Two elm and iron mounted ecclesiastical bell headstocks
18th century or earlier
44cm high by 112cm wide
Bidding ended. Lot is unsold.
Used over many centuries in Christian churches around the
world, the bell is suspended from a headstock which can swing on bearings. A
rope is tied to a wheel or lever on the headstock, and hangs down to the bell
ringer. To ring the bell, the ringer pulls on the rope, swinging the bell. The
motion causes the clapper to strike the inside of the bell rim as it swings,
thereby sounding the bell. Some bells have full-circle wheels, which is used to
swing the bell through a larger arc, such as in the United Kingdom where
full-circle ringing is practised.
See lot 130
Garden Furniture
Ecclesiastic
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