[Bell Historians] Faculties

[David Beacham]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Andrew Aspland" <aaspland at ...>
To: <bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 06, 2005 7:26 AM
Subject: [Bell Historians] Faculties


>
> Tricky one for you:
>
> If an individual has bought a second hand bell, to augment an existing
ring,
> and the same individual is paying for its tuning and hanging, and the bell
> is to be placed in an existing empty pit, could the work to the bell and
its
> fittings be carried out without a faculty? I assume that faculties are
> required for bells to be removed from or placed in a tower and that the
said
> faculty only becomes strictly necessary when the bell is actually hung.
>
> Clearly there is a risk in that the individual pays for the work and then
a
> faculty is not forthcoming - I believe one of the semitones in a Yorkshire
> twelve caused such problems.
>
> Your thoughts please.

Not really a tricky question, is it? A faculty would only be required to
install it in the church and if the bell should be considered unsuitable
then, presumably, a faculty would not be granted. And even if it were
suitable, the PCC might not want it! Someone who wished to donate such a
bell would certainly be taking a risk if they did not ascertain, first, that
the gift would be acceptable.

David Beacham
Worcester DAC Bells Adviser