THE ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING. xlvii, 



should take up — an illustrated record of ancient memorial brasses in Dorset and 

 the bells of Dorset. In Mr. Prideaux the society have found a capable agent for 

 carrying out the first. Mr. Prideaux is a skilful brass rubber and photographer, 

 and he possesses the requisite knowledge of heraldry and of the sources of 

 mediaeval biographical history which are so essential to a writer on the subject. 

 The " Church Bells of Dorset" is a larger subject ; no private individual could 

 be expected to undertake a work of such magnitude alone. It is one of great 

 labour and expense, for the illustrations, on account of their number, will be 

 costly, and the book, if pubUshed in the ordinary way, could not pay. It is just 

 here that a society such as yours can do most valuable work. What one man 

 could scarely do in a lifetime a body of men can do in a comparatively short space 

 of time, and it is hoped that in five or six years, with the aid of members and of 

 the clergy, " The Bells of Dorset" wUl be completed. The next volume of the 

 Proceedings will contain an account of the bells in three of the rural deaneries of 

 Dorset, with an introduction. It is quite time that such a work was taken in 

 hand. Mr. Justice Clarence, who some years ago visited many towers in Dorset 

 and made a collection of bell inscriptions from them, has most kindly given me 

 the use of his notes, inscriptions, and sketches, and, comparing his lists with some 

 which have come in from the same chvirches lately, I find that in 30 or 40 years 

 many very interesting medieeval bells have disappeared. Most of them have been 

 recast ; in one case the whole ring, belfry and all, have gone, and it seems highly 

 probable that, at no very distant date, most of the mediaeval bells iu the county 

 will have disappeared. Only in the last week I have heard of the recasting of 

 ancient bells belonging to two parishes in Dorset. Your society, if it cannot 

 prevent the melting down of these fine old bells, can at least preserve a memorial 

 of them ; and will be able through this work to present to future generations of 

 Dorset men a well-illustrated record of the treasures their ancient towers 

 possessed. The society is most fortunate in the writer of the articles on the 

 "Bells of Dorset." Canon Kaven, D.D., F.S.A., the author of the " Bells of 

 Suffolk" and other archa3ological works, is one of the first living authorities on 

 bells. For many years he resided in the county, when he visited a large number 

 of towers and collected much information about Dorset bells and their founders — 

 information which he will make use of now — and there are several members of 

 the Club and of the clergy who are now engaged in collecting copies of bell 

 inscriptions, taking rubbings and squeezes of lettering and founders' stamps to 

 supplement the information already received and to make it possible to complete 

 the work. In some rural deaneries one person undertakes to supply all the 

 infoimation required from churches in that rural deanery ; in others the 

 information is supplied directly by the clergy of the parishes. When received 

 the inscriptions are looked through ; the most interesting are singled out, and 

 rubbings are asked for and supplied. If squeezes can be obtained of letters and 

 ornaments on bells which are considered worthy of reproduction in facsimile, 

 they are sent to the draughtsman, who makes the line drawings from them, from 

 which the printing blocks are produced by a photo-mechanical process. Several 



