The uses to which bells were dedicated may be further exampled from their inscriptions. S. Michael, Coventry, has a bell bearing—
I am, and have been called the common bell
To ring when fire breaks out to tell.
And at Sherborne, in Dorsetshire, dated 1652, a bell piously says—
Lord, quench this furious flame,
Arise, run, help put out the same.
We may here appropriately conclude with some lines inscribed upon the tower of Batley Church, Yorkshire, in memory of a former set of bells:
“The Requiem of the late three bells of Batley Church, two of which were introduced into the tower in the 17th century, and the third or last in the 18th century, and were taken down in the 19th century, at the close of the year of our Lord 1851, bearing the following respective dates and inscriptions, viz., upon the middle bell: Tho. Deighton G. O. 1658; largest bell, 1684 Gloria in Altissimis Deo. Ric. Mann, Churchwarden; last and least bell, Dalton of York fecit 1791. To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost Eternal glory raise.
“Author of the following lines, Mr. Luke Blakeley, of Upper Batley; third of that name in the family, and nephew of Mr. Luke Blakeley of the same place, who died Jan. 17th, in the year of our Lord 1836, and was interred in Batley Churchyard.
“One hundred years, yea almost two,
We’ve hung in that turret grey,
And many changes we have seen
As time has fled away.
We seen the bride and bridegroom gay,
We’ve chimed their joy to tell;
Alas! before the day has clos’d
We’ve toll’d the funeral knell.
We’ve merrily rung for victories gain’d
O’er Britain’s enemies;
Then mourned for the brave who bled
To gain those victories.
We’ve highly lauded pomp and power,
Then call’d on men to pray,
A requiem rung with the weeping and sad,
Then revell’d with the gay.
We’ve seen the scourge of civil war
Approach where we have stood.
We’ve seen oppression’s cruel hand
Reeking with kindred blood.
Our solemn tolling for the dead
Falls on the mourner’s ear,
Then the bereav’d and aching heart
Feels desolate and drear.
Dirges we’ve rung for Kings and Queens
As they to the tomb went down,
Then joyfully welcom’d the heir
Who came to wear the crown.
We saw the star of Brunswick rise
And beam upon our strand,
We see its full refulgent ray
Illumine this happy land.
Victoria the sceptre sways,
And bright her virtues shine,
Long may she live, long may she reign
Best of her royal line.
We joyfully hail’d her natal day,
We hail’d her to the throne,
We blithely hail’d her nuptial hour,
For her we ne’er shall moan.
We’re taken from that turret grey
Where we for long have hung,
Like worn out lumber thrown away,
Forever mute, each tongue.
And now our changes all are rung
Here ends our dying song;
Our last our final peal is done:
Farewell! Farewell! Ding Dong.”[6]