[Bell Historians] Sanctus & Angelus bells.

[Aidan C A Hopkins]

On 12 Aug 2004 at 14:42, jim phillips wrote:
> I entirely agree with DLC and thank him for his explanation. The sounding
> of the Angelus and Sanctus are beautiful examples of what bells are for.

In my teens we chimed the 3rd of our six (Scothern) by way of an extension 
rope. We were still using the 1662 Eucharist then, and there were ten 
strokes as follows:

Three at the start of the Sanctus;
One following "until his coming again" (in the Prayer of Consecration);
Three after both times "... in remembrance of me" (i.e. elevation of the
Host and the chalice).

I have no idea when this pattern originated in that parish. It was in use 
when I first went there, and almost certainly pre-dated my father's 
incumbency. His other (simultaneous) parish did not chime their (one) bell 
during the Eucharist, AFAIR.

I frequently had to deputize for the (elected) "ringer of occasional 
bells", Robert Herring, who still rings there, in ringing the above. (If I 
was also playing the organ, I had to give the Sanctus chimes a miss, but 
that combination only happened if both the organist/tower captain AND 
Robert were unavailable).

The "ringer of occasional bells" also rang the pancake bell on Shrove 
Tuesday, and in theory rang something approximating to the Nine Taylors as 
the "passing bell". However I think I only actually heard that twice, as 
most times it was rung when I was at School. I definitely heard it once 
when a former churchwarden died in about 1965/6, and again when my father 
died in 1968. The tower captain rang it that time as Robert was serving in 
his shop on Saturday mornings!


My current tower, or rather the church, also has an Angelus tower at the SE 
corner of the chancel. I don't think there is, nor has been, any bell there 
for centuries, but I will ask somebody. The stairs are considered unsafe 
and I have not been up it.


Aidan