Help: Founders

The list of founders includes founders with at least one bell listed in our database. This list can be re-ordered by clicking on a column header. It can also be restricted to founders with surviving bells in a given period using the controls at the top of the page. This will affect the values in the Bells, Bells Dated and Rings columns.

The Founding column contains the period during which the founder is believed to have been active. These dates are based on those in David Struckett's Dictionary of Campanology, updated as more is learnt from recent research on bell founders and their foundries. We understand that most of Struckett's dates were those suggested by H B Walters in his Church Bells of England (1912). Not all founders have dates listed, and those which are shown should be treated as indicative rather than definitive as it is clear that they need revision in a number of cases.

The Bells Dated column shows the range of dates for bells by the founder within our database. Where this includes dates outside the period of activity shown in the 'Date' column, it may be the result of an estimated date for a bell. Estimated dates are sometimes the last known working date for the founder, so care needs to be exercised interpretting the founder's output by year. All instances of precise years of casting which fall outside the listed period of activity can be found on our list of possible misattributions.

The Group column is an attempt to bring together those founders who, in some cases over a period of many centuries, have worked in a particular location, or those who have been traditionally grouped together. As always, we welcome information as to members apparently missing from any group. No attempt has been made to be completely comprehensive, and we have tried not to identify groups of less than 12 members or those whose identity could just as easily be searched for with your browser's search facility.

The Bells column shows the number of bells by that founder in our database. Clicking on this figure will take you to a list of all bells by that founder, from where you can view charts analysing the founder's surviving bells by weight, nominal frequency and year of casting.

The Rings column shows the number of full-circle rings in Dove which include a bell by the founder. Additional bells like sanctus bells or clock bells are not counted as part of the ring for this purpose. Clicking on this column will take you to a customised Dove search page listing rings with bells by that founder, from where you can get a map showing the location of these rings.

We gratefully acknowledge the work of Peter Dyson and David Struckett in this field of campanology.