' Op. oo OomnaU U tachtamo tar 1 n-oepnao m doc ra, ocur '00 Oomnatt chomapba phacralC lCO n-oepnao, ocur 00

(o) Chachatan U maetchattano oo maep m chLu1c, ocur oo ChonouL10 U lnmamen co na macca1b po cumcu10."

.of which the following is the literal translation.

"A prayer for Donnell O'Lochlain, through whom this bell (or bell shrine) was made; and for Donnell, the successor of Patrick, with whom it was made ; and for Cahalan O'Mulhollan, the keeper of the bell ; and for Cudulig O'Inmainen, with his sons, who covered (it)."

TINTINNABULA. 359

" Donnell O'Lochlain, or Mac Lochlain as he is called by the Four Masters, was monarch of Ireland ; he came to the throne in 1083, and died in 1121. The "Successor of Patrick" here spoken of was Donnell Mac Amhalgadha. or Mac A.ulay, who was Archbishop and Abbot of Armagh, and filled the see from 1091 to 1105. Consequently this shrine was executed in some year between the two last named dates. The other persons recorded in the inscription were of inferior rank, and we have no other record of them. The name Maelchallain, now changed to Mulholland, signifies " the servant of Challan ;" and, with the prefix 0, belonged to families which, at different periods, rose to distinction in the present counties of Derry and Meath."

The cuts here inserted have been reduced from photographs and the engravings in Dr. Reeves' descriptive account with his kind permission.

The next relic of this class is the Barnaa.n Cuilawn, formerly in the possession of T. L. Cooke, Esq., of Parsonstown, but now in the British Museum. In the paper read by Mr. Cooke, before the Royal Irish Academy, 7 January, 1822, he says, "This curiosity commonly called the " Barnaan Cuilawn," was found, some centuries since, in a hollow tree, at a place named Killcuilawn, situate in the mountains, in the county of Tipperary. This antique is likewise called in the Irish language, Oba1p na 0naomh, that is, the Saints' work. The foUowi.ng abridged account is taken from the A1·chaol. Cambrens., voL iv. p. 13. "In shape it resembles a. mitre, and is made internally of wrought iron, now greatly corroded (which was doubtless the original bell), having on its summit two round holes. It is about Ill inches high, and the bottom which is a. para.llelogram is 8 inches long by 4 wide, whence it diminishes upwards to 6} by 2 inches. It has a sort of brass frame round the base, with pillars round the angles. The iron part also appears to have heen originally covered with brass, which still adheres to it in parts, seeming to have been united to it by the effect of fire. The back and one of the sides are covered with brass plates, on the largest of which a. cross is engraved as represented in the annexed figure. The front is said to have been covered by another plate, bearing a. cross, enriched with different coloured. precious stones, which is now lost. The upper part is of cast metal, like brass, of exquisite workmanship, beautifully

860 TINTINN ABULA.

II 12

inlaid with interlaced ribbon patterns, or I'UillC knota of gold, silver, copper, and some dark bluish granulated metal like cobalt, having on each sides four representations of a.n eye, and on the ends' two bald antique heads. In the top and in front are inlaid three pieces of yE"llow stone, intersected by narrow red stones, like jasper. It is impossible on 10 small a scale as these woodcuts to give a.n idea of the beautiful and elaborate workmanship of the upper part of this relic. The peculiar character of the interlaced work above the cross, which in fact is in­

tended for the serpentine animals with long legs, induced me to refer it to the eleventh century, as it very nearly agrees with the sculpture on

6 Tbeee woodcuta have been reduced from the engravings made about 1830, for the Royal

Academy to illustrate Dr. P'¢trit~'s valuable Paper on Irish Bells, (which wu nevtlr printed, 41

and hu aince been loat,) from drawings made by the late G. V. Du Noyer, Eeq.

TIN1'1NNARULA. 861

the tomb Cormac, in his chapel on the rock of Caahel, as well as with that on the Cross of Cong, in the collection of the Royal Iri.~h Academy. Mr. Cooke has given ·a variety of legends relative to this relic, and has suggested, in the absence of tradition, as to the original use, that it wa,q

used as a couvre feu, translating the name, the cO't:er of S. Cuile?t's fire."

''Mrs. Dunn, to whom the Barnaan Cuilawn belonged, used, in the la.st century, to earn a livelihood by hiring it out for people to swear upon.

When any thing was stolen it was sent for, and on the mes!'lenger's paying one shilling, and swearing by itself that he would safely return it, he was permitted to bear it away in a strong leather case to those who sent him. On its arrival, the persons suspected were obliged to purge them­selves of the accusation by swearing upon it, while, with all the solemnity of a religious rite, they at the same time touched it with a hazel rod. He who refused to do this was stigmatized as a convicted plunderer.

Women would never touch it, and so great awe was this ordeal held in, that many who would perjure themselves if the Gospels had been presented to them, when sworn upon the Barnaan Cuilawn almost Wliversally told the truth, even though it were the acknowledgment of

their own guilt. The only instance mentioned to the contrary was a person nick-named Builin (the loaf), who, having been accused of stealing some bread, denied it upon the Barnaan Cuilawn, when his mouth, by

an immediate contraction of the muscles, was drawn close to his left ear. "

Mr. Cooke tells us, that " in order to check the progress of supersti­tion it was taken in one of these swearing excursions, about the year 1797, by the Rev. Mr. McEueiry, the Roman Catholic vicar of the parish of Glankeen, on whose death it fell into the hands of his successor, the Rev. Michael Bohun, from whom Mr. Cooke obtained it." · In the Paper which Mr. Cooke sent to the Kilkenny Society in 1852,

On the Seven Irish Bells already spoken of,-he acknowledges that his opinion was changed about the Barnaan Cuilawn, and that it was quite clear to him that the iron portion of this relic was the veritable bell of S. Culanus. He says,8 "It will be easy to induce the observer,

6 Tromactiom of the Kilke1111y .A.rchttJowgical Sodety, vol. ii., p. 62. z

3112 'fiN'flNNABULJ\.

who loolus at the little semicircular aperture m the base of the bronze curbing envi.roning this bell, to agree with me in thinking that the appellation Barnaan Cuilawn means simply, ' little gap vf Oulanus.' Dr. Petrie, if I mistake not, thinks it n~eans, ' the gapped beU of Culanu.s.' Notwithstanding my great re~pect for the opinion of this excellent antiquary, I much regret that I cannot at all agree with him on that point. Boman is the Irish for a little gap, and this little gap, evidently, was that left in the protecting curbing for the person swearmg upon the bell to introduce his thumb or finger by. It WSB

from this gap, rd.ther than from any fortuitous injury to the original bell,

that the term • Barnan' was used in reference to it. No matter how gapped or injured the ancient bell of Irish saints may have been, I believe that the term ' Ba,rn(m' was not applied to them except when they were ornamented and preserved as relics to be sworn on. The bell of S. Evin, who was brother to S. Culanus, was called Barnan Evin. It was deposited in the care of the MacEgans, , hereditary justices of Munster, for them to administer oaths on. Colgan, writing of S. Erin, says of his bell : " Fertur et ibi post ejus mortem extitisse cymba.lum, sive nola hujus Sancti Bernan-Emhin appellata, et in tantA veneratione habita, ut per eam tanquam inviolabilis sacramenti genus, posteri, prresertim ex semine Eugenii patris ejus oriundi, consueverint jurare, et motas controvel'flias juramenti Sacramento concludere."

