Petal Bells

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Gallery of petal bells
Maker's marks

The "petal" or "horseshoe" bell is the classic cast-brass horse bell. U.S. manufacturers called this a "rim" style of bell in the late 1800s, but the British have long called it a "rumbler" bell.

The petal bell has been made by American and British craftsmen for at least 400 years (1) and is found on all types of bell straps. In North America, petal bells vary in size from a tiny 3/4 inch in diameter to a massive 4 inches, but some British rumblers are even larger.

The petal bell is easily distinguished from all other horse bells by its ring of four to eight daisy-like petals or horseshoes circling the top, divided evenly by a single throat (slit) that has rounded ends. The center of the "daisy" is usually defined by one or two circles. There may be tiny dots or dashes ornamenting the two circles.

Each petal may be single, like a flower petal, or it may be doubled, more like a horseshoe. The petals may be close enough to touch each other or they may be separate. Sometimes a small dot, slash, star, diamond, or oval decorates the center of each petal.

The center itself is often blank. If the center has a marking, the mark is often a number indicating the size of the bell. Sometimes the size number is accompanied by the abbreviation "No." (for "Number".) In a few cases, the center may contain a maker's mark -- a symbol, initials, or words indicating who made the bell.

Every petal bell also has a ridge around its middle and two or four holes cast into the lower half of the bell. Most petal bells have a shank base, but some petal bells made after about 1860 just have a hole drilled through the bottom. These bells were attached to their strap with rivets or machine screws.

Gallery of petal bells

East Hampton, Connecticut, bell makers

William Barton (1762-1849): W B or B W maker's mark on petal bells.

Barton was listed as an "artificer" in an early census. William and his wife Clarissa Betts (d 1891) had eleven children, although two died very young. (3) Nancy, Vine Starr, Walter Sexton, Clarissa, Hubbard, Hiram, Almira, Julia, Philura, and Jason. (9)

As adults, his sons Vine, Hubbard, Hiram and Jason also made bells of various kinds. Jason is credited with developing a way to polish bells by tumbling them in barrels of sand, as an alternative to the labor-intensive process of smoothing the bells on a lathe. (9)

William Barton may possibly have been making sleigh bells as early as the 1790s in New York state. (6) He is best known, however, for the bells he produced in East Hampton, Connecticut, in the early 1800s. More.... Some sources credit Barton with making the first one-piece cast sleigh bell about 1809 (1, 9), but this is just an interesting fable. One-piece crotals were made in the UK as early as the 1500s. (8)

One source suggests that some bells with the W B maker's mark may have been made by Barton's father Captain William Barton in Wintonbury (now Bloomfield), Connecticut. (6) Captain Barton (1740?-1793?) was married to Sarah Sage. (3)

Having seen many WB bells, I do know the design of WB bells varied greatly over time. The earliest WB bells look similar to elegant British bells made in the late 1700s and very early 1800s. Later WB bells, while still attractive, are not as ornately detailed. Except for the WB mark, these bells are indistinguishable from HB bells described below. (5) I cannot confirm whether this variation was due to two men, father and son, who both made sleigh bells. It may also have been that William Barton Jr. was simply willing to experiment and innovate over time.

Hubbard Barton (1797-1860) and/or Hiram (1799-1878): H B maker's mark on petal bells.

These sons of William Barton lived in the East Hampton, Connecticut, area. Hubbard married Deborah G. Clark in 1821, and they had 12 children. The elder of the two, Hubbard took over the business started by his father William. (9)

Hiram married Lois L. Watrous in 1825. They had 4 children; their eldest child was William E. Barton (see below.) Hiram began his own bell business. William E. worked in and later owned the business, which was reorganized in 1881 as the Barton Bell Company. (9)

William E. Barton (b 1826?): W E B and a running horse logo on petal bells. No maker's mark on his other styles of bells.

William E. (Edward?) Barton was the son of Hiram Barton and grandson of William Barton. He manufactured sleigh bells at his father's East Hampton foundry until it was destroyed by fire in 1874. William E. relocated to a nearby foundry originally built by the Union Bell Company and resumed making bells. By 1881, the business was transferred to the next generation of owners and renamed the Barton Bell Company. (9)

William E. patented several innovative designs for sleigh bells and bell straps in the mid 1800s. One of William E.'s patents from the 1860s describes the way he drilled and tapped the base of bells so they could be fastened to a strap with machine screws, rather than the more common rivets. Another patent covers a unique method for attaching buckles to bell straps. (5)

From the bells we have seen, William E. made petal, round ridge, egg, stamped egg, and "eastlake" bells in the 1 1/4" to 1 3/8" size range. Many of these bells were plated with soft nickel. Although only his petal bells had his initials and running horse maker's mark, all of these bells can be identified by his patented machine screw fasteners.

His cast egg and round-ridge bells often have a separate metal collar between the bell and its strap. According to his patent for this detail, the collar raises the bell off the leather to improve the sound. His stamped egg bells have a separate cast-brass base crimped into the bottom of the bell to improve the sturdiness of the bell. (5)

William E. did make cast-brass petal bells larger than 1 3/8", although they are not as common as his smaller bells. Although they are all marked with his running horse logo, some of these larger bells have a cast shank and others have his patented machine screw fastening. Although the machine screw fastener works well for the smaller bells, it is not so successful for a larger, heavier bell -- a traditional cast shank is a better design.

