Credit for the development of the modern hand bell, or "handbell", is accorded to brothers Robert and William Cor in Aldbourne, Wiltshire, England, between 1696 and 1724.

[4] Originally, tuned sets of handbells, such as the ones made by the Cor brothers, were used by change ringers to rehearse outside their towers.

Tower bell ringers' enthusiasm for practising the complicated algorithms of change ringing can easily exceed the neighbours' patience, so in the days before modern sound control handbells offered them a way to continue ringing without causing annoyance.

It was also more pleasant for the ringers to learn and practise in the warmth of the local pub rather than in a cold tower in winter.

[5] The handbell sets used by change ringers had the same number of bells as in the towers – generally six to twelve, tuned to a diatonic scale.

She was presented with a set of 10 handbells in London by Arthur Hughes, the general manager of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, after completing two separate two-and-a-half-hour change ringing peals in one day.

[8] The two major defining characteristics of English handbells are their clappers and ability to produce overtones.

It also has a spring that holds the clapper away from the casting after the strike to allow the bell to ring freely.

[citation needed] Handbell choirs generally ring music composed or arranged specifically for handbells because of their highly resonant sound, the limited note range of a set, and the unique pitch-by-pitch division of the staff among the ringers.

Handbells[10] are a transposing instrument, meaning that they "speak" an octave higher than written (this is to help keep the notes centered on the staff), so a middle C bell is actually a C5 or "tenor high C".

Due to handbells' relative rarity outside of the confines of church services—although less so now than in the 1980s and early 1990s—the majority of pieces last approximately four minutes.

A few composers and arrangers write longer and more intricate works; generally these pieces use handbells in combination with other instruments.

Donald Allured, founding director of Westminster Concert Bell Choir, is credited with fully realizing an American off-the-table style of ringing that includes many non-ringing sound effects including stopped techniques such as plucking the clapper with the bell on the table.

He is also credited for promoting precise damping or stopping of the sound by touching the bell to a soft surface, in the service of more musical results.

In large ensembles, four-in-hand is typically used to ring multiple positions or pick up accidentals.

[12] Plucking is accomplished by using the thumb and forefinger to force the clapper head into the casting while the bell is on the table with the handle toward the ringer, producing a staccato tone.

[20] A suspended mallet roll is usually played if a shaking sound is desired on a bass bell.

The singing bell technique creates a sustained pitch similar to the sound a wineglass makes as its rim is rubbed with a wet fingertip and is accomplished in much the same way.

[12] A tower swing is when the bell is rung and then swung down and a bit behind the ringer and back up to the normal position.

Thumb damp provides a staccato sound similar to plucking or malleting on the table.