The next to be noticed is the bell of S. Mura, which is thus described by John M'Clelland, jun., of Dungannon, in the Ulster Journal oj Archa­ology, vol. i., p. 274 : "This bell is remarkable in several particulars, both as a work of art, and as a genuine relic of the most venerable antiquity. It was purchased about three years ago, from a person residing in Innishowen, county Donegal. near the spot where once stood the famous Abbey of Fahan,' founded in the seventh century, during the reign of Aodh Slaine, by Saint Mura, or Muranus. For centuries this abbey was noted as the depository of various valuable objects, which

7 Proceeding• of tlut &yal Irill. .A.cademy, vol. v., p. 206, Fahan was a monastery

dedicated to S. Mura, or Muranus, and founded by S. Columba (Oolgan, Trial Tllaum.,

pp. 495 and .SIO). S. Mura, se<.'Ood abbot of this house, flourished in the beginning ol the

aeventh century; since which he has been reputed its patron. He wrote a life of S. Columba.

TINTINNABULA.

were held in especial veneration by the peop1t>. Amongst these, we are informed, were several MS. volumes written by Saint Mura himself, and of which Colgan says, "some fragments have escaped the fury of the reformers of the latter ages." The crozier or "Bachull '' of the saint is mentioned by Sir James Ware as having been for centuries in the keeping of the O'N eills, and is believed to be the one in the collection of the late Mr. John Bell, of Dungannon, whose whole collection is now in the Museum of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. The only other relic of the abbey and ita founder is this bell, which still retains much of its curious and elaborate ornamentation. It is accurately represented in the accompanying illustrations, reduced, with kind permission, from the full sized engravings published in The Ulster Jottrnal of ArchaJology, by Robert MacAdam, Esq., in which the proper description of this bell was drawn up by the Rev. Dr. Reeves. There is also an engraving by Fairholt in his i'~fisceUane-a Graphica, 1857, on Antiquities in the possession of ·Lord Londesborough. and now in the museum of Lord Otho Fitzgerald.

13.

"The material of the bAll itself is bronze, and the form quadrangular. From a comparison with other ancient Irish bells, its date has been fixed

~

364 'l'INTI~NABULA .

conjecturally, by vanous experienced antiquaries, as about the seventh century ; but it is most probable that it received the first series of its ornaments not earlier than the ninth century. It will be observed, on referring to the illustration (Fig. 13), that a portion of the ornamental work at the right hand side of the base has been displaced, revealing underneath a second set of decorations which are attached to the body of the bell itself. It wus the accidental removal of this corner plate that revealed the existence of the earlier workmanship. The portion dis­closed is a tracery of Celtic knots wrought in brass, and firmly attached

to the bel1 by a thin plate of gold. Whether the remainder of the early decorations, now concealed, be similar, cannot be determined without

removing the outer plates, which might cause an irreparable injury. This fixed ornamentation is a great peculiarity, and must have been the result of a feeling of extreme veneration for the object so decorated ; as it was thus set apart for the purposes more sacred than those to which ordinary bells are applied. The upper series of ornaments which encase the bell (but of which a portion is lost) are evidently of a style two centuries later. It is difficult to assign a reason for the addition of these decorations, except that some circumstances may have enhanced the value of the relic, and increased the religioua veneration in which it was held; and that this feeling was manifested by encircling it with still more costly embellishments. These exterior ornaments consist of a number of detached silver plates of various sizes, diverseJy embossed in the style known to nave prevailed in the eleventh century. The centre is adorned with a large crystal, or Irish diamond, set with great skill, and on either side of this, as well as at the lower corners and the centre of the base, were originally set smaller gems, the places of which are now vacant, with one exception. That which remains is a fini specimen of rich cherry-coloured amber. The entire tracery on the plates is of excellent workmanship, and the form of the cross is seen con­spicuously introduced. The arched top, also of silver, has on its summit three raised oblong figures surmounting a scroll, similar in pattern to that of the tracery on the left hand lower corner of the front. This scroll-work is filled in with a dark composition, giving it somewhat of the appearance of mosaic. The extremities or continuations of the arched top are of brass,

TINTINNABUL:\.

1-enea.th which the bordering attached to the hooks (for suspending the bell) is made of silver; the intervening spaces being occupied by a plate of the same metal. The two larger spaces in jront of the arched top were most probably filled with precious stones, as the gold setting still remains entire. The ornaments on the back consist of figures engraved on silver, gilt : the execution is rude, and no conjecture has been offered as to the objects intended to be represented." (See Fig. 14).

Several legends are connected with S. Mura's bell, which may be passed over. From time immemorial this bell has had attributed to it mysterious power in alleviating human suffering. It has been regularly used by women of the district previous to their confinement ; a drink out of it being considered an infallible safeguard against danger. It is well known that it was used very extensively for this purpose, for miles round the locality where it was kept ; and when a former attempt was made to

obtain it from its late keeper,-whose poverty rendered him willing to part with it,-a serious disturbance was excited among the people of the neighbourhood, and he was compelled to retain it. Subsequently, his increas­ing poverty, combined with other circumstances, led him to dispose of it, and eventually it passed into the possession of the late Lord Londesborough.

The next bell of this sort is called the Bell of Cofl,all Cael, pronounced Connell Keel. It was exhibited at Worcester in 1862, when the Archreo­logical Institute held their congress in that city. It was theu in the possession of a Mr. Robert Moore, of Birmingham, and is accurately described by Mr. Albert Way in the catalogue of the museum, from which, with his kind permission, I have made the following extracts :'

"An ancient four-sided ·Irish ·hand bell, enclosed in an elaborately ornamented case or shrine, bearing inscriptions on silver plates enriched with niello, figures of sacred personages in relief, and ancient crystals or gems, of which one only now ·remains. The original bell, thus carefully enshrined, is of iron plate, rudely fashioned. Bells of this description, • associated with the earliest Christian teachers in Ireland and Scotland, are usually formed of a single sheet of metal, hammered into the desired shape, the edges over-lapped at the sides and rivetted together. The bell thus fashioned was then dipped into melted brass or mixed yellow metal,

a See ..&rc!Jmol. Journal, vol. :u:., p. 76.

