146 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1947-48. VII. E CHURCTH H BELL F RENFREWSHIRO S DUNBARTOND AN E - SHIRE. BY R. W. M. CLOUSTON, B.Sc.ENG., F.S.A.ScoT. presene th U o pt t time very littl bees eha n published relatin churco gt h d othean r bell n Scotlandi s . Onlo countieytw s have been coveren i d detail, namely, Kincardineshire in 1897 and Linlithgowshire in 1913, both being the work of Dr F. C. Eeles, F.S.A.Scot. Durin yearso tw ga ' residenc Renfrewshirn ei authoe eth thif o r s paper discovered that, unlike England where most of the exploratory work has already been done, Scotland presented a large field for investigation, and so starte thin do s survey. When Christianity first came to these shores the only bells used were those that could be carried by hand by the missionaries, and of this type we have the Skellat bell preserved in Dumbarton. After a number of years stone churches or chapels were built, having either an open bell-cote or a tower. The bells were then a fixture in the church and were not of any great size, each church usually havin gsingla e bellScotlann I . d righo t p tu the Reformation we find that only the richest churches had more than one thesn i belld e an ,case belle sth s were seldom tune wite don h anothern I . England, however, rings of bells were known in the twelfth century; there sevef o wae ns on bell t Croylansa earle th ydn i year thaf so t century. These bells were definitely tune wite on dh anothe d weran re rung successively. Normally, however, the English parish church at the time of the Reforma- earle fivo t th e yp seventeentn e i u bellspar th tiot d f o nbu t,ha h century there was introduced a system of scientific change ringing, and as the total numbe f changeo r s possibl fivn eo e bells, being factoria s onli , y5 l 120t i , was soo vogun i increaso e t o eve d t p an n numbee u x eth si o bellf t o r p su an octave. For change ringing the bells are hung in a special type of frame, with wheels, stayd slidersan s y whicb , e swunhb then ga ca y complete circle and made to rest mouth upwards when necessary. Instea f followino d e Englisth g h metho f ringingo d , Scotlans wa d influenced by the continental system. In the latter large numbers of bells, 23 or more, are hung stationary or "dead," and are hit with hammers manipulated by wires from a keyboard. These collections of bells are tei-mejIcja^l/Dns when their number excee.ds, 22Va^dcover a range of two octaves or more. Any number less constitutes a chime. Unlike the English system where each bell require ringe"r7~"onsa operatn ca n ecarilloa ma e n CHURCH BELLS OF RENFREWSHIRE AND DUNBARTONSHIRE. 147 in much the same way as an organ, and sometimes it is purely automatic, being geared from the clock; the hammers being tripped by pegs fixed in the circumferenc a barrel f o e , whic s rotatedhi . However, this system pro- duces bad results if the pegs wear or get distorted in any way, thus losing the beat of the music. Hammered bells have an inferior tone to those swung in completa elattee circleth n rI cas . resule face eth th t louders o i tt e du , thae bel th s s structclappei l it y kb r tongu o r e whes horizontai t ni r o l almost upside down and the sound is then projected upwards and outwards. The English system of change ringing is by no means unknown in Scotland, but it has been introduced only in modern times. There are rings of bells t Cuthbert'S t t Mary'a S d san Cathedral, Edinburgh t James'sS ; , Leith; and in Alloa, Dundee, Glasgow, Paisley, Inveraray and Inverness. An earl steeplye t Andrew'sth rin S bellf n f i go e o s sa , Edinburghe , th cas y b t Whitechapel Foundry, London towe1788e n i , Th unsafs r.i e whe belle nth s are swung, so they are clocked and chimed. preparinn I g thi Eeles. s C pape . F author'e , r th r D o t s e thankdu e sar F.S.A.Scot., for his help and encouragement; to Mr Frederick Sharpe of Launton, Oxon., and Mr A. D. Lacaille, F.S.A., F.S.A.Scot., of London, for the loan of a block and a photograph. The bellfounding firms of Messrs John Taylor & Co., of Loughborough; Messrs Gillett & Johnston, Ltd., of Croydon d Messran ; s Mear Stainbank& s f Whitechapelo , , London, have very kindly furnished the weights and notes of the bells they have supplied . Hughestheso t countiesA o . etw A r , M J.P.. , Manage last-namee th f o r d firm s alsha o, bee f greano t assistance r JameM . .Boyd D s , F.S.A.Scot., Curator of the People's Palace Museum, Glasgow, very kindly gave permission belld ol so undetw chargs 'foe photographee hi rth b r o et d (Pis. XXXV, 1 , and XXXVI). E CHURCTH H BELL RENFREWSHIREF O S . Renfrewshire, though one of the smaller counties of Scotland from the poin vief o t hig a areaf w o s hha , densit populatiof yo consequentld nan ya large numbe f churcheso r e majoritth , f whico y e moderne ar hth t A . Reformation it consisted of sixteen parishes with parts of two others; a numbe thesf ro e parishes have since been divide formatio e alloo dt th r wfo n of such towns as Port-Glasgow and Gourock. e countth n I ypre-Reformatioo n ther e ear n bells actuall usen ye i th , only one remaining from that period being the very small handbell that was found some years ago under the floor of Renfrew Parish Church. This survey of the church bells and others in the county covers the bells oldee th l ri nal paris h churche l bellal municipan si d an s l possessionn I . addition, wher moderea n church possesse chima s rina f r bella geo o r o s single bell of any magnitude, these have been included. 148 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , 1947-48. The olde classifiee rb belly sma d thus: (I. mediaeva1 ) l Unknown founder. f2 Scottish. (II.) 4 seventeenth century -! 1 English. |l Dutch. 2 Scottish. {2 English. 1 Dutch. Two of the seventeenth-century bells have been recast, but in both inscriptiond ol case e sth s have been reproduced thesf earliee o e Th e. on r used to hang in the church at Kilellan before the latter was abandoned, and was cast by Charles Hog in 1618. It is probable that this founder was the son of George Hog who cast the bell at Closeburn, Dumfriesshire, which is inscribed: x TREGINT+ +AGVSE A+D T +APVD POTERRAW• / ANNO + DOMINI +1606 On the waist is a medalh'on similar to that found on the Kilellan bell (fig. 3), t wit initiale bu hth s wore G.HTh d. Poterraw would referrine seeb mo t g place th tha f eo o t t name 'in Edinburgh ,probable whicth s hwa s e hi sit f eo foundry e medallioe hammee crowth th Th n d .o n an rn refe o theit r r membership of the Incorporation of Hammermen of Edinburgh. Another bell by Charles Hog is to be found in the mansion of Burnhouse, Midlothian, inscribed:2 MICHEAL. BIL. EVIR. MOIR. 1613. /ONLY. TO. GOD. BI. HONOVR. AND. GLOIR. RING. KIRK.» Below are the initials CH in the medallion as illustrated. The Paisley Silver Bell bellnexo e made s ar pointw sn ar ti e ageef to Th . of pure silver, and are in the form of a cone with the base closed by a per- forated hemisphere. Inside each there is a ball which when disturbed cause e bell th stinkleo t s . They wer e Paislee e prizth mad r th efo s y ea Races which were institute largee 1620n di Th .r bel Burgld bearol e hsth Arms with the initials O.P., and the other is dated 1620, with a coat of arms and initials H.C., which probably stand for Hew Crawford of Cloberhill, thewhn omwo first. 1 Report of Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments, Dumfriesshire, p. 175. 2 Ibid., West and Midlothian, p. 175. 3 [This must surely have been originally intended to read: ' Only to God bi' honour and gloir. Ring Kirkmicheal bil evirmoir. 1613"—Ed.] CHURCH BELLS OF RENFREWSHIRE AND DUNBARTONSHIRE. 149 CO +H +,- >> o o »s°s!' 1 SB T3 rH - fl . «5 ' ,O 60 '" * <4H to o ° ^ S * S 3 iS ' cS ^ i 2 "r « ? B W ,a •1—J1 c<COr . J* rt-i sa ^g' 150 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , 1947-48. Paisle als s nexe yoha th t oldest bell, thoug bees ha n ht i recas t twice since coming from Rotterda inscriptiom1648e n i Th . readsw nno : • GLORI SOLO DE A• I• CORNELI S• OVDEROGG E• PEGI T• • ROTTERDA • 0O 1I • • D • M N • ANNE O DOMINI 1648/FOR• TOWN• PASLAY/RECAS• E F O TH E• T BY/J. MILLER REID/ GLASGOW/1897.