[Bell Historians] Oldest Christian Bell

[Richard Smith]

Peter wrote:

> I was asked this morning if I knew which is the oldest Christian bell.

I'm assuming you mean the oldest surviving Christian bell. 
The answer will depend on what you mean by 'bell' and by 
'Christian', and I can see cases four types of 
bell: Roman votive bells, Celtic quadrangular bells, later 
Celtic transitional bells, and early mediaeval bells.

The Romans had small votive bells, typically cast bronze 
objects of near-hemispherical shape.  Judging from the 
frequency with which they are found in auction house 
catalogues, and the low prices attached to them, they must 
survive in considerable numbers.  Some of them apparently 
date to the time after non-Christian worship was forbidden, 
which would make them Christian culturally if not 
specifically for Christan worship; though it seems to me 
quite possible that the earlier use of votive bells in Roman 
religion would have continued, perhaps without official 
sanction, in early Christianity.

Celtic quadrangular bells date to at least the 6th century, 
and likely the 5th, and they appear to have been made 
primarily for use by the early Celtic church.  Plenty of 
these survive, and not just in Celtic areas.  Three have 
been found in Britain and are in the Horniman, Pitt Rivers 
and Hereford museums; and the circa 8th century "St Magnus 
bell" is in the Catholic church at Ramsach, Bavaria. 
Several can be dated to the 6th century with reasonable 
confidence.  The evidence that St Patrick actually possessed 
the bell attributed to him is not overwhelming, but the 
combination of tradition and circumstantial evidence make it 
plausible, and if so, it must be no later than 5th century. 
But these are not cast bronze bells: they are forged iron, 
rivetted into a shape like that of a large cow-bell, and 
often coated in bronze.

Later in Ireland, transitional forms of bell can be found. 
The Clog Bàn of Ballinabeck, in County Armagh, is a good 
example as it can be dated with some certainty to the 
opening decade of the 10th century, or thenabouts.  It 
retains the quadrangular cross section of the ealier Celtic 
bells, though with more rounded corners, but instead of 
being forged from iron, it is cast from bronze.

On the Continent, there are certainly 9th century bells of 
cast bronze, and that are plausibly bell-shaped, complete 
with soundbows.  The bell from Canino, Italy, and now in the 
Vatican Museum, is sometimes attributed to the 8th century. 
It has a height of 370 mm and a diameter of 390 mm, and its 
inscription dedicating it to Jesus Christ and St Michael 
leaves no doubt as to its Christian origin.  Although 
there's uncertainty over its age, and it is sometimes dated 
as late as the 10th century, it is one of the earliest bells 
of its type.  A similar bell exists at Fleury Abbey, near 
Orléans, and another, albeit of non-Christian origin, was 
found in the harbour of the Viking settlement at Hedeby, 
near modern Schleswig.  The 10th century fragments of bell 
metal and mould found at St Oswald's, Gloucester, suggest a 
bell of this type and size, too.

RAS