366 TJNTINNABULA.

which adhered to the surface, both externally and internally, forming a complete coating ; of which, however, few traces are now found on these relics, the oxidation of the iron beneath having thrown off the casing of brass."

Some of these objects, as has been already !:!hown, were regarded as of peculiar sanctity ; they were used from time immemorial in the ad­

ministration of oaths, for the recovery of stolen property, and for purposes in some manner analagous to ancient judicial ordeals.

" The history and origin of the relic is unfortunately unknown. The four-sided iron bell (Plate III.), doubtless used by some saint or preacher of the Christian faith, probably in Ireland, is found, when removed from the exterior covering, to be partly encased in beautifully decorated work of chased bronze, presenting a cruciform ornament, with varied patterns in the surrounding spaces, in the style of Irish work of the twelfth century, being portions of the costly coating which the veneration of an age, doubtless considerably later than the original relic, had affixed to it (Plate IV.) The external shrine may be ascribed to the fifteenth century ; it is in the form of certain ridged reliquaries, of which the upper part resembles the gabled roof of a church or chapel. On the principal face (Plate V.) are to be seen figures in relief originally gilded, a crucifix attached to a cross raguly, the Blessed Virgin Mary on one side, S. John on the other. Under the foot of the cross is a large uncut crystal, possibly covering a relic ; at one side of this cabochon is a mitred figum, on the other an ecclesiastic, possibly an abbot. holding a pyx (1), The other face (Plate VI.) of the shrine is much defaced ; it is engraved with figures of eleven Apostles and S. Paul On one side of the roof are small figures in relief-our Lord, the Virgin, and S. Michael­designated by names inscribed over the figures (Plate V ) On the reverse are seen in repousse work the evangelistic symbols, the eagle and the

• angel, with the names above-~OI)tnneu, ~ad)euu (for Johannes and Mattheus); on the gabled ends were the symbols and names of S. Mark and S. Luke, but the lion and the inscriptions-JflatcuU, llucl)au-now alone remain. To eaeh side of the shrine is attached a metal ring, to which a chain is appended, as in other exampleP (Plates VIL and VIII) There are also inscriptions, which have not been deciphered, on silver

TINTINNABULA. 867

plates with traces of niello; the groundwork of the shrine is decorated with flowers, foliage, &c., hammered up, and also with metal plates of

pierced work ; traces of gilding appear, but the object has evidently suffered through long use and much friction, having probably been

transported from place to place for various religious purposes. The shrine measures Sl inches in height, the width of the principal faces being, at

the lower margin, 6t inches, and the width of the sides 4~ inches, but in each case considerably less at the upper part of the shrine, the proportions of which are contracted towards the gabled roo( being conformable to the shape of the bell enshrined within. The character of the inscription bears resemblance to those on the remarkable object known as the Dunvegan

cup," which is dated 1493.

The later history of this curious relic is somewhat romantic. In 1833,

wheu the lat~ Dr. Petrie exhibited drawings of it to the Royal Irish Academy, it was in the possession of Major Nesbitt, of Wood Hill, Ardara. He bought it of a man called Breslin, of the parish of Glencolumkill, in the

same county of Donegal, who was the hereditary keeper, the consideration paid being three young cows and an annuity. It is said that the cows

died the next day, and that Breslin never prospered afterwards. The tradition in the county is, that Breslin's ancestor was a servant to S. Conall of Inis Cael.

Major Nesbitt died 3rd January, 1845, and the same night his house

was plundered. I have been informed by the Rev. G. N. Tredenneck, of Keldoney, a nephew of the late Major, who was in the house at the time of the robbery, that, besides the bel1, there were stolen, a most valuable portable altar, studded with precious stones, several gold torques, and ornaments of value, and many gold coins. Captain Richard Nesbitt, who succeeded to the property of his brother, offered a reward of £100

·for discovery of the perpetrators of the robbery, but without effect, and it was afterwards found that the thief was a near relative, staying in the house at the same time, and the articles having been conveyed to England and disposed o( the reward proved ineffectual. Though the young thief

was well known, there were reasons for not prosecut~ him for the felony, and he was allowed to leave the neighbourhood ; since which time he has died in Birmingham. I have also been informed by Sir James Dombrain, a

368 TINTINN ABULA.

most intimate friend of the late Major, that he was at Wood Hill when the Barnan of S. Columkill, as it was always ca1led, was purchased of the last surviving mern her of th~ family of Breslin, who was then an old man. The Major requested Sir James to open the case, and he took o~t the bell but not without great difficulty. The relic was once offered to Bir James for £10, but he declined the purchase, and for many years it lay perdue.

About 1858 Mr. Robert Moore, who exhibited it at Worcester, bought the bell of a furniture dealer i11 Birmingham for £3. It had not been in

the dealer's hands many days ; it had been brought to him l>y a poor woman, who sold it to him for five shillings. A few days afterwards the woman returned to the dealer in company with her husband. and was desirous to get it back ; but it had in the meantime passed into the safe keeping of Mr. Moore, who resolutely refused to part with it, although they offered him £50. After it was exhibited at Worcester the authorities of the British Museum negociated with Mr. Moore for the purchase

of it ; but upon declining his terms, it was afterwards sold for £80 to A. W. Franks, Esq., of London, in whose possession it now remains.

The beautiful drawings exhibited by Dr. Petrie, illustrating his Paper

on the Ancient Ecclesiastical Bells of l1·eland, were made by the late

George Du Noyer, of the Ordnance Survey, from which, engravings were prepared, but the Paper was never printed in the Traru~actions of the Academy; having been withdrawn for completion, it fell into abeyance as more important works intervened. By an order of the Council of the Royal Irish Academy, dated June 15, 1868, I have been most kindly allowed the use of these plates to illustrate this chapter, for which I here

return my very sincere thanks. Dr. Stokes, in his life of Petrie, lately published,' gives the fallowing

account of this valuable Paper. "The essay commences with a discussion

of the question as to whether bells were used in Ireland in pagan times and were not rather introduced with Christianity. To the latter view Petrie inclines, though working with his usual caution, he duly weighs all that may be said in favour of their more remote antiquity. He allows it to be an unquestionable fact that the pagan Irish had the art

of casting bronze swords, spear-l1eads, and domestic implements, exactly

9 Lond. 1868, Svo.

TINTINNARULA.

similar in form and material to those of the Greeks of the heroic time, and other ancient nations; and he proves, from statements in the boOks of Ballymote and Lecan, that Patrick's artifice-rs were native Iruh, and

some of them sons of artifioors in the same line, who only employed the skill more anciently known to them, in the service of the new religion. Yet, he adds, that we have no proof of bells having been in use before the introduction of Christianity ; and many passages from our ancient

records prove that bells, as well as croziP.rs, book covers of metal, chalices, and other religious utensils, were extensively manufactured in Ireland in the fifth and sixth centuries ; and we find in the Lives of 8. Patrick,

preserved in the Book of Armagh, that he is described as introducing bells through the country. ' He carried with him acr088 the Shannon, fifty bells, fifty patens, fifty chalices, Altar books of the law, books of the

Gospel, and left them in new places.' " " The bells described in this Paper were, first, the BeU of Glog'Mr (Fig.

