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| St. Michael's Church, Charleston, SC |
Susan F. Craft
Author of The Chamomile, a SIBA Award-Winning Revolutionary War suspense, and of Laurel, a post-Revolutionary War suspense
The bells were cast in London and installed in St. Michael's Church in Charleston, SC, in 1764.
When the British took over the city during the Revolutionary War, they took the bells back to England. At the end of the war, a Charleston merchant visiting England bought the bells and shipped them home to America.
In 1823, cracks were found in some of the bells, and they were returned to London to be recast.
In 1862, during the siege of Charleston during the Civil War, the bells were moved to Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, for safekeeping, but Sherman's army set fire to the city. Only fragments of the bells were found and were sent to London once more, where the original molds still stood.
In February 1867, the eight bells were again installed in St. Michael’s Steeple and on March 21 joyously rang out, "Home again, Home again from a foreign Land."
To hear a group of master bell ringers from London ring the bells of St. Michaels, click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25spIYJr4Ho
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| Shown
in this century-old picture, a chimer uses a clavier
device to strike clappers
against stationary bells. Chiming is now
performed
from a keyboard in the choir loft and by a programmed mechanism.
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Susan F. Craft's post-Revolutionary War suspense, Laurel, was released January 16. It's sequel, Cassia, will be released this September by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.
Fascinating thank you. I always love it when they ring the bells at our church. They would not be as old as these though.
ReplyDeleteHi, Mary. In my novel, Laurel, my main character, Lilyan, returns to Charleston after being away two years. Walking along the street, she senses something missing. When someone tells her that the British took the bells of St. Michael's with them, she realizes that she was missing the sound of the chimes.
DeleteInteresting, Susan. What fascinating information we learn from research.
ReplyDeleteI love to research and can get so immersed in it that I lose track of time :-)
DeleteInteresting, Susan. What fascinating information we learn from research.
ReplyDeleteLoved this. I was so impressed with Charleston when I visited a couple years ago, that I made it a setting for my novel. My husband is an Anglican Bishop and we LOVED visiting St. Michael's Anglican Church. It was so fun. George Washington sat in the pew at that church. It's such an historic place...truly, my dream place to live would be Charleston.
ReplyDeleteI love Charleston too, Holly. It's about two hours away from where I live, and we've visited many times. There's always something new and interesting to see.
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