Hollowing Out the Sky
The bells of our Churches and why they still matter.
Imagine you are out for a walk in a lovely secluded glen, birds chirping, the warble of nearby burns, the buzz of a thousand midges around your face; but from the distance a growing, constant, ringing thrum, that seems to be getting closer and closer. Scaring the crows from their trees and with not a clue of what seems to be passing you by – you might duck; only to be left once again hearing the thrum diminish as it travels up the glen and over the mountains. So would have been your experience if you happened to be between Perth and Kincraig in the Scottish Highlands in the distant past – a bemused witness to the bell of St Adomnan making its own way back after being taken from its home at Tom Eunan, the Saints church on the mound above Loch Alvie. Bells have a rather colourful history and were often a major character in the stories of our Saints. Some even became part of the general cultus around a Saint such as St Thomas Beckett. Having been murdered in Canterbury Cathedral the bells tolled out on their own stimulating not only the cause for his canonization, but also the production of small bells that were worn around the neck of pilgrims. As is the case in wider Christianity, it is hard to trace the first bells brought to Scotland. We do know however they were used by the early missionaries, ringing their hand bells to alert the vicinity of their coming. It was not until later when larger buildings were introduced did you see a fixed bell in a church. But why bells in the first place?
Bells have a long history in human civilisation, with there invention credited to Neolithic China 5000 years ago. From that point on, bell technology and their spread went unabated across Asia, the Middle east and into Europe; ancient Greek, Assyrian and Babylonian cultures all attest to the use of bells being used in their various religious settings. The bible also references them in the book of Exodus (28:33) adorning the High Priests vestments. Eventually there usage would filter into Christianity, but when and and where is hard to pin down. The first known written reference to bells comes from Gregory of Tours in 585AD, who spoke of two boys woke by what they thought was the bells for matins. There first appearance in Ireland could be at least during the 5th century; for instance, the famous bell of St Patrick, now housed in the National Museum of Ireland. More local to Scotland we have St Merchard, who seems to have used it to divine where he and his two other companions should begin a new church, his being in Invermoriston. Where the bell rang on its own, there they would start a church. Which of course – they did. Bells could also follow their owners; given to one of our early Bishops in Rome, it tracked its new owner back to Scotland.
The bells these Saints carried became objects of veneration after their deaths and to them was attributed miraculous powers. In one account, written around 1869/70, the story is told of St Fillan’s bell. The Bishop (Episcopal) of Brechin, AP Forbes, had been given the aforementioned Saints bell to return it to Scotland after it having lain in a house in Hertfordshire since 1798 – taken from Strathfillan ‘partly in frolic, and partly to abate a still existing superstition’ in that area. It’s a rather entertaining account of what our dear Bishop found in Strathfillian near Tyndrum in Perthshire; describing it as druidism and popery, with an in-depth report on the healing properties attributed to the pool of St Fillan and the process by which you attained it. However, that all aside, the bell was considered a means of curing ‘madness’ used in combination with the pool. The sufferer would be dipped in the pool before being bound to a large stone that lay in the church of St Fillan. The patient would remain tied on the stone all night with the bell on their forehead. If the ropes were loose, the madness was cured. If not, doubt remained. We may look back askance and snigger (just as our Bishop did), but its not hard to fathom the potency of such beliefs in a world in which the poor had little to no access to medical care. However, in such cases as these it would be good to remember the piece of cloth St Paul sent in response to a request for healing. Is it much different; and is it beyond the ken of God?
But their use for either alerting the faithful to Mass, noting the time and even warning of impending invasion, bells have become relatively superfluous to society. They have also become the target of complaints in some places. Beith Parish Church in Ayrshire had to cease them ringing between 11pm and 7am, which they had been doing for the last 200 years. The same occurred in a Devonshire village, and in 2005 the Wantage bells made famous by Sir John Betjeman, inspiring him in his autobiographical collection of poems – Summoned by Bells, faced censure. Regardless of the insomniac’s, church bells face an uncertain future anyway with the closures of so many Church of Scotland parishes on the cards. But if they are superfluous, and disruptive of peoples sleep; does it matter if they cease altogether?
In my view I would say that it really does matter that we preserve them, and their use. They are in fact a sign, that with the constant recycled newness being served up on our tiny screens, we an return to a deeper tradition of parish, community and history. They ring out as Evangelists enlisting the hearer to take notice of these foundations of society and ultimately to God Himself.
In my own town along the Moray coast, both the local Church of Scotland and townhall ring. At night, especially when there is no moon and the clouds hang hidden in the near dark - to hear the bell is comforting. Betjeman wrote:
‘I heard the church bells hollowing out the sky,
Deep beyond the deep, like never-ending stars.’
On such moonless nights when the darkness by the sea and sand dunes is all encompassing, the thrum of the bells is an invitation into the light of our God.
Eric Hanna
(If you would like to know more about bell ringing, I would have a look at the Scottish Bell Ringers Association which runs frequent courses and events across the country).
Image: Tom Eunan bell in Insch Church of Scotland in Strathspey and Badenoch.
As we end the long January there are a flurry of saints to get to know, including, St Eochod who St Columba had chosen as one of the twelve to evangelise the Picts. The mighty penance of St Adamanan of Coldingham and a nice memory of when we used to hold regular fairs and festivals for our Saints with St Voloc. Enjoy!
What You Might Have Missed
A selection of articles from our archive that might interest you on a very windy weekend in the UK.
Celebrity conversions - Do they tell us anything about the state of Catholicism in the West? Stephen Watt writes about it here.
Responding to Sexual Violence - How Christians should respond to sexual violence, especially in the wake of the revelations of a widespread and insidious culture of sexual violence perpetrated against young girls across the UK.
Mediatrix of all Grace - Alison Deighan writes on one of the least understood titles of Our Lady.
I love the sound of bells and the differences in the sound and ringing practices between countries. French bells sound very different to English, for example.