A handbell is a tuned bell made of bronze and designed to be rung by hand. The handles of the bells are made of leather. Inside is a clapper which can move to and fro on a hinge.

The bells are grasped in the hands and the wrist moved to make the clapper strike the bell.

If you look inside a school handbell you will see that the clapper is held in place by a string and so the clapper can move in any direction. This makes the bell much more difficult to control. The handbell has a hinge so that the clapper can only ring in one direction, and a spring which keeps the clapper away from the bell except when it is being swung, and this allows the bell to vibrate freely.

The handbells were first developed in the 17th century as practice bells for those who normally rang the bells in a church tower. That is why the handbell sets used by change ringers had the same number of bells as in the towers — generally six or twelve.

In a bell ensemble each musician is responsible for particular notes, sounding their assigned bells whenever that note appears in the music.