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Handbell
Unknown - Enlarge image
Handbell
- Place of origin:
England, Great Britain (made)
- Date:
1638 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Bell metal (copper and tin alloy), with modern handle
- Museum number:
1036-1898
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 58c, case 3
Object Type
By tradition, small handbells used for funeral processions were usually cast in relief with an appropriate inscription and a date.
Ownership & Use
Small handbells were used by the parish clerk or sexton when the body of the deceased was carried in procession to the church for burial. The handbell would be rung at intervals to invoke all those who heard it to pray for the repose of the departed. Contemporary engravings depicting funerals in the 17th century show the sexton walking ahead of the coffin and carrying a staff and a bell.
Ownership & Use
This bell was found buried near Worcester Cathedral. It was cast in 1638, just before the Civil War of 1642-1646, when the city of Worcester and its cathedral were badly damaged. This bell may have been looted from a church or from the cathedral during the upheaval.
