Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club Volume 19 baixar o livro de graça

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1898 Excerpt: ...applied to all sorts of purposes. Some, but probably not many, may have been made away with by reason of their bearing inscriptions which were deemed obnoxious as savouring of Popery. The parishioners of Skidbrooke, in Lincolnshire, moved by talk of the use of bells being "superstitious and abominable," are said to have sold some of theirs and spent part of the money on church repair and part in scouring out their haven. Three Devonshire parishes each gave a bell to help to make a harbour at Ottermouth, an attempt which proved abortive. The 18th century was a specially bad time for the bells. They perished by neglect, by ill-usage, and were sold even by Cathedrals and Colleges. King's College, Cambridge, sold several in 1753. In 1777 Salisbury Cathedral sold five, one of which is said to be identified by tradition with a bell now ringing to and fro the workmen of a north country factory. When such corporations made merchandise of their bells, parishes were not likely to be more scrupulous. Bells vanished from the towers in all directions, sold by incumbents, churchwardens, and parishioners, sometimes, it may be, with formal authority, but more often without--" to save the rates," to provide money for repairs, and for all sorts of purposes. Curious stories were noised about. Stories of stolen bells linger all over the country, it may be founded in truth, or covering illicit sales. So little respect was paid to the churches and their contents in some parishes that in a village on the Kentish coast smuggled goods were regularly hid inside the bells, lashed up to the clappers. I do not know whether that was ever an incident of the smuggling on the Dorset coast; but Hutchins records that at Great Canford the goods which were run used to be hi...