For many hundreds of years bells have been used to summon the faithful to worship and it has come to be expected that bells will be rung to announce occasions of joy and sorrow.

It is surprising how little is known by parishioners and even by the clergy about the bells hanging in their local church.  Many bells in Lincolnshire are of great age and in some cases are much older than the building within which they hang.  The oldest, dating from about 1150, is at Ashby Puerorum and there are bells at Brigsley and Wroot which date from the 13th century.  The inscriptions which appear on bells are fascinating and can be a useful source of local and family history as well as, on occasions, being humourous or pious in nature.

Few of us know the stories behind the bells and bellfounders of Lincolnshire.  So we are indebted to John Ketteringham and his colleagues for this revised version of this comprehensive survey, first published in 2000.

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