15 ), in his own museum ; it is 13! inches high, and is very similar to a

smaller one described at page 346, in possession of Dr. Trenar. Secondly, the ClogJfl.arRigh,' then preserved in the Church of Fenagh. He then

r6

15

• See Fig. 29, p. 351.

370 TINTINN ABULA.

pa.sses on to a detailed history of the Bdl of A 1-magh,~ with ita jewelled shrine. Here the essay breaks off, the remainder of the MS. having dis­appeared, in which he spoke of the Bell of Gonall Gaell; the Beaman Guilawn, or bell of S. Culanus ; the Bell of Kilshanny, 1 or of S. Cuana, the Bell of S. Ruadhan of Lorrha ;• and the Clog-oir, or golden bell of S. Senan, of Scattery Island."

Glog-o~r, &r Golden Bell of S. Senanus.-Thi.s remarkable relic, now deposited on loan in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy. by the owner, Marcus Keane, Esq., of Beach Park, in the County of Clare, was exhibited at the meeting of the Archreological Institute at Norwich, July, 1847, in the proceedings of which there is the following short account of it.h It "is traditionally believed to have belonged to S. Senan, founder of the famous monastery of Inniscattery, at the mouth of the river Shannon, in the sixth century. At the dissolution of monasteries the bell was preserved by the Keane family, and was used as a means of obtaining

restitution of stolen property ; the bell being transported for that purpose even to remote places, the accused were subjected to the ordeal of laying their hands on it whilc;t making solemn declaration of innocence. In consequence of the veneration in which the relic was held, the threat of sending for t.he bell generally produced restitution ; its virtue has re­peatedly been thus proved within the memory of the present owner, and even on very recent occasions." By the kind liberality of the Royal Irish Academy, I am enabled to give four full-8ized illustrations of this relic from the plates engraved several years ago to illustrate the late Dr. Petrie's Paper on this subject. (See Plates IX., X., XI., XII.)

The chieftain of the Kean family was dignified in ancient times with the title of Carra.n B01·o, a term understood to mean arbiter of disputes, from his being the custodian of this venerated relic. The body of the relic, seen in the back view (Plate X.) consists of two pieces of ancient bronze castings, riveted together, the top being in one piece, the base in another. Different devices, wrought in silver, &c., appear on the side, the general outline of which exhibits the ancient cross surmounted by the semicircle and rays. The whole was originally incased in silver plates, in which

2 See pp. 354-5. a See Fig. 21, p. 845. 4 See Fig. 20, p. 344. 6 p. xxx.

'I'INTINNABULA. an

designs in gold and enamel are inlaid. The plateH still remain on three

of the sides ; a fragment of the fourth may be seen at the top of Plate

IX. the lower part having been at some time intentionally cut away.

The ancient history of the Clog Oir is involved in obscurity. Ac-

cording to one account it wa..'l brought from Dungiven, -in the county of

Derry, about four hundred years since, when a sanguinary contest among

the sept of the O'Cahans for the chieftainship having taken place, the

elder claimant was defeated, and, to save his life, he left with his followers,

and settled in West Clare, where he married the daughter of MacillaLan,

the chief of that county, receiving a dowry in land. It is said that he

brought with him the Clog-Oir, and that he and his descendants

continued to make the ancient use of it in their new settlement. His

residence was the Castle of Inniscattery, from which his successor was

ejected in the wars of Queen Elizabeth's reign. This tale respecting the

bell is confirmed by the fact that the relic is Rtill venerated by tradition

in the counties of Londouderry and Antrim.

Another legend is that it fell down from Heaven to S. Senan, similar

to a tale related of the bell of S. Mura; as we read now in the Acts of the

Apostles (xix., 35) of "the image of Diana, which fell down from Jupiter."

These legends are all of the same character, and all point to heathenism ;

but, in course of time the veneration which attached itself to the relics,

became associated with the Christianity of the middle ages.

The relic was very generally used, and most successfully, for the

recovery of stolen property. The notion among the common people was,

that, if any one was impious enough to swear fa.l.sely upon it, the muscles

of his mouth would contract at one side until the opening reached the ear.

The effect, however, .was never proved, inasmuch as, though frequently m

use, no one was ever known to have sworn falsely upon it Mr. Keane, to whom I am indebted for this account. tells me that he

remembers the occasion when last the Clog-Oir was brought into re­

quisition. It was about the year 18:34. A tenant farmer had his house

broken into, and was robbed of twenty pounds. He applied for the bell,

as he suspected the robbery to have been committed by persons in his neighbourhood. It was brought with much ceremony to his house ; and

after mass, on the fallowing Sunday, was the time appointed for the whole y2

TINTINNABULA.

parish to a.'i&emble, and "clear themselvt-s from suspicion upon the bell" On the Saturday night preceding this ordeal, the farmer was frightened by hearing a crash at the window, which was broken in. He apprehended that his days were numbered; but, after waiting some time in great fear, all Qe<:ame quiet. On lighting a candle to see what had occurred, he found, to his great astonishment, that his twenty pounds~ven the identical notes, tied with the same string-had been thrust in through the broken pane, and were on the floor ! Of course, there was no occasion for using the bell on the following day. But my informant's parenta, having reli~ious scruples upon the subject. chiefly caused by the incident just related, refused all subsequent applications made for the use of the bell

The stories told of this bell in olden times were numerous and all marvel­lous. The march of intellect caused by the spread of the English language has destroyed much of the veneration formerly entertained for this relic.

The above, Fig. 16, represents a very early bell of the square type, now in the possession of John Tredennick, Esq., of Camlen, near Ballyshannon ; it was found near the ruins of an old ChapeL

The Bell of 8. Bodan has remained in the possest~ion of the family of

Duffy, of Glack. in the parish of Clonca., in the county of Donegal, for many generations. The last of the family (William) went to America about ten

years ngo, and ]eft the bell with a person called Doherty, who had ma.rrie:d W. Duffy's sister, who now possesses it. It was exhibited at Belfast in 1852. I have not succeeded in obtaining a sketch of this bell S. Bodan is traditionally believed to have been abbot of the monastery of Culd.a.ff.

