https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/templates/general_wide/img/logo.png UKDFD Recording Software https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/ Crotal bells https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/crotal-bells.html Crotal Bell https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/crotal-bells/crotal-bell-58833.html Sun, 07 Sep 2025 09:54:24 GMT Crotal bells Crotal Bell  
Description: An incomplete cast copper-alloy crotal bell. The bell has a rectangular suspension loop with an as-cast aperture. The upper hemisphere of the bellchamber is plain and the lower hemisphere is decorated with a sunburst design. Part of the lower hemisphere to one side of the sound slot is missing, along with the pellet ('pea clapper'). Adjacent to the surviving side of the sound slot, there is a faint maker's mark, which appears to be the initials WC. 
 
Category: Post-Medieval to Modern, Crotal bells
Category: Crotal bells
]]> Crotal Bell https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/crotal-bells/crotal-bell-57506.html Wed, 09 Aug 2023 18:41:17 GMT Crotal bells Crotal Bell  
Description: A cast copper-alloy crotal bell with plain upper and lower hemispheres. The suspension loop is square in shape with an as-cast aperture. Part of the lower hemisphere is missing, along with the pellet ('pea-clapper').
Category: Post-Medieval to Modern, Crotal bells
Category: Crotal bells
]]> Crotal Bell https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/crotal-bells/crotal-bell-57500.html Tue, 08 Aug 2023 15:36:04 GMT Crotal bells Crotal Bell  
Description: A cast copper-alloy crotal bell complete with its iron pellet ('pea-clapper'). The suspension loop is rectangular in shape with an as-cast aperture. Both upper and lower hemispheres of the bellchamber are plain.

Cf. UKDFD 53752
Category: Post-Medieval to Modern, Crotal bells
Category: Crotal bells
]]> Crotal Bell https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/crotal-bells/crotal-bell-57227.html Thu, 16 Mar 2023 18:58:44 GMT Crotal bells Crotal Bell  
Description: A cast copper-alloy crotal bell. The suspension loop is sub-rectangular with a drilled hole. The upper half of the bellchamber is decorated with a petals/sunburst design, the lower half with a fish-scale pattern. The iron pellet remains in situ.

The patina is much damaged, as is the case with most copper-alloy objects from the field where the bell was found, possibly due to the use of pig slurry.
Category: Post-Medieval to Modern, Crotal bells
Category: Crotal bells
]]> Crotal Bell https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/crotal-bells/crotal-bell-57055.html Fri, 18 Nov 2022 20:39:24 GMT Crotal bells Crotal Bell  
Description: A cast copper-alloy crotal bell, complete with iron pellet in situ. The suspension loop is sub-rectangular with a drilled hole, which is now filled with iron corrosion products. The upper half of the bellchamber is decorated with multiple petals, each of which has a line of moulded pellets along its length. It has two sound holes, both of which are now blocked by deposits from the ground. The lower half of the bellchamber depicts a moulded lion's face on each side of the sound slot.

See also UKDFD 12616, UKDFD 15577 and UKDFD 22579.
Category: Post-Medieval to Modern, Crotal bells
Category: Crotal bells
]]> Crotal Bell https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/crotal-bells/crotal-bell-56926.html Sat, 17 Sep 2022 14:15:26 GMT Crotal bells Crotal Bell  
Description:

A small copper-alloy crotal bell with intact copper-alloy 'pea-clapper', possibly a hawking bell. The bell is spherical with a single sound slot across the lower hemisphere and a drilled suspension lug at the top. It is undecorated, but has an overall gilt finish, much of which survives. The bell is probably of soldered three-part construction, with two die-formed sheet hemispheres forming the sound chamber and a separate piece of rectangular-section bar providing the suspension lug.

Cf. PAS: DENO-7D29BC
Category: Post-Medieval to Modern, Crotal bells
Category: Crotal bells
]]> Crotal Bell https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/crotal-bells/crotal-bell-8971.html Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT Crotal bells Crotal Bell  
Description: A cast white-metal* crotal bell with iron pea-clapper in situ. The small integral suspension loop is trapezoidal and has a circular drilled hole. The upper and lower halves of the bellchamber are decorated with different moulded designs. At the centre of the base, on one side of the sound slit, there is a circle with the maker's initials, HW.

* Corrosion on the surface of the bell is green, suggesting that, although the metal has a silvery pewter-like appearance, it is probably a copper alloy of similar composition to that which is commonly described as 'tombac'.
Category: Post-Medieval to Modern, Crotal bells
Category: Crotal bells
]]> Crotal Bell https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/crotal-bells/crotal-bell-55620.html Sat, 03 Oct 2020 11:58:19 GMT Crotal bells Crotal Bell  
Description: A cast copper-alloy crotal bell, complete with iron pellet ('pea clapper'). The suspension loop is sub-rectangular with an as-cast aperture. The upper half of the bellchamber is plain; the lower half is decorated with an eight-petal design. At the base of the bell, and divided by the sound slit, are the initials 'RW', within a circle. Each letter is flanked on either side by an annulet.

The bell is a product of the Wells Foundry of Aldbourne, Wiltshire. The initials are those of Robert Wells, who founded the business in 1755. After his death in 1781, the foundry was run by his sons, Robert (until 1798) and James (until 1825, when it went bankrupt). Bells bearing the RW initials were probably produced even during the period when James was in sole charge.
Category: Post-Medieval to Modern, Crotal bells
Category: Crotal bells
]]> Crotal Bell https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/crotal-bells/crotal-bell-54824.html Fri, 22 Nov 2019 15:47:53 GMT Crotal bells Crotal Bell  
Description: A cast copper-alloy crotal bell complete with iron pellet. The suspension loop is rectangular with an as-cast aperture. The upper half of the bellchamber is plain; the lower half is decorated with a petal/sunburst design. On one side of the sound slot there is a maker's mark in the form of the letter 'H'.
Category: Post-Medieval to Modern, Crotal bells
Category: Crotal bells
]]> Crotal Bell https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/crotal-bells/crotal-bell-54781.html Mon, 04 Nov 2019 17:11:10 GMT Crotal bells Crotal Bell  
Description: A cast copper-alloy crotal bell. The integral suspension loop is sub-rectangular and has a drilled hole. The upper half of the bellchamber appears to be plain, the lower half is decorated with a petal design, but is very worn.
Category: Post-Medieval to Modern, Crotal bells
Category: Crotal bells
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