HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 339 



fehew the months which have proved most fatal to humanity : In 

 January, 164; Fehruary, 143; March, 175; April, 171 ; May, 

 132; June, 109; July, 100; August, U3; September, 105; Oc- 

 tober, 91 ; November, 117; December, 137. Hence it appears 

 that most people have died in March, and fewest in October. 



In the tower of this church is a bell, on which is the following 

 inscription : 



" Ora pro nobis sancte Johannes Baptista." 



By some this may be considered a relique of an ancient custom 

 in the church of consecrating and baptizing bells. " The first fact 

 of this kind on record occurred about the year 968, when Pope 

 John XIII. sprinkled a large bell, which was cast for the Lateran 

 at Rome, with holy water, blessed it, and pronounced it sacred. It 

 is said that a similar custom still exists in the Romish church, and 

 that, on the baptizing of bells, a prayer of consecration is used, 

 which imports, that by its sound the people may be delivered from 

 the assaults of their enemies, arid the attacks of evil spirits. 



It may also afford some degree of evidence to what Saint the 

 church is dedicated ; for in those days of superstition, when the 

 bell was cast, as it was believed that the sound thereof was a shield 

 of defence against the attacks of evil spirits, it may be presumed 

 that the sound, which warded off the bad, would call forth the aid 

 of the good spirits ; and as the belief of the validity of the inter- 

 cession of saints was then more generally prevalent, we may sup- 

 pose that the people of every parish would be anxious to call more 

 particularly on the protecting Saint of the parish church ; and 

 some might inscribe one of their bells after the manner of the above, 

 that such saint may not only hear but see their wishes : and thus 

 it may be presumed that St. John the Baptist is the saint to whom 

 Keel church is dedicated. This hypothesis may be strengthened 

 by the consideration, that, in the time of Henry VIII. " among the 

 injunctions of that king, in the year 1536, it was ordered that the 

 dedication of churches should in all places be celebrated on the 

 first Sunday of the month of October for ever. Yet this order was 

 not enforced, or not obeyed ; but, however, most of those jubilees, 

 called wakes, are now celebrated near the time of Michaelmas, 

 when a vacation from the labours of harvest and the plough doth 

 afford the best opportunity for visits and sports. 



This transposing of the day, (continues Bourne,*) hath left it more 



* See his Eccl. Law, Vol. I. p. 339, of ?th edit, 