Another ancient Iriah square bell of cast bronze, very much like Fig. 26,

p. 380, is said to have been found in the parish of Rossinver, in the

county of Leitrim. It was deposited by Lord Enniskillen in the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn street, London, but has lately been trans.­

ferred to the British Museum, as a more suitable resting place. It is

10 inches high, and 7 inches by 6 at the mouth.

Dr. Trenar,• of Omagh, has just sent me an account of a pair of small bells, apparently very ancient, the large9t being 3l inches high, the oval mouth 2 by 2!, of cast bronze, within which is suspended a smaller be)~

• Page 346 called "'henan," by m.Utake.

'l'lN'riNNABULA.

of similar form and make, and furnished with a clapper ; both are very musical, and the tone of one is an octave of the other. They were found at Altmore, county Tyrone, about two years ago.

A riveted bell. coated with bronze, waa recently found at Foulk's Court. County Kilkenny. It baa been deposited by its owner, Mr. Hely, in the Museum of Antiquities, at Kilkenny. It waa found in clearing out a fish­poud- very near the spot are the ruins of an old Church.

There is yet another sort of small Irish bells to be de~cribed, com­

monly called Crotals. The engravings, Figs. 17, 18, and 19, reprt:sent three

18 19 20

of them, which are now in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy ; they were presented by Lord Oxmantown to the late Dean Dawson, with whose collection they came. into the possession of the Dublin Academy. They were found in a bog near Birr, or Pa.rsonstown, at a place called Downie, in the King's county, along with a variety of skeynes, celts, spears,

arrow beads, and other relics of antiquity. Fig. 1 7 is 5 inches by 2i

m diameter. Fig. 18 is 6l inches long by 2t in diameter. Fig. 19

is 4i mcbee" high by 2i in diameter.

874 TINTINNABULA.

Fig. 20 is considered a very rare specimen. It is stated in the Journal of the Killenny Archmological Society, vol. iv., p. 345, that as many as thirty­one of the same kind were found at the above place, some of them in a cauldron. This specimen is in the collection of William Kelly, Esq., of Limerick ; it is 6 inches long by 3t inches in diameter. They are all of bell metal, and appear to have been gilt ; there is one in my possession, like . Fig. 18. There are four of the same form, one more rotund, with two unfinished and broken, in the British Museum ; one is crushed or britted as if from a blow. They were probably used either as appendages of ornamentations, or religious ceremonies, or for warlike purposes, fastened by a thong to the end of a staff. They enclose a small loose piece of metal, or something equally hard, which

serves as a clapper, and produces a jingling noiRe when shaken. " Each of these hollow pear-shaped bells has a ring at the top, and pieces of metal internally; they however emit a very dull, feeble sound. That they are of great ::wtiquity may be inferred from the character of the metal of which they a.re composed, as well as the circumstances under which they were found. The bronze of which they are composed is a

peculiar golden lustre, depending, it is supposed, on the admixture of a

certain proportion of lead. The Romans, it is known, imported from Cyprus a copper called coronarium,1 which was given a gold colour by

means of oxgalls. In casting, the metal appears to have been poured into the mould by an aperture at the side, through which the core of clay that contained the metal clapper was broken up."8

I have been kindly informed by Mr. Clibborn, the curator of the Museum

belonging to the Royal Irish Academy, that the long pear-shaped Crotals, Figs. 17, 18, 19, found at Dowris, are specimens of many which were found there, with a considerable number of bronze spears and swords, whole and broken, with lumps of melted bronze, one of which must have been in a

state of fusion when it came in contact; with another of these Crotals, for, in cooling, it took a perfect impression of a large part of the rounded end. This fact seems to prove that a place which had contained these

7 See Cic. Agrar, U. 22 ; Plin., xniii, 9. ' Wylde's ~ of Dublin .Ma~eum, p. 612. See also Pf'OC6edmg• of tluJ Royal Irillz

~. vol. iv., pp. 287 &nd 423 ; &nd also Dublin Ptmny JOtWMZ, vol. i., p. 376.

1'1N'l'INNABULA. 375

things had beeu burnt down. A heap of swords, but without Crotals, or spears, was found some years ago, at Athlone ; some of them very much melted and distorted by fire. The spears were all of the same old Greek type, with the swords short, and it is evident from this fact, that the Dowris Crotals are to be cons,idered as belonging to the same age and art as the swords and spears found with them. This gives them a .date of very remote antiquity, and as they were found with war instruments, they must have had something to do with ancient war customs-at a war dance perhaps, in which these Crotals might have been shaken together. Be that as it may, they are bells, and they exhibit a. great amount of care in the mode of casting, and the mode adopted to support the core, so as to make the casting hollow, and to preserve the insulation of the internal pellet, which, though not producing much sound, were, to an extent, intended to be sonorous, because they all have internal pellets.

Dr. Ledwich in his Antiquities of Ireland (1804, p. 251), says on the authority of J ohn Sarisbur,9 that the Crotal seems not to have been a bardic instrument, but the bell-cymbal used by the clergy, and de­nominated a Crotalum by the Latins ; it was also used by the Roman pagan priests. Its figure is on a stone dedicated to the mother of the gods ; and during the last century was in the palace of Cardinal Casius in Rome. Dr. Ledwich further speaks of the Crotalin or Orotha which he considers was the Crepitaculum of the Romans, being a kind of rattle, made of wood, brass, gold, or silver, of different forms. Several of these instruments were found at Slane Park, in the county of Meath, in 1781,

consisting of two circular plates of brass, connected by a wire twisted in a workmanlike manner round a shank, and jingled when the instru­ment was struck by the fingers.

In the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy for 1845, is contained a communication from Mr. Ball, the object of which was to show that the article called a Orota.l is of quite a different form, and bad, properly, but one disc, and not two, as represented in Ledwich's Antiquities, (Plate XXIV., Fig. 6), and Camden's Britannia, (Gough's edit., Pl. LXXXIV.,

t " Crotala quoque dici sonoras spherulas qure quibusdam granis interpositis pro quantitati sui, et specie met&lli sooo edunt."-Joh. &w-UlJiw, lib. viii., c. 10.

3'Z6 TINTINNABULA.

