Curious Church Customs and Cognate Subjects Part 6

If that to ring you do come here, You must ring well with hand and ear; Keep stroke of time and go not out, Or else you forfeit, out of doubt.

Our law is so constructed here, For ev'ry fault a jugg of beer.

If that you ring with spur or hat, A jugg of beer must pay for that.

If that you take a rope in hand, These forfeits you may not withstand.

Or, if that you a bell o'erthrow, It will cost sixpence ere you goe.

If in this place you swear or curse, Sixpence you pay--out with your purse.

Come! pay the clerk, it is his fee, For one that swears shall not go free.

These laws are old, and are not new, Therefore the clerk must have his due.

GEORGE HARRISON, 1694.

From the belfry of Dunster, Somersetshire, are the following lines:--

You that in ringing take delight, Be pleased to draw near; These articles you must observe If you mean to ring here.

And first, if any overturn A bell, as that he may, He forthwith for that only fault In beer shall sixpence pay.

If anyone shall curse or swear When come within the door, He then shall forfeit for that fault As mentioned before.

If anyone shall wear his hat When he is ringing here He straightway then shall sixpence pay In cyder or in beer.

If anyone these articles Refuseth to obey, Let him have nine strokes of the rope, And so depart away.

The foregoing bears the date of 1787. We have a shorter set of orders from Bowden:--

You ringers all, observe these orders well!

He pays his sixpence that o'erturns a bell; And he that rings with either spur or hat, Must pay his sixpence certainly for that; And he that rings and does disturb ye peal, Must pay his sixpence or a gun of ale.

These laws elsewhere, in ev'ry church are used, That bell and ringers may not be abused.

It is stated in Halliwell's "Dictionary of Archaisms and Provincialisms"

_gun_ is a North country word for a large flagon of ale.

From All Saints' Church, Hastings, we have the following lines:--

I. H. S.

1.

This is a belfry that is free For all those that civil be; And if you please to chime or ring It is a very pleasant thing.

2.

There is no musick play'd or sung, Like unto bells when they're well rung; Then ring your bells well, if you can, Silence is the best for every man.

3.

But if you ring in spur or hat, Sixpence you pay, be sure of that; And if a bell you overthrow, Pray pay a groat before you go.--1756.

Similar verses to the foregoing we have seen in several places. From the parish church at Grantham we have the following example, dating back to about the middle of the last century:--

He that in Ringing takes delight, And to this place draws near, These Articles set in his sight Must keep if he Rings here.

The first he must observe with care Who comes within the door, Must if he chance to curse or swear, Pay Sixpence to the poor.

And whosoe'er a noise does make, Or idle story tells, Must Sixpence to the Ringers take For melting of the Bells.

If any like to smoke or drink, They must not do so here, Good reason why--just let them think This is G.o.d's House of Prayer.

Young men that come to see and try, And do not Ringing use, Must Six Pence give the company, And that shall them excuse.

So that his hat on's head does keep, Within this sacred place, Must pay his Six Pence ere he sleep; Or turn out with disgrace.

If any one with spurs to's heels Ring here at any time, He must, for breaking articles, Pay Six Pence for his crime.

If any overthrow a Bell, As that by chance he may, Because he minds not Ringing well, He must his Six Pence pay.

Or if a n.o.ble minded man Come here to Ring a bell, A Shilling is the s.e.xton's fee, Who keeps the church so well.

At any should our Parson sneer, Or Wardens' rules deride, It is a rule of old most clear That such sha'nt here abide.

The Sabbath-day we wish to keep, And come to church to pray; The man who breaks this ancient rule Shall never share our pay.

And when the bells are down and ceased, It should be said or sung, May G.o.d preserve the Church and King, And guide us safely home.

In September, 1875, we visited Holy Trinity Church, Hull, to ascertain if any Ringers' Regulations were to be found in the church. We learned, on enquiry, a number of quaint orders were hung up in the ringing chamber some years ago, but a mischievous boy mutilated them with a knife, so that they were taken down. The person in charge, however, kindly submitted for our inspection the disfigured orders, and after considerable trouble, we were able to make a transcript which, we think, will prove interesting:--

ORDERS.

Agreed upon by the s.e.xton and ringers of the Holy Trinity Church, Kingston-upon-Hull, approved of and allowed by the Rev. William Mason, vicar, Mr. George Maddison, and Mr. Thomas Bell, churchwardens, of the same church, the first day of May, Anno Domini 1730, and confirmed by the Rev. John Healey Bromby, vicar, Thomas Mitch.e.l.l, and Charles Anthy. Forrester, churchwardens, the first day of May, 1838.

It is ordered, that every person who shall ring any bell with hat or spurs on, shall forfeit and pay sixpence for the use of the ringers.

It is ordered, that every person who shall pull any bell from off her stay and cannot set her again, shall forfeit and pay for use aforesaid, one shilling.

It is ordered, that every person who shall throw any bell over, shall forfeit and pay for the use aforesaid, sixpence, and over and above this in case anything be broken by such overthrow, such person shall also pay the charge of repairing the same again.

It is ordered, that every person so soon as he has set his bell shall immediately hank up the strop or rope, or in default thereof shall forfeit and pay for use aforesaid, sixpence.

It is ordered, that if any person shall untruss himself upon the lead in any part, or cut and mark the same with a knife or any other thing, such offender shall forfeit and pay for the use aforesaid, sixpence.

It is ordered, that any person who shall have read any of these orders with his hat upon his head shall forfeit and pay for the said use, sixpence.

Next appears the names of the vicar, churchwardens, ringers, who held office in 1730, and a similar list is given for 1838, when the above orders were reprinted at the expense of Mr. W. Green, a sidesman.

The following "Articles and Orders to be Observed by Ringers" at Stow, in the county of Lincoln, were written by William Swift, school-master, and used to hang in the ringing chamber of the church:--

All you who hath a mind to Learn to Ring s. d.

Must to the s.e.xton Admission Money bring. 2 6 These Articles observed strict must be, Or your expelled this society.

Two Nights a Week, Sirs, you must meet, or pay This Forfeiture to us without delay, 0 2 Or when the s.e.xton for you tolls a bell You must appear, or else this Forfeit tell. 0 2 And when you come upon this Belfry If that you noise or talk, this forfeit pay, 0 1 When you Round peals can Ring, you must pay down To be a change man, Sirs, Just half-a-crown, 2 6 On the first change that you have Learned to Ring, One shilling more must pay, Sirs, that's the thing, 1 0 And every Ringer must spend more or Less, As he thinks meet, to wish you good Success, 0 2 If you would learn to p.r.i.c.k a peal in score, Unto these College youths you must pay more. 1 0 When you know Bob, Hunt, Single Dodge compleat You'll not deny our College youths a treat, 2 6 On our Feast-Day, the Twenty-ninth of May, Each member must, Sirs, just one shilling pay, 1 0 When our accompts are pa.s.sed, Sirs, for Truth, And you are stiled a College youth, New Stewards then are chose, and by and by If that you do the Stewardship deny, Your fine must pay--as in the margin see, 1 6 Then from your Stewardship one year are free.