Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight

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Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight is a narrative poem by Rose Hartwick Thorpe, written in 1867 and set in the 1600's. The story involves Bessie, a young woman whose lover, Basil Underwood, has been arrested, thrown in prison by the Puritans and sentenced to die that night when the curfew bell rings. Knowing that Oliver Cromwell will be late in arriving, the young woman begs the old sexton to prevent the ringing of the curfew bell. When he refuses, she climbs to the top of the bell tower and heroically risks her life by manually stopping the bell from ringing. Cromwell hears of her deed and is so moved that he issues a pardon for Underwood.

The poem, a favorite of Queen Victoria's, was one of the most popular of the nineteenth century, but has since faded into obscurity. [[1]]

Three silent films based on the poem were made, but no sound version. In two of the films, the title was modified to Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight.

The song "Hang on the Bell, Nellie" is a parody of the poem.[2]