“RING-A-LING” By Mary Davis

By Mary Davis

One of my aunts used to collect bells. Though I don’t know why, I thought they were such an interesting item to collect. I loved to ring them. I have collected thimbles and teapots because I love sewing and tea, which both make sense.

 

Back to bells. Bells have been around a very long time. The earliest bells go back 5,000 years in China.

 

Ancient Chinese Bell

Early bells were made out of earthenware, then later, pounded out of sheet metal into bowl shapes and riveted together. As metallurgy advanced and stable casting processes developed, molds of desired shapes were made so that molten metals could be poured into them, most often bronze. Now, bells could be made quite large, causing their tone to resonate farther.

 

The earliest bells didn’t hang in towers, they were hand-held items essential in daily life. They were used as warning devices by sentries who were on guard and at outposts by the ancient Greeks. In the book of Exodus, bells adorned the high priest’s robe. Bells became important in royal and religious ceremonies across the globe. Romans hung bells around their cattle’s neck to help locate those that might have strayed.

 

Bells have served as notification devices to signal a fire, call people to worship, announce births and deaths, invasion, celebrations, to toll the hour, and to let school children know when it’s time for recess. They were also used in mines for workmen to communicate with each other as well as for people above and below ground to deliver messages back and forth. Bells have been staples on boats, trains, schoolhouses, and town halls. Miners used bells as communication between workers underground as well as between personnel above and below ground.

 

On February 5, 1484, the Great Bell of Dhammazedi was cast and believed to be the biggest bell made. The bell was cast of gold, silver, copper, and tin. It stood twelve cubits high and eight cubits wide, weighing over 300 tons. Since there is no standard for a cubit (depending who, where, and when), I couldn’t determine the size in feet, but it could have been between 17 and 48 feet high by between 11 and 32 feet wide. In 1508, it was stolen to be made into cannonballs by an opposing army. The bell was put on a raft being towed by a ship, but the raft couldn’t take the weight and broke. The bell sunk to the bottom of the Bago River, taking the ship hauling it down with it.

 

Inevitably, bells became works of art and could be tuned to specific notes to be used as instruments.

 

The carillon—an instrument made up of a set of at least 23 bells—has been traced back to the 16^th century in the Low Countries (present day Belgium, the Netherlands, and French Netherlands). These bronze bells are hung in fixed suspension, usually in bell towers, and tuned in chromatic order so they are harmonious together. They are struck with clappers connected to a keyboard along with pedals operated by the feet. Jacob van Eyck and the Hemony brothers cast the first tuned carillon in 1644.

 

Oldest known picture of a playing carillonneur, from De Campanis Commentarius (1612) by Angelo Roccha (1545–1620)

Cast In Bronze-Author Photo

Here is Cast In Bronze playing Carol of the Bells on his carillon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGR4Lj8cpYs

And here is the Dance of the Fireflies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tVZxqEm5PQ

 

Fun Fact: Great Britain has the nickname the Ringing Isle because of its numerous bells.

 

Bells have had a wide variety of uses over the millennia. My aunt’s were merely for her pleasure.

 

I also collect gravy boats. Why? The only reason I can think of is that we had one when I was a child, plus I LOVE mashed potatoes and gravy. I am glad to say that I am in possession of that gravy boat along with the matching ladle and mashed potato bowl.

 

My favorite things to collect these days are hugs from my grandchildren (and my children).

 

Do you collect bells? Something else?

 
MRS. WITHERSPOON GOES TO WAR (Heroines of WWII series)
3rd Place 2023 SELAH Award

A WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) flies a secret mission to rescue three soldiers held captive in Cuba.

Margaret “Peggy” Witherspoon is a thirty-four-year-old widow, mother of two daughters, an excellent pilot, and very patriotic. She joins the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots). As she performs various tasks like ferry aircraft, transporting cargo, and being an airplane mechanic, she meets and develops feelings for her supervisor Army Air Corp Major Howie Berg. When Peggy learns of U.S. soldiers being held captive in Cuba, she, Major Berg, and two fellow WASPs devise an unsanctioned mission to rescue them. With Cuba being an ally in the war, they must be careful not to ignite an international incident. Order HERE!

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of thirty-seven years and one cat. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub

 

Sources

https://www.bells.org/bell-history

http://www.historyofbells.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carillon