21 23

22

Vol. iv., Fig. 1). He founded his argument upon the fact that three speci­mens in the Museum of the Academy (two of which are here copied, Fig. 21,) were each perfect, although consisting of only one disc, while that figured by Ledwich (which still exists in the University Museum), is a com­pound of two specimens rudely rivetted together with a common copper rivet. Or. Petrie states, that of the six specimens said to have been tound at Slane Park, he had seen three which were certainly double, though he would not undertake to say that they had not been com­pounded as that in the University Museum certainly was. A gentleman who had been in Persia, on being shewn the specimens, stated that in

that c01mtry at the present day they were used in the manner of casta­nets for keeping t ime, and that they were not provided with double discs,

but were used in the same way in which boys. here hold and beat time with bit.a of bone or slate. The style of the larger of these two specimens is of an early character. probably not later than the tenth century, and possibly, as early as the sixth."' It is stated by Dr. Wylde ill his Gutalogue of the Dublin Museum, p. 564, that "subsequent investigation has shewn that these were not musical instruments, and are not capable

of omitting any sound except that of an ordinary piece of metal when struck by any hard substance. They appear to have been latchet fasteners, the curved stem passing through oilete holes in the garment, and may, from their shape, be styled spectacle-brooches. In one specimen in the Museum, the helix for fastening it to the cloak still remains."

A writer in the Dublin Penny J ournal, vol. i., p. 376, considers

I A.rcha:ol. Oa11.breu. vol. iv., p. 16.

TINTINNABULA. 877

tht: name to be derived from the Irish Chotal, a husk or pod, which was metaphorically used to express a cymbal. But surely the word can hardly be of Irish origin, for we moot with it in Greek and Latin. In an old Lexicon, we find "Cymba.lista, qure cymbalis crotalisque canit."

In Homer's Hymn, xiv., " 'H '\ , , , , ,

ICfJOTGI\WV nnravwv T lGX'I·

Crotalorum tympanorumque vociferatio. Globular bells, of various sizes, have long been in use; they

have at the top a staple for attachment to a strap or cord, and are formed of two hemispheres, joined in the centre, with apertures in both, those in the lower being conneeted by a wide slit. The lower segment is deoorated, and within is a piece of metal which acts as a clapper. In those of modem date the initials of the owner or of the maker may be seen engraven on the under half. In the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, there are forty-one, varying in size from I:i- to 2! inches. Fig. 40, p. 385, is a reduced representation of the latter, as many as thirteen very small specimens in the Dublin Museum are attached to a zig-zag wire hoop ; they were found in sinking a foundati()n at S. Patrick's CathedraJ, Dublin, and presented by His Grace the Duke of Northumberland. These resemble those now attached to to:y:s, or to the fool's bauble in ancient times. The larger specimens were, no doubt, cattle bells ; there are about a dozen such in the British Museum.

Fig. 22 is a full sized representation of a globular bell such as are often found in ancient barrows. I have seen several of a rather larger size, found in barrows in Dorsetshire. Mr. Hall, of Osmington, possesses six. The one here represented was found in 1844,1 by the Rev. Dr. Wilson, in a barrow on Headington Hill, Oxon. It has no mark of ever having been gilt, but it has the beautiful green "rust of twice ten thousand years." A similar one (Fig. 23) was found in the same locality by Mr. L C. Jewit~ who preserves it in his Museum at Winster Hall near Matlock.' There are several at Audley End, in the museum founded by the late Lord Braybrooke ; these were found, with other Roman remains, at Chesterford, county Essex, and · are figured in his lordship's A.ntiqua Explorata, 1847.

t See JorwMl of Af'ck<Bol. lnltitute, vol. vi., P• 183.

• See Journal oj Af'clr~l . .&11ociation, vol. vi. , p. 56. To the Council of which I am thank­

fully indebted for the loan of this block. z

878 TINTINNABULA.

Bells of the very same type and with the very same ornamentation, though of different sizes, have been made from the earliest time to the present. In the last century, they were very common on the bridles of farm horses, under the name of ear-bells or jingles. Bells of the ttame sort were used for hawks and pet dogs ; and also to adorn the trap­pings of horses ; and they adorned the dresses of the court buffoons of the middle ages.

Without disputing further about names, there can be no doubt that there were two instruments of different forms, and, probably, intended for different purposes. I would, however, C?nfine the term Crota1 to those pear-shaped and globular productions, the exact use of which is, evidently, very doubtful; they may have been appended to an ancient spear ; in confirmation of which I quote the following passage from Lingard's narra­tive of the expedition to England of the Emperor Severus.'

" When the army moved from York, the selection of the commander, the number of the legions and auxiliary cohorts, and the long train.~ of mrriages laden with provisions or implements of war, prvclaimed the d&­termination of the emperor to subdue, if not to exterminate, all the rebellious tribes in the north . The Britons were but ill provided against so formidable an invasion. They possessed no other defensive armour than a narrow target. Their weapons were a dirk, an unwieldy sword hanging from the waist by an iron chain, and a short lance, from one extremity of which was suspended a bell.''

This passage is from Dion Cassius, or, rather the epitome by Xiphilinus, {Book 36, chap. xii., p. 348, edit. 1392, fol):

" T' ~· " "\ • - • ' ' ~, A • - "\ a 0.£ O'lri\0 QVTWV, QCJ'IriC, ICOI oopu fJpaxv, l4fli\OV "\ - . , ~ -

xai\ICUOV E'!r aiCpou T"OV

, J ft ' • ' ''\r' -, I, CJT"VpaiCOC £XOV, WCJT"E t1HCJOI4EVOV KT"U'IrT"EtV 'lrf'OC ICOT"O'Iri\TJ'OIV T"WV fVOVTIWV,

" Horum arma stmt scutum et hasta brevis in cujus inferiore parte

pomum est ex rere, ut dum concutitur, hostes sonitu perterrefaciant." The following pa.Bl!age from Herodotus will assist us in understanding

the word 14iiAov (Book 7, chap. xli.), which Schweighaeuser, in his Le.-cicon,

tells us is: " Hastatorum quoddam genus in Xerxis exercitu in inferiore extremitate

hastarum p~Aa nempe XPvaEa mala aurea habebant." • Lingard's England, vol. i., p 33, Sixth Edit. 1855.

TINTINNABULA. 879

" , l (n l ) " , • , - ~, , , Kal 1'0vr wv fpcFtWV XLAIOI JUV ura Total oopaaa avr1 TWV aavpwrrJfH-lV

* * * . ' . l * * * , ' ' ' ... 'I' (\\ po«ac uxov. xpvaeac, apyvpwc potac EIXOV. uxov Of XfVCJfa c

Po'J.c Ka: oi ,:c T!}v yilv TfE'If'OWEC Tac Ao'Yxac, ~ea: I'VAa oi ~ 'YX'aTa , , ,.,. t" ,, f1r0p.EIOI .::.Ef'Of.

