Forms: α. 4– clocher, 5 clochere, -erre, 6–8 clochier; β. 5 clokerre, 7 clockier, 9 clockyer; γ. 6 clochiarde, 7–9 clochard. [a. F. clocher, clochier (12th c. in Littré), in ONF. clockier, cloquier, corresp. to med.L. cloc(c)ārium, f. cloc(c)a, cloque, cloche, bell. Occas. having the suffix -er corrupted to -ARD.]
A bell-tower or campanile; a belfry.
[c. 1250. Merton Coll. Rec., 1760. Messuagium subtus clocherium de Basinggestok.]
α. 1354. Mem. Ripon (Surtees), III. 92. Emendantis diversos defectus in clocher. Ibid. (1391), III. 106. Carpentarii operantis infra clocher australe.
c. 1430. Lydg., Min. Poems (1840), 201. The greet clocher up for to bere.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Huon, xxiii. 68. On euery toure a clocher of fyne golde.
1547. in Blomfield, Hist. Norfolk, II. 155. For ryngyng the clocher bells.
1726. Ayliffe, Parerg., 192. The Steeple or Clochier thereof.
1880. J. L’Estrange, in Norfolk Antiq. Misc., II. 149. A detached bell-tower or Clocher.
β. c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 8. Clokerre or belfray.
a. 1641. Spelman, Hist. & Fate Sacril. (mod. ed.), 259. A clockier or bell-house … with four very great bells in it.
1872. Ellacombe, Bells of Ch., ix. 305. A separate campanile, called the clockyer.
γ. 1598. Stow, Surv., xxxv. (1603), 332. A great and high Clochier … In place of this Clochiarde of olde times.
1657. Howell, Londinop., 378. A strong Clochard … where there were three great Bells.
1869. J. Raven, Ch. Bells Cambr. (1881), 25. The five bells which formerly inhabited the clochard of King’s College.
