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The Cathedral has more than 20 bells. These can be found at the top of Bell Harry tower; five bells in the North West tower for striking the quarters, plus Great Dunstan – the Cathedral’s largest bell, which weighs over three tonnes and strikes the hour.
Developed since the 17th century, change ringing is a way of ringing bells at a steady rhythm. The order in which the bells ring changes constantly and no two should be identical. There are many methods of change ringing, and some have curious names such as ‘Kent Treble Bob Major’ or ‘Marvin the Paranoid Android Minor’.
In the Saxon Cathedral in the late 10th century, the smallest bell required 10 ringers to sound, while the largest required 24. In 1160, Prior Wybert added an even more intricate bell that required 32 ringers. Following the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170, these remained silent for a year.
More bells were given over time and in 1540, the Priory was dissolved by Henry VIII. Five bells, which totalled over 11 tonnes in weight, were sold. The bell tower was then demolished in the 17th century.
These notes on the bells of Canterbury Cathedral have been largely based on an article written in ‘The Ringing World’ by Nicholas J Davies F.S.A. Scot. in December 1993. Nick Davies died in May 2006. From the days when he learned to ring while a scholar at King’s School, Canterbury in the 1950s up until very shortly before his death after a determined battle with cancer, Nick was, to say the least, an enthusiast for bells. For many years he served as Bells Adviser to the Diocesan Advisory Committee; he was Chairman of the Kent County Association of Change Ringers from
1990 to 1993; he served on the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers for many years and was particularly devoted to the bells of Romney Marsh where he lived.
Nick was also a Member of the Canterbury Cathedral Company. His wife, Brenda Davies, has said that he would be delighted that some of his words are being used in this description of the history of the bells of the Cathedral.
Prior Henry of Eastry gave six bells to the tower in 1317, which almost totalled 3 tonnes. Whether these survived until 1408 is unknown. Work commenced on the reconstruction of this tower in 1433.
In the 15th century after completion, a small bell called ‘Bell Harry’, was hung on the roof of the central tower, thereafter it was known as “Bell Harry Tower”.
The NW Tower/ Cock Steeple/ Arundel Tower
Until 1316, the NW Tower was vacant. When Prior Henry of Eastry added a spire surmounted by a weather cock, the tower was then known as ‘Cock Steeple’. In 1440, Arundel’s five bells were installed, changing the name to the ‘Arundel Tower’.
After a storm the spire was taken down, and four of the bells cracked. So in 1726, they were removed altogether, recast into eight, and rehung in the SW Tower.
By 1824, the tower was pulled down due to its condition. It was rebuilt from its foundations, necessitating an Act of Parliament. The NW tower remained vacant for 150 years.
The SW Tower/ St George's Tower/ Oxford Tower
In 1451, five bells were hung in the SW tower, and in 1499, the bell ‘Dunstan’, was recast and hung on the roof, where its successors remained until 1981.
In 1726 the bells, now six in number, were sold. This ended a period of 90 years when the Cathedral possessed two separate rings of six bells.
In 1758 ‘Dunstan’ was again cracked. After being recast in 1762, the exact weight of the new bell remained uncertain, but after it was taken for tuning, it was declared to be the largest bell in Kent, and still remains to be.
Glossary of Terms
| Ring | The term is used for a set of bells |
| Tenor | The heaviest bell in a ring |
| Headstock | The wood or metal body to which a bell is clamped, and on which are mounted bearings and a wheel for swinging the bell |
| Treble | The lightest bell in a ring |
| Peal | A length of continuous ringing of not less than 5,000 changes |
| Touch | The sequence produced by a ring of bells when they sound once and which will depend on the order in which the bell are rung (a length of ringing comprises a number of 'changes') |
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