116 The Belfry formerly standing in the Close, Salisbury. 



greeted by the bells upon his appointment to the see, or arrival at 

 the palace, and also at his visitations. In May, 1634, the ringers 

 were paid 13s. 4r/. for " ringing for the Visitation of the Lord 

 Archbishop [Laud] His Grace " ; and on July 24th, 1686, another 

 Archbishop's visitation is " rung," at a cost of 56s. Ten shillings 

 a year was paid for " ringing the curfew," the first entry being in 

 1616 and the last in 1642. 



Early in the eighteenth century the idlers who were attracted to 

 the annual fair which was held in the Close at Whitsuntide, were 

 allowed, upon payment of a fee to the sexton, to roam over the 

 Belfry, and to tamper with the bells ; in the same way they were 

 permitted to wander about the roofs and gutters of the Cathedral, 

 and to ascend to the eight doors, when the more venturesome of 

 them would climb the ladders on the inside of the spire, and at the 

 risk of their lives get out through the opening of the weather-door, 

 and clamber up to the top, for Price states that as many as eight or 

 ten persons at a time have been seen clustering about the capstone. 

 It is a notable fact that not one of these foolhardy adventurers has 

 ever missed his hold at that giddy height. The Dean and Chapter 

 at length put a stop to these insane practices, and in the case of the 

 Belfry they ordered : — 



" That no Persons should be allowed to jumble the Bells during the Whitsuntide 

 Holiday s." 



But it would seem that the order came too late, for in 1746 it is 

 stated " that . . . , . of the Bells are cracked and the rest out 

 of tune," so that the ringing was imperfect, and it was accordingly 

 ordered on October 10th that : — 



"After the fifth Day of November next, no peals shall be rung on any occasion 

 whatever, until the cracked Bells can be re-cast, and the rest properly tuned." 



The sound of the bells in such a woful condition would be both 

 ludicrous and irritating to all who were within hearing of it, par- 

 ticularly to those who resided near the Belfry, and the order of the 

 Chapter must have given general satisfaction. 



The bells were never re- cast nor tuned, but in 1762 an application -J 

 was made to Bishop Thomas for a faculty to sell six of them, which I 



