Thread by @friendschurches

When you 'remember, remember' the 5th November, BELLS probably aren’t the first things that come to mind.

But in the years following the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, the ringing of church bells became synonymous with this date ...

#Thread

📷 Gwernesney church bells @fotofacade

Just 10 weeks after Guy Fawkes and other English Catholics were discovered in the act of attempting to assassinate King James I by blowing up the House of Lords, a bill was introduced in England for a public, annual thanksgiving for the failure of the plot.

Although ostensibly a day of celebration, the wording of the ‘Thanksgiving Act’, which pointed a finger at 'malignant and devilish Papists', also sent a clear anti-Catholic message and served as a new focus for anti-Catholic sentiment and continued oppression.

The Act required all church ministers to hold a special service, during which the text of the Act would be read aloud, along with prayers and sermons. Everyone was required to attend, and to 'abide orderly and soberly'. However, sobriety may not have always prevailed ...

It became the custom to mark the day with bellringing, bonfires and explosives! Church bell ringers were sometimes paid on this special day. However, they were also frequently rewarded for their efforts with a round of drinks. 🍻

📷 Papworth St Agnes bell tower @badgerbeard

At St Mary's, Reading, 1612, the church warden recorded payment ‘to the ringers to make the Drincke for there paines taking the vth of november’. At St Michael's, Spreyton, they received '2 dozen of beer’.
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In 1859 the Thanksgiving Act was repealed, and over time, the association of 5th November with church bells has faded away, leaving us with a festival of bonfires and fireworks. But longer versions of the famous verse still recall the joyful ringing of 🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔

p.s. We've just been told about some brand new research showing that the religious thanksgivings were in fact initiated by the King 2 mths before the Act, in November 1605. It's fascinating stuff!
Here's a link to learn more: cambridge.org/core/blog/2020…