Publisher's Synopsis
J. J. Raven's learned and comprehensive work on the "Bells of England" arouses much interest, as it is the last work of a distinguished antiquary, who has accomplished much for the study of English archaeology. For a period of half a century J. J. Raven has been engaged on the fascinating study of campanology. He was one of the pioneers of the science, and therefore wrote this monograph with authority and accurate knowledge. We have many volumes on the bell-lore of different counties. The late H. T. Ellacombe recorded the bells of East Anglia. Thomas North those of five of the midland shires, Mr. Stahlschmidt did Kent and Surrey, Mr. Cox, Buckinghamshire, and the Rev. T. M. N. Owen, Huntingdonshire; other workers are engaged upon other counties; and J. J. Raven has now told the story of the bells of England as far as it was possible to do so with all available information, and a very graphic story it is.
The remains of the British period, the notices of bells by Saxon chroniclers, lamentations over the destruction of Norman bells, owing to the falling of many central towers, the gradual development of shape, inscriptions, foundry marks, and Longobardic lettering, the story of early foundries, such as those of London, York, King's Lynn, Wokingham and Reading, the history of change-ringing; legends and bell law, are some of the subjects of this volume. Enthusiastic bell-lovers are rare: we doubt not that J. J. Raven's book will greatly increase their number, and lead others to complete these chronicles of the bells of England by climbing the belfries and reading the inscriptions on the bells of some counties which have not been thoroughly explored.
-Magazine of Christian Art [1907]
