THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY

NEW SOUTH WALES BRANCH

History of the Prayer Book

Through Faith alone, by Grace Alone.

These glorious truths, Thomas Cranmer used to confirm the Protestant Doctrinal position of the Church of England. As the first PROTESTANT ARCHBISHOP of CANTERBURY he used Martin Luther’s thirty-nine articles of faith in the draft of The Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Both documents have continued to provide the historical, cultural and doctrinal emphasis to centuries of Protestant believers and to English-speaking Churches.

The three sermons (referred to as Homilies) used by Kirsten Birkett in Classics of the Reformation include Salvation (p.209), The True Lively and Christian Faith, (p.221) and Good Works being the outcome, (p.212). These foundation stones of the Protestant faith were the basis of the English Church Reformation and subsequently led to Cranmer’s death at the stake in 1556 for using the 1552 rite of the Book of Common Prayer.

Bell Ringers

Bell ringing is claimed to be used in England around 700 AD, (World Book Encyclopaedia, 1970); it has a tripartite base, historical, cultural and spiritual, with a responding emphasis to education, technology and transport, Change ringing seems to have come into existence around the emergence of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; the curate was instructed to ‘cause a bell to be tolled at a convenient time before he begin, that the people may come to hear God’s word and pray with him before the daily offices of Matins’ and Evening Prayer’ quote BCP v111; practise declined as literacy increased. The rubic mentions a single bell and not a set of changing bells. The college of Youths in 1637 recorded the date of the oldest bellringing; their principal function was to provide bellringers for London’s main Churches, counties and other countries; Two ringers at St. Marks Church, Darling Point, NSW are bellringers 2006.

The scriptural base for bells is Exodus 28:34 where the Lord gives Moses instruction on the making of the priest’s ephod with small golden bells in the hem, which would create sound ‘when he enters and when he comes out’ quote; this activity is implemented in Exodus 39:25. In modern times, bells were used in the Middle Ages and probably earlier, to summon people to church, or to a community meeting, to mark important occasions, and probably “making a loud noise to the glory of God “. In the traditional Roman Catholic Lithurgy (and the practice is also followed in some Anglican Churches) a small hand-bell is rung at certain places in the lithurgy, to draw attention.

If you want to learn more about the history ‘Of bells and Change ringing by, Morris E. “Change Ringing”. It was published in England, which can be accessed through Google.

Churches

St Andrews Cathedral
St Jame’s King Street
St Laurence Christ Church

Sydney Suburban

St Paul's Burwood
St Marks Darling Point
All Saints’ Parramatta
St James’ Turramurra
St Jude’s RandwickSt John’s the Evangelist GordonSt Luke’s Enmore

New South Wales Country

St Peter’s Cathedral Armidale
St Alban’s Cathedral Griffith
St Saviour’s Cathedral Goulburn
St Andrew’s Lismore
All Saints Singleton
St Paul’s West Maitland
St Clement’s Yass
St James’ Menangle
St John’s Wagga Wagga
St Matthew’s Albury

Canberra
St Paul’s Manuka
St Johns Canberra

References

Their Sound has Gone forth – A History ‘Of Change Ringing in Australia and New Zealand to 2001” by Elizabeth Bleiby (ISBN O 0957873603): Hyde lark Press, Richmond,South Australia 2003.

The Bells are Ringing! – A celebration of bells and bell ringing 'Melbourne life through the history of her bells’ by Helen Pettet and Anne Daggett (ISDN 0 9580160 0,): published by the authors , Melbourne, 2001.

A delightful detective novel with a bell – ringing background is Dorothy Sayers “The Nine Tailors”, Gollancz, London,1934.
England, alone in the world, has perfected the art ‘Of change-ringing and the true ringing ‘Of bells by rope and wheel, and will not lightly surrender her unique heritage.'

If you have access to Internet you could try using Google to look under headings such as Bells, Change ringing, Campanalogy, etc.
Information supplied by Dr. J.B. Willis, Prayer Book Society, Victoria.

For more information email Basil Potts (Captain of the Bell Ringers) ba260sil@nic.net.au