The Lynch Family Bellringers

The Lynch Family, Harry Lynch and his four sons, toured Australia’s regional areas for several decades with their hand bell-ringing show. Gradually singers, dancers and comedians, including visiting European performers, were incorporated into the show. This poster advertises a 1914 tour featuring the novel attractions of the Glassophone and Aluminum Organ Chimes.

Year: 1914

Source: National Film and Sound Archive of Australia

People: The Lynch Family Bellringers / Miss Ruby Lynch (dancer) / Miss Edie Summers (vocalist) / Mr Reg Thomas (comedian) and Mr Harold Allen (entertainer)

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Tags: Australia, Theatre, poster, theatre poster, performers

Subject: Theatre poster

More Info

Lynch Family Bellringers and Glassophonists: Poster (NFSA title 777160)

The Lynch Family were part of a revolution in popular entertainment of the mid-19th and early 20th centuries. In this era, performances were devised that had broad appeal and were affordable by ordinary working people. During the First World War, these concerts were sometimes used as fund-raising events in aid of the troops serving abroad.

Two successful visits to Geelong by the Lancashire Bell Ringers in 1863 and 1866 established bellringing as a fashionable entertainment in Australia. Henry Lynch was inspired to import bells from London in 1867, forming an ensemble with his four sons including William, who, at the age of ten, became ‘the world’s youngest bellringer’. Lynch gradually incorporated singers, dancers and comedians into the show. The Lynch Family toured regional areas, appearing in a variety of venues, mainly School of Arts and Mechanics Institutes. These institutions were regional hubs for educational, social and cultural activities, hosting performances that would improve the minds of the audience as well as entertaining them.

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