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History of Horse and Sleigh Bells
Early horse bells: Pre 1800s Ornaments, including bells, have been used to adorn horses worldwide from at least 800 BCE through today. Horse bells attracted good luck; protected against disease, injury and evil; flaunted the owner's wealth and status; and enhanced the horse's natural beauty. Horse bells have always had a practical purpose as well. They warned pedestrians and other drivers to the approach of oncoming vehicles and alerted potential customers that street vendors and delivery wagons were in the neighborhood.
The bell foundry made famous by the Wells was in Aldbourne, Wiltshire, England. It had originally been established in 1693 by Robert Cor, who operated it from 1693 through 1741. It was then owned by John Stores from 1741-1744 and by Edward Read from 1744-1760. Like the Wells, the owners Cor, Stores and Read also produced a variety of bells, but they were best known for their church bells. (5) North American makers were manufacturing horse bells as early as the 1700s, but U.S. production rates were modest until the mid-1800s. (1) In the very early 1800s, William Barton started what would become a thriving sleigh bell industry in East Hampton, Connecticut, USA. Barton's willingness to teach the sleigh bell trade to others was a key reason why East Hampton earned worldwide fame as "Belltown" or "Jingletown" in the 1800s. "...The manufacturing enterprise of [East Hampton] and its general prosperity are traceable to no one man more than to William Barton... He came to East Hampton in 1808 and commenced the making of hand bells and sleigh bells. Others learned the trade with him, and afterwards engaged in the same business...." (2) Other individuals also contributed to East Hampton's later fame.
Bell manufacturers in the East Hampton area during the 1800s included William Barton, sons Hiram and Hubbard Barton, Bevin Bros. Mfg. Co., Gong Bell Co., East Hampton Bell Co., N. N. Hill Brass Co., Starr Brothers, Veazey & White, and W. E. Barton & Clark (W.E. was William Barton's grandson.) East Hampton manufacturers, while the most prolific, were not the only ones making bells in the U.S. Many bell makers, including foundries in New Britain, Connecticut, and Royal Oak, Michigan, produced a dizzying variety of sleigh bells. "Campaigning against Crazy Horse" A snippet of history that describes military pack-mule strings and bell horses in the late 1800s. Almost all U.S. bell manufacturers went out of business by the early 1900s, and Henry Ford's Model T automobile was the reason. By 1908, it was selling for $950, an affordable price for many people. Just 10 years later, over 15 million Model T cars were being sold in the U.S. each year -- for a mere $280 each. (4) As a result, production of sleigh bells in North America decreased dramatically after 1910, as the horse rapidly disappeared as the major means of transportation. The only North American bell manufacturer established in the 1800s that is still in operation is the Bevin Bros. Mfg. Co. in East Hampton, Connecticut. Horse bells are now used for decoration and to set a festive tone for a pleasure ride in a horse-drawn sleigh, carriage or wagon. Many people enjoy owning and using vintage bells manufactured in the days when horses and their bells were an integral part of people's daily lives. We hope to make that a more-common occurrence by restoring vintage bells for customers. Others choose to purchase new bells. Although all cast-brass sleigh bells are made overseas, a number of U.S. businesses are still using time-honored techniques to produce new sleigh bell straps. (1) Terry Keegan, Douglas Hughes, Claude A. Brock, Ran Hawthorne. Horse
Bells. National Horse Brass Society, Surrey, England. 2nd ed. 1988. |
