[Bell Historians] old bells

[Richard Smith]

George Dawson wrote:

> The oldest existing (blank) bell is open to debate, but read Elphicks The
> Craft of the Bellfounder which suggests Hardham , Sussex treble may be a
> contender.

Your spreadsheet for Chichester dates this as c1050.  How 
accurate should that be considered?  Does it just mean it 
probably dates to some time in the 11th century?  Or is a 
greater accuracy implied?

Also, I would be interested if anyone has the time to answer 
a rather open-ended question, how does one goes about dating 
a blank bell that is this old?  I doubt there are as many as 
20 British bells surviving from the 11th or 12th centuries, 
and none of them are dated, so comparision similar bells can 
only get you so far.

RAS