If you are disposed to reflection and love to ponder over the old customs that serve to link the Eltham of to-day with the Eltham of the past, and, in your waking dreams, to see again the life of those old villagers, to witness something of their joys and sorrows, their joustings and merry makings, their royal hunts and pageants, it is quite likely that the song of the bells may quicken your imagination, and help you to see these things more clearly.

It has been said by those who have lived abroad in the distant Colonies, that one of the things they miss out there, almost more than anything else, is the chime of Church bells, which is so characteristic a feature in the Motherland. Some, perhaps, who read these lines, some of our old boys, who are living far away in Canada, New Zealand, or other far-off parts of the Empire, may still bear witness to the truth of this, knowing well how dear to them is the memory of the chimes so closely associated with the life at home.

It is this close association with the village life, religious and communal, proclaiming, as they have done for centuries, its joys and sorrows, voicing the emotions of the people, and taking so prominent a part in the village story, that makes it necessary to devote a chapter to the bells of Eltham.

Although there does not seem to be anything left in the way of records of the "Bells of Eltham" until we come to the fifteenth century, we may assume that the church had its bells long before that time, seeing that bells had been in use for Church purposes from a very early period of history.

St. Dunstan is said to have encouraged the art of bell-founding, and it is recorded that while he ruled over the see and province of Canterbury, from 954 A.D. to 968 A.D. he not only provided the cathedral with bells, but also drew up a series of rules for their correct use.

There is plenty of evidence to show a pretty general use of bells in connection with churches even at a period anterior to this, and, as a great authority upon the subject has written, "for fully a thousand years, we may feel certain that Christendom, and England as a part of It, has heard the far-reaching tones of the bells ring out, now gladly, now sadly, across broad acres of field and woodland, and over the busy hum of the bustling town. And in all that time there has been scarce an event of interest in the life of nations or of districts, not many even in the lives of private individuals, in which the tones of the bells have not mingled with the emotions that were aroused thereby."

And the bells of Eltham have played their part in national and parochial events, sometimes sadly, sometimes gladly, as generations have come and gone.

The earliest record that seems to be in existence referring to Eltham bells dates back to the time of Edward IV. (1467), when an inventory of Church goods in the county of Kent was made, where we find that at Eltham there were "Three great bells in the steeple, and saunts bell of brass."

We may explain that a "saunts" or "saunce" bell was the name sometimes used for the "sanctus-bell," or "sacring-bell." It was usually a small bell, used at the altar at that point in the celebration of mass. when the hymn, "Sancte, Sancte, Sancte, Domine Deus Sabaoth," was sung, and it was the signal to the people that the prayer of consecration was about to be said. It also gave notice that the priest was about to administer the Sacrament to the communicants. And the "saunts" bell, such as that which was in Eltham steeple in 1497, was to give notice to people in the parish who were unable to be present at the celebration in the church. John Myric, a quaint author of this same period, amongst the many things he wrote for the religious edification of his fellows, has left the following lines upon the external use of the "saunts bell" :-

There is, of course, no relic of the "saunts bell of brass," in the steeple of Eltham Church at the present day, but we have a melodious peal of six bells, about which we shall presently have something to say.

In the "Bocke of the accountes off the Churche Wardens called a Ledgere beginninge the xij day of July in the yeare of our Lorde Gode 1554," we find so many records of the expenses of the bells that to copy them all out would require many pages of a book. This cannot be done, so we will reproduce a few of them, from which you may judge of the interest in and care of its bells which the parish has always taken.

1554.- Paid to Robert Esbruke for takinge downe of the belle and hanginge of hir upe agayne and trussinge of the great bell, iiijs. iiijd.

1556-7.- Paid to John Bourne senr for making of the great bell clappir and the little bell clappr and spike for the carpinter for the dogge one the newe beame and ij forlocke for the great belle over and besides xiiijli. of ould irone that .he had of the prishe for ij laye upon them, vs.

Item pd to Mills carpinter of Bexley for takinge downe of the great belle downe and new hanginge of hir vpe and mendinge of the bell whill, iij,. iiijd.

Item geven to the men that did helpe take downe the bell and hang hir againe in bread and drinke, iiijd.

1562.- Item paid for naylles for the belles. ijd.

Item paid for greasse for the belles, jd.

Two of the bells were re-cast in 1571 for £7, and again in 1610 we get the following account of another re-casting:-

1610.- The carigge of the grete belle to be newe caste M Morrrte bell founder dweIlinge in white cappell wethe owte Allgate being agreed wethall for vl. and to deliver ett at the wate that he recefed itt att that wass ix hundred and a hallefe and att recessing of the bell back agane it waied iijxx. and vij li. more than it ded before there was iijxx. and iiijli. att viijd. the pownd and iijli. at ijIs. vid. the pownd being called ten and tenglaes (bismuth) the holle som is vijli. xs.

In 1618 the great bell was re-cast, and from the following entries we may gather that the peal consisted of three bells only :-

1618.-Payed att the Warhoeues for waeing of the grett bell twies the firest waiett waes ixc. iij quartres xxli. ijli. and a hallef more of the mettell waes at the Bell fownderes the second waiett or draeft waes viijc. iij quarteres and vili. the ij ApriI 1618, viijs.

Payed the iijth day of Aprill 1618 tow Thomas Wode, bellwhele carpenter for tower ninge all the iij belles faisted in the stockes, xxs.

Payed for all owre expenses there att Lowndone for three dayes attending one the belle and the fownder 1618, xxixs. iiijd.

10 ApriI 1618.- Pd to Wm Land, belfounder in full payment of vl. for casting the great bell. vli. pd to Mr. Warren for making the bond from the belfounder and his surety for the warranting of the bell for a year and a day, ijs.; payed for mending of the meddell belles clapper xd

By an examination of these latter entries it will be seen that a mention is made of "all the three bells" and also a further allusion to the "middle bell," from which we may infer that the number of the peal was no greater than three.

This number, however, was subsequently increased, and our present peal was the result of a re-casting which took place in 1794.

The firm of bell-founders that carried out the work was that of W. and T. Mears, which only a few years ago was carrying on business under the name of "Mears and Stainbank." It is one of the most famous firms of English bell-founders, having been established by one named John Mott, in the year 1570, and in the course of the three centuries and more of its existence it has supplied hundreds of bells for the churches of Kent.

The work was carried out while the Rev. J . Kenward Shaw (afterwards Shaw Brooke) was Vicar, and Thomas Noyes and William Glasbrook were Churchwardens. The dimensions of the six bells are as follows:- First, 27½in.; second, 29in.; third, 3O½in.; fourth, 32½in. ; fifth 34½in.; sixth, 37½in.

Upon each of the first five bells there appear the following names:-

THOS. NOYES & WM. GLAZBROOK CH. WARDENS 1764 THOS MEARS OF LONDON, FECIT.

The inscription upon the sixth bell runs thus:-

THE REV. I KENWARD SHAW VICAR, THOS NOYES & WM GLAZBROOK CHURCH WARDENS 1794. THOS MEARS OF LONDON FECIT.

It is only to mention what is known to everybody in Eltham that the bells are chimed for Church services, are rung at the chief festivals of the Church, and on occasions of national or parochial rejoicing. The "death- knell" is tolled within twelve hours after death, and it is tolled again at the funeral. "Tellers" are tolled at the end only, on the occasion of the death-knell and also of the funeral, and consist of "three times three" for a male, and "three times two" for a female.

Such, then. very briefly told, is the story of the Eltham Bells. May the time be very distant when they will cease to perform the part in our village life which has been their function for long ages past.

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