Early Morning Bell
In 1836 a fund to pay for the ringing of a morning bell at Carleton Place, as a sort of community alarm clock corresponding to later factory whistles and bells, was raised by donations from some forty persons. At a meeting called by Hugh Boulton, with James Rosamond as chairman, it was decided the bell should be rung daily at 5 a.m. in the months of May to August, and at 6 a.m. during the other eight months of each year. A deduction was to be made from the bell ringer’s stipend for any time the bell was rung more than ten minutes late as timed by Robert Bell’s clock. – Howard Morton Brown
Along with the contributions from the Morphys, the Lavalees, McRostie, the Bells, the Boultons and the rest of the regular hot shots in town Thomas and William Griffith also made a donation. Thomas and William are pictured in the front row of the picture below, the first two on the bottom left. The Griffiths were also related to some of the Hawkins family by marriage. Why did no one look happy in those days? Must have been the darn early morning bell ringing.
Bang a gong!
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