Old Photograph Dead Bell Ringer Glasgow Scotland

Old photograph of a Dead Bell ringer in Glasgow, Scotland. A Dead bell or deid bell was a form of hand bell used in Scotland and northern England, in conjunction with deaths and funerals up until the 19th century. Belief in the supernatural was common in the Middle Ages and special protective powers were sometimes attributed to certain objects, including bells. The Church itself condoned the use of bells to frighten away evil spirits and this ensured the practice's survival and development. Bells were often baptised, and once baptised were believed by many to possess the power to ward off evil spells and spirits. The use of the dead bell was typical of this belief, rung for the recently deceased to keep evil spirits away from the body.



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