Bell Ringers Guild
Old North’s Bell Ringing Tradition
Old North Church houses the oldest set of change ringing bells in North America. These eight change ringing bells were cast by Abell Rudhall in Gloucester, England in 1744 and installed here in 1745. In the ringing room today hangs a copy of a 1750 charter in which the guild agreed upon a democratic organization of the tower. Paul Revere is the second signature on the contract. The future Patriot was then 15 years old.
The bells were restored in 1894, and then were mostly idle. They were restored (again) in 1975 with the help of Geoffrey Davies, of Simon W. Robinson Lodge in Lexington, for the Boston Bicentennial celebration. They have been rung regularly ever since.
Old North’s Bell Ringers Guild is a dedicated community of volunteers trained in the art of change ringing and helps in the maintenance of Old North’s bells. They are a subset of the larger MIT Guild of Bellringers. The Guild usually rehearses on Saturday afternoons in preparation for ringing on Sundays following services. The bells are usually heard each Sunday at about 12:15 p.m. The bells also are rung on special occasions, such as Lantern Services, important anniversaries, days of national or international significance, weddings, etc. Full peals (often as long as three hours) are rung on Christ the King Sunday and Easter Sunday. Details about the Guild can be found here.
The First Peal of Bells Cast for North America
Cast in 1744 in England by the Rudhall family bell foundry in Gloucestershire and weighing over 5,000 pounds, the Old North bells were the first set of change-ringing bells (rotating bells mounted on wheels) in the British American colonies. The transport of the bells to Boston and their subsequent installation in Old North’s belfry tower were exceptional feats at a time when few churches even in England had peal bells.
Completion of the steeple in 1740 with the addition of the peal of bells in 1745 concluded the initial two- decade long construction of Christ Church. By its size and its visual prominence, the church asserted imperial authority in Puritan Boston, then the largest urban center and the largest port in British North America. Subscribers contributing to the cost of the bells included British naval officers, nobility in England, and wealthy plantation owners in the Caribbean. It was reported that Christ Church’s “royal peal” could be heard as far away as Harvard College in Cambridge. Paul Revere is listed as the second signatory on the Bell Ringers’ Charter of 1750.
The bells were restored in 1894 and then mostly idle. They were restored (again) in 1975 with the help of Geoffrey Davies, of Simon W. Robinson Lodge in Lexington, for the Boston Bicentennial celebration. They have been rung regularly ever since.
Each bell is cast with the inscription below.
The Eight Bells of Old North Church
Bell One
Sound: (Treble) F, Weight: 5 cwt, 2 qr, 4 lbs
Inscription: Abel Rudhall of Gloucester, cast us all, Anno 1744.
Bell Two
Sound: (Treble) E, Weight: 5 cwt, 2 qr, 6 lbs
Inscription: Since generosity has opened our mouths, our tongues shall ring aloud its praise. 1744.
Bell Three
Sound: (Treble) D, Weight: 6 cwt, 1 qr, 3 lbs
Inscription: The subscription for these bells was begun by John Hannmock and Robert Temple, Church Wardens, Anno 1743; completed by Robert Jenkins and John Gould, church Wardens, Anno 1744.
Bell Four
Sound: (Treble) C, Weight: 7 cwt, 1 qr, 3 lbs
Inscription: William Shirley, Esq., Governor of the Massachusetts Bay, in New England. Anno 1744.
Bell Five
Sound: (Treble) B flat, Weight: 7 cwt, 1 qr, 21 lbs
Inscription: God preserve the Church of England. 1744.
Bell Six
Sound: (Treble) A, Weight: 8 cwt, 1 qr, 24 lbs
Inscription: We are the first ring of bells cast for the British Empire in North America. A.R. 1744.
Bell Seven
Sound: (Treble) G, Weight:10 cwt, 2 qr, 24 lbs
Inscription: This Church was founded in the year 1723. Timothy Cutler, DD, the first Rector, A.R. 1744
Bell Eight
Sound: (Tenor) F, Weight: 13 cwt, 3 qr, 5 lbs
Inscription: This peal of eight bells is the gift of a number of generous persons to Christ Church, in Boston, N.E. Anno 1744. A.R