[Bell Historians] History of Coronation Ringing

[Richard Smith]

Richard Bimson via Bell-historians wrote:

> I am also aware of D. Cressy's book Bonfires and Bells.  Does anyone have a
> copy of the book which they would be prepared to consult and pass any
> relevant references?

Chapter 4 of Bonfire and Bells is entitled 'Crownation Day 
and the Royal Honour' and discusses at some length the 
custom of ringing on 17 November, the anniversary of the 
Elizabeth I's accession.  It gives an example of ringing at 
St Stephen, Coleman Street described as 'the day of 
remembrance of her highness' coronation', but the 
implication is that, despite the description, the ringing 
still occurred on 17 November rather than 15 January.

Cressy states that 'the bells of St Martin in the Fields 
rang on every royal and commemorative occasion, in 1630 
giving equal weight to the king's birthday and coronation 
day'.  It doesn't say what date that latter was, and I 
wouldn't necessarily assume it really was 2 February unless 
the churchwardens accounts explicitly say so.  The St 
Martin's account to 1603 have been published and are 
available online.  They include entries such as the 
following from 1598:

It'm pd vnto the Ringers ye xvijth of No: being her Maites 
Coronation Daye  . . .   vj s.

If they were referring to the anniversary of the accession 
as the coronation day in 1598, they may well still have been 
in 1603.  However the St Martin's accounts do record ringing 
for James I's coronation in 1603, and the date specified 
confirms it really is the coronation rather than the 
accession:

It'm given to the ringers to drincke the Coronation daye 
of the Kings Matie being the xxvth of July 1603  . . .  xij d.

RAS