Bell Ringers Uncover Somber History of Devil’s Knell

The centuries-old tradition known as the Devil’s Knell will see Black Tom, a bell at Dewsbury Minster, rung 2,024 times on Christmas Eve. This practice commemorates the grim account of a knight who committed the murder of a young boy. The BBC engaged with the bell ringers participating in this event to understand the somber narrative underpinning the tradition. Derek Johnstone, who serves as the tower captain at Dewsbury Minster, has been involved in the Devil’s Knell since 2008. He oversees a group of bell ringers responsible for ringing Black Tom to usher in Christmas Day, commencing at 22:00 GMT on 24 December, with each ringer performing 100 tolls throughout the night. The origin of this tradition stems from the narrative of the 15th-Century lord, Sir Thomas de Soothill, whose name was bestowed upon the bell. Ronalda Johnstone, Mr. Johnstone’s wife and a past participant in the bell-ringing team, recounts the story. “In 1434 Sir Thomas de Soothill flew into a rage with his servant boy because he hadn’t been to church, so he threw him in the lake. Unfortunately he died.” “So, the knight decided he had to be penitent and donated a bell to the local church with the instructions it was to be rung on Christmas Eve the number of blows of that year.” “So every year it increases by one and it has to finish on the stroke of midnight.” According to Mr. Johnstone, he believes the bell has been rung annually since at least 1888, with the exception of a temporary halt during World War One. Executing the Devil’s Knell presents a dual challenge for the bell ringers: maintaining both speed and endurance. They rotate in shifts, each ringing 100 times, adhering to specific targets meticulously established by Mr. Johnstone through prepared charts. He states: “Throughout the years there has been several ways of recording this.” “One was a chart which has each year as a number on it in blocks of 100 and somebody’s crossed off each year as they went along.” “We then have the 100s system where each person has counted their own 100 with an adjudicator alongside them to make sure they didn’t miss any and then they’ve signed off each 100 on a sheet.” “And then finally we’ve got to an electronic version where I’ve got an electronic counter on a wheel and a display which keeps a record of exactly where we are on the count.” Mrs. Johnstone, who currently engages in knitting bells instead of ringing them, notes that the demanding schedules can induce anxiety. She explains: “Being the person who rings Black Tom at the end is stressful because you’ve got to make sure the bell stops.” “This is not easy to do because different members of the team ring and they have to try to ring it at a certain speed.” “It’s the heaviest bell and it’s supposed to be rung at a funeral pace.” Mr. Johnstone states that the sound of Black Tom on Christmas Eve resonates throughout Dewsbury and can be detected from a distance of up to two miles. The event draws interest from local inhabitants, who occasionally visit to witness the activity and learn about Sir Thomas’s grim history. In 1986, the Royal Mail issued a collection of Christmas stamps depicting various heritage traditions, one of which prominently featured the Devil’s Knell. Black Tom is classified as a tenor bell, representing the lowest pitch among the eight bells at Dewsbury Minster. It measures 4ft (1.2m) in diameter and retains metal from the initial bell contributed by Sir Thomas. Mr. Johnstone explains: “Between 1434 and 1725 we think there was only one bell on the outside of the church which was rung and that was the original Black Tom.” “It was melted down in 1725 to build a ring of six bells in this tower and then subsequently in 1875 those six bells were melted down again to make those eight bells. So the original metal is still in our tower.” While all the bells at the minster bear inscriptions, Black Tom’s is considered the most enigmatic. Its inscription states: “I shall be here if treated just when they are mouldering in the dust.” Even after being rung for almost 600 Christmas Eves, Mrs. Johnstone asserts that Black Tom’s ringing duties are not yet complete. She remarks: “Has Sir Thomas had his penance? Certainly not, it’s got to keep going.”