[Bell Historians] Re: Devon Bells

[Carl S Zimmerman]

At 15:36 +0000 07/01/19, Andrew Bull wrote:
>I was always under the impression that bells were never recast from 
>specific bells. I thought that scrapped bells were just melted down 
>and the metal used as and when required.
_____

Back in the days of itinerant bellfounders, bell casting was done on 
the spot - often in the churchyard or even the base of the tower.  So 
all available metal from old bells was re-used in the process, as a 
simple matter of economy.  That's where the term "recast" comes from.

The development of modern transport and centralized workplaces put an 
end to that, and led to the situation that Andrew visualizes.  Even 
so, the habit of using "recast" for any replaced bell seems to have 
carried on in our language.

Carl