" Quorum mille in hastis, pro imis cuspidibus, aurea habebant maJ a. punica, * * * argentea maJa punica habebant. Aurea vero mala punica habebant etiam illi, qui lancea.s in terram conversas tenebant ; et poma aurea hi, qui Xerxem proxime sequebantur."

The annexed cut is reduced from an engraving in Speed's Theatre of Great Britaine, fol., 1676. It purports to represent an ancient Briton. Though Speed refers to no authority, it agrees with the description given by Dion Cassius.

Certainly these round crota.l bells in figure re­semble an apple, and this instrument was evidently intended to make a rattling noise when shaken. We may <'Onclude that they were much like those which have been here described; but they must not be confounded with the bella appended to Aaron's robes, as described in Exod. xxviii., 33 ; the word for which in the Septuagint is K~~wvEc ; in the Vulgate, tin­tinnabula.

In the Journal of the Archaological Institute (vol. xiv., p. 23) is a paper by Mr. Burges, on "Treasures

once belonging to the Church of S. John the Baptist, in the city of Mon.za." In an inventory published in 1275 is the following: "Item gausape contextum ab atrique capite de perliR in magna quantitudine cum cam.panellis deauratis quinquaginta tres." Mr. Burges adds, "there was also a pallium adorned with 223 tintinnabula.." And that he saw a cope, at the Cathedral at Aix-la-Chapelle," the lower part of which had a number of small bells, of a sugar loaf shape, attached all round it."

And thus closes my account of all I have been able to collect about the ancient Jittle bella in Ireland, for which I am greatly indebted to the unbounded courtesy of many noblemen and gentlemen, to whom I return my very sincere thanks.

zl

180 TINTINNABULA.

I now proceed to close this chapter by g~vmg a very short a.ooount of several small bells, apparently of great antiquity, of divers forms and from divers places.

In the Museum at Caerleon there is a bronze bell very similar to the round one figured at page 302, it was discovered with other Roman remains in that locality.

Besides those already described and figured, Figs, 24, 25, and 26, are

also in the cabinets of the British Museum. The square bell, Fig. 25, is

said to have been found near Yougha.l, county of Cork; it was procured for the Museum by the Earl of Enniskillen ; it is 2l inches high, and 2! inches square, of iron, with slightly projecting ribs. Some doubt whether

it is a bell at all

Fig. 24 is a small iron bell, said to have been found in the Thames, certainly in London; it is · 4! inches high by 3 inches at the mouth, without a clapper.

There is another bell very like the last, with a clapper, 3! inches high,

21 inches wide, said to have been found in a. London street. in the city. It was purchased by the British Mm~eum in 1854, with a. large collec­tion of London antiquities, of Mr. Henry Inga.ll.

There is also in the same museum, one of riveted sheet iron, rusted,

TINNTINABULA. 881

very like the Marden bell, figured at page 315; it is IOl inches high 6l by 5i inches a.t the mouth ; it has a moveable handle and a. clapper, and traces of having been coated with brass. The museum obtained it in 1863 from the A.rclueologica.l Institute, to which it was presented by the late Rev. G. Nelson, together with the one (Fig. 26), which was found a.t Cha.rlbury 1 in Wychwood forest, Oxon., and was given to

the Institute by the Rev. Greville Chester ; it is of iron, about 11 inches high. 7! by 4l inches wide.

There is a. bell exactly ]ike this, but with a flat handle, in the pos­session of E. M. Atkins, Esq.. of Kingston Lisle, Berks ; it was given to his father by an old postboy of Wantage, and is said to have been found somewhere in that neighbourhood.

Fig. 27 is also in the British Museum ; it was found in a. tomb a.t

Tharros, in Sardinia ; it is of cast bronze, 7 t inches high, 3i by 2l inches wide. There are two others in the sa.me cabinet of very similar form, but of larger size, without clapper ; there are lines inside in slight reliet probably intended to represent a pair of fish~ twice repeated.

Fig. 28 is a. riveted bell of sheet iron, it is in the collection of Mr. Llewellyn J ewitt. He informs me it was found at Otmoor. Oxon.: probably, a. cattle bell.

882 TL.'ITINN A BOLA.

29

31/J

31 30

Figs. 29 and 30 are supposed to be Roman ; they were found at Spring­head, in the parish of Southtleet, Kent, and are now in the poaseesion of Mr. Roach Smith.

Fig. 31 is called the Bill of S . Symphorius; the form is uncommon, being hexagonal at the base, (Fig. 31a) 5~ inches high, not reckoning the handle. It was found in Brita.ny, and appears to be of cast metal I learn from a. description of the bell by Mr. Perrott, published in the ArchaJol. Cambrens., (vol iv., 3rd Series, p. 349,) that, before the revolution, it belonged to a parochlal Chapel of S. Paule, in COtes du Nord, dedicated to S. Symphorian, but now it is in the parochlal Church itself; it was noticed for the first time at the Archa>ological Congress of S. Brieuc (1852) ; "as in many other places where similar bells exist, so here firm faith is placed by the country people in its sound for the property of curing deafness and head-ache."

A bell very similar to the bell of Armagh (Fig. 6, p. 331,) and the bell of Stival (Fig. 7, p. 334), known by the name of the BeU of King Marc ; it is also called the BeU of S. Pol de L~on, and was dis­covered in the Cathedral of S. Pol de Leon, in Britany, where it is kept (Fig. 32). S. Pol came from Cornwall, where he had converted Marc, the king of that country, from whom he requested the gift of the bell,

TINTINNABULA. 388

32

which was m his castle, he, S. Pol, having none in his hermitage. Afterwards S. Pol fled into Lower Britany, A.D. 617. After this the bell was found in the mouth of a huge fish on the coast of Leon and presented by King Guythune to the saint.

The BeU of S . Rona.n, preserved in the Church of Loc Ronan, in Britany, is of similar form.

There is another bell in the collection of M. de Pengwern, namely, the Bell of S. Kivec, a monk of the sixth century, who emigrated from Cornwall to Britany. It was formerly in the Church of Perros Guiree, near Lannion ; and it is on1y a few years ago that the rector of the parish had it removed because he considered the confidence placed by the people in the virtue of the bell as superstitious. M. de Pengwern found it in the rectory garden, where it had been made u~e of to cover lettuces 16

The next four are from blocks kindly lent to me by M. Shaepkins, of Brussels, who thus describes them in his Brochure on Bells, 1857 :

" Fig. 33, a small hand bell of the eleventh century, from a MS. Prudentius, in the Royal Library at Brussels,

& .&rci~l. IJ-ambret~l., vol. , iv.3rd Series, p. 349

884 TINTINNABULA.

33 34 3S 36

Fig. 34 is a bell of cast bronze, m the Royal Museum of AntiquiU. at BruBBels.

