[Bell Historians] Re: A trawl through the archive

[Richard Offen]

> 
> [True, but it also means that we don't have collective bargaining 
power with, e.g. English Heritage. It also means that there is 
unlikely to be any possibility of a journal for longer bell history 
articles, in the style of journals such as the many dedicated to 
various aspects of archaeology. I can't honestly see the RW doing 
anything along these lines, as I don't think it would generate enough 
interest to be worth their while. It would be interesting to know 
what the editor and board think].
> 
> David

We'd have to be a pretty influential bunch before we got any 
bargaining power with English Heritage. Even the Central Council 
doesn't seem to have got too far down that road yet!

There has always been the opportunity to publish longer articles on 
bell history in the county archaeological society journals, as has 
been done by many bell historians in the past. As far as I am 
aware, they are always on the lookout for things to publish relevant 
to the county or area they cover. 

Why do we need yet another society and yet another journal that limps 
along the fine line between success and failure?

Judging by the underwhelming rush of people offering their learned 
articles on such subjects as "Did Christopher Hodson have a boiled 
egg for his breakfast before casting Great Tom?", I would suggest 
that perhaps there's only a very small minority with a burning desire 
to publish and no available place to do it!

I still think that your statement that ringers have no interest in 
bell history is ludicrous. The fact that people don't subscribe to 
this particular list is no real gauge of feeling for the subject. I 
have a great interest in industrial archaeology, but I don't 
subscribe to e-lists or take any journals on the subject - I have 
neither the time or the money to do so. It's doesn't mean that I'm 
disinterested however!

Richard