Fig. 35 is in the Museum a.t Namur.

Fig. 36, the remains of a. cast bell in Crosthwaite's Museum. a.t Keswick. It wa.s found on Latrigg fell. near Keswick ; it is of corroded iron, without any appearance of a rivet.

Besides these, there are four small bells of various forma in the Museum of the Duke of :Northumberland, a.t Alnwick, drawings of which I have

been kindly allowed by His Grace's courtesy; they were purch.aaed in Ireland.

This (Fig. 37) represents one of severaJ little bells found in the

Thames ; it is inscribed Campana ThofiWJ, supposed to be one of the

37

lignacula, or signs, worn by pilgrims, not only as indications of pilgrimage

to Canterbury, but a.s charms against accidents on the journey. They were also suspended from the necks of the horses which accompanied them.6 I a.m indebted to Mr. Chambers for the loan of this block.

But I must not conclude this long peal without noticing the few

& Ohamber•'• Book of Day1, p. 339.

TINTINNABULA. 385

ancient hand-bells which are known to exist m England ; some of those no doubt which in days gone by were used as sacring bells inside the Church, or as processional bells outside ; an illustration of the latter may be seen on the Bayeux tapestry, where the funeral of Edward the Confessor is represented : two acolytf!s may be seen walking by the side of the hearse, carrying hand-bells, one in each hand, with the clappers shewing themselves below the rims.

There is a highly ornamented little sacring bell in the possession of the Rev. C. Dodson, Rector of Penton Mewsey, Rants. It was discovered on the rectory premises, July, 1845, buried under a floor. It is dated 1555, and inscribed Sit nomen Domini benedictum. It is reasonably sup­posed to have been used as the mass bell during the short reign of

Queen Mary ; the former one having been removed m the reign of Edward VI. It is fully described in the Jou-rnal of the Archmological

Association, vol. ii., p. 184.

In the Penny Po.~t Magazine, April, 1865, this engraving (Fig. 38) of a mass bell at Merrow, in Surrey, was given; in appearance the form is very modern.

39

Fig. 39 appears to represent a sacring bell of much earlier date ; it was found walled up, with the clapper, in a niche over the south en­trance of Deddington Church, Oxon. It is 4 inches high, including the handle ; the diameter of the mouth being 2-1 inches. It is now in the

a.a

386 TINTINNABULA.

possessiOn of C. Faulkner, Esq., of Deddington, to whom I am indebted for this information. He also possesses a small ancient globular bell,

similar to Fig. 23, p. :W5, which was dug up in the Churchyard at Adder bury, county Ox on.; the under surface is ornamented with an en­graved Maltese cross.

J. C. Langlands, Esq., of Old Berwick, possesses two circular hand-bells, which were found in the ruins of the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, Old Berwick ; one very small, the other very much like a common dinner bell

There is a small ancient round specimen in the Museum of the late Lord Braybrooke, at .A.udley End, which his lordship founJ at Chesterford, in the county of Essex, with other varieties of Roman remains.

A very small circular bell is in the possession of the Rev. William Nicholson, of Wickham House, near Newbury, Berks; it was found buried in the chancel of Welford Church, a Norman building, when under repair.

In 1831, a small bell was dug up in the Churchyard of Lillingston Lovell, county Bucks, close to the Church wall, where no grave ever was dug-evidently a sacring bell

The few specimens now to be noticed are mostly of the rude square riveted type, with remains of brass coating on the outside. There may be many such in existence, lying perhaps uncared for~ at the bottom of the old parish coffers, where of late so many ancient accounts of church­wardens have been discovered .

.A. bell of this make and form is spoken of at Rousham, in the county of Oxford, which, I am informed, is of riveted sheet iron, 10!

inches high by 5! inches square at the mouth. It has long been in the possesHion of C. Cottrell Dormer, Esq. There are four others of the same form and make in the Museum at Northampton ; two found at Everdon, one at Sulgrave, and one at Welton: and two in the possession of Sir Henry Dryden, to whose kindness I am indebted for the information about these specimens : one found at Adston, the other at Preston Capes in the same county. There is a similar one in the possession of Mr. Tabr-.m, of Nailsworth, in the county of Gloucester; it was dug up many years ago in the churchyard of Ozleworth, in that neighbourhood.

I have now the pleasure to congratulate my readers, as well as my­self, that I have come to the close of this chapter De Tintinnabulis. My

TINTINNABULA. 387

very grateful thanks are due to many Clerics of every order, and :I...Iiics of high and low degree, who have moat kindly assisted me in the un­dertaking.

I cannot do better, perhaps, than reproduce as a tail-piece from a MS. of 8. Blaise (ninth century) a representation of a performer playing a Carillon of five bells ; and this I the rather wish to do for the purpo.~e of correcting an error at page 306, where the ·instrument is called a Tin­tinnabulum. I was misled by M. Coussemaker, but I have since heard from that gentleman, and the following passage from Le Moyen Age et la Renaissance, (vol iv.,) under "Instruments de Musique,'' fully explains the origin of the mistake: "La reunion de plusieurs cloches de differ­entes grosseurs aurait produit tout nature11ement le Carillon, qui rEJ9ut d'abord le m~me nom que la Cloche isolee Tintimtabulum. Le Carillon etait alors un cintre en bois, ou en fer, auquel pendaient cinque ou six clo­chettes de divers calibres, que le carillonneur frappait l'une apree l'autree en cadense avec un petit marteu."

"l.aulJate IJomfmnn in qmpaniJ : l.aulJate Eum in tpmbalfls."

388 TINTINNABULA.

PosTSCRIPT.

Most of the little bells, which have been described in the foregoing pages, were used for sacred purposes ; but in modern times, hand-bells, tuned to

the chromatic scale, such as are here represented (from a block kindly lent by Messrs. Warner), are in very general use for musical entertainments.

!!!!!!!! Those suspended on a frame are struck with a small padded mallet

or drum-stick; the others, fitted with leathern handles, are held in the hand, usually one in each, though experienced performers will hold two or more, and will perform pieces of music of intricate composition. A set of 6, 8, or 10 of these are very useful tor learners to practice the ringing of changes before they are admitted to handle the bells in a steeple.

Fig. 42 is from an ancient little bronze bell in the Mu­seum of S. Columba's College,

near Dublin ; it is similar to

one in the Museum at New­

castle-on-Tyne. (Seep. 346).

Fig. 43 is the BeU of S. Fillan (see page 326), which has lately heen found in the

~) possession of the son of the ~ antiquarian who "carried it

42 off to abate superstition." 43

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