Barton Bell Company: Probably no maker's mark. In 1881, the foundry originally owned by Hubbard Barton and later his son William E. Barton was purchased and reorganized as the Barton Bell Company. O. L. Clark, A. W. Barton, and A. G. Barton ran the business through the late 1800s. Along with other products, the Barton Bell Co. continued to make sleigh bells designed and patented by William E. Barton. (9)

Barton & Starr Manufacturing Co.: Maker's mark "Barton & Starr" was printed in full along the base of each petal bell. No maker's mark on the top of the bell. Vine B. Starr operated this foundry in East Hampton, Connecticut, with a member of the Barton clan, possibly a Jason Barton. (6)

Vine B. may also be the Lieutenant Vine Starr who married Nancy Barton (born 1790), daughter of the elder William Barton, in 1813. (3) Lieutenant Starr may have been the father of Orson Starr (below). If so, his 1813 marriage to Nancy was probably not his first, since Vine-the-father-of-Orson would have had children age 10 and older in that year.

Barton & Clark: Probably no maker's mark. William E. Barton and Orlando Clark, East Hampton, Connecticut. (2)

Starr Brothers Bell Company: Probably no maker's mark. The Starr Brothers company was established 1882 by brothers George M., J. M., W. F., and V. B. Starr of East Hampton, Connecticut. (2)

William Bevin: The center of a petal bell is surrounded by a ring of the words "W Bevin" and "E Hampton" in block letters.

Chauncey, Abner G. and Philo Bevin: Chauncy and Abner started Bevin Brothers in 1837 and added their brother Philo in 1838. Renamed Bevin Brothers Manufacturing Company in 1868. Still in business today in East Hampton, Connecticut.

J. N. Goff and Amiel Abel: G & A maker's mark. East Hampton, Connecticut.

J. N. Goff and Amiel Abel and Alfred Williams: G. A. & W. maker's mark. 1837-1851. East Hampton, Connecticut.

J. N. Goff, Amiel Abel and Buell: Mark unknown. East Hampton, Connecticut.

East Hampton Bell Company: Mark unknown -- very likely no mark used. Formed by J. N. Goff, Amiel Abell, J. S. Hall, D. W. Watrous, and G. S. Goff, possibly in 1851. East Hampton, Connecticut.

Hiram Veazey and A.B. White: The Veazey & White foundry operated to 1882 when it was bought by the Starr Brothers Bell Company (see above.)

Warren Veazey: East Hampton, Connecticut.

Hiram Veazey: Probably no maker's mark. Hiram was awarded a patent in 1869 for a "round ridge" style of bell that had a cylindrical "pillar" about 3/16" tall as its base. The pillar raised the bell off the leather strap for better sound. Brother to Warren Veazey? East Hampton, Connecticut.

New Britain, Connecticut, bell makers

Belden and Lee: B & L maker's mark on larger bells. Smaller bells are unmarked, but have design details similar to the larger bells. William H. Belden and Isaac N. Lee. Their New Britain, Connecticut, foundry operated from the early 1830s through 1841, when the foundry was destroyed by fire. (6) Bells have a drilled shank.

James North, Jr. (1777-1825): J N or I N maker's mark. James made bells in his New Britain foundry only from about 1800 to 1803. He ran the foundry with his brother Seth (below.) (6) Bells marked with I N are thought to be older than the J N bells. Bells have either a drilled shank or a U-shaped cast shank.

Seth North: S N or N S maker's mark. Seth North, brother of James North. Seth took over full operation of the bell foundry in 1803 after James returned to New York. The foundry closed in 1840. (6) Seth's early bells have a U-shaped cast shank. His later bells have a drilled shank.

Seth North and Henry Stanley: N & S maker's mark on many of their larger bells. Some bells have a 5-pointed star in place of or in addition to N & S. All bells have a distinctive sunburst design in each petal. This New Britain, Connecticut, foundry operated from about 1830 to 1850 when it was sold to Russel & Erwin (below.) (6)

Joseph Shipman: Small asterisk (*) in each petal with a J S maker's mark or just an I S or J S maker's mark. Joseph Shipman, born 1779, died 1859. (7) His foundry in New Britain, Connecticut, operated from 1800 to ?. (6) Bells marked with an I S are thought to be older than J S bells.

Russel & Erwin Manufacturing Company Foundry: Plain bells with no petal pattern or maker's mark. The bells are attached to their straps with rivets. The Russel & Erwin foundry in New Britain, Connecticut, operated from 1850 through at least 1878. (6) Some of what we call round ridge bells were made by Russel & Erwin.

Other bell makers

Joseph Barton: Mark unknown. Joseph Barton produced and sold sleigh bells in the 1790s in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. I do not know Joseph's connection with the William Barton family. Joseph is credited with training other men who later established bell foundries in New Britain, Connecticut. (6)

Orson Starr and son John Almon Starr: Mark unknown. Orson Starr (1803-1873) and his wife Rhoda Gibbs (1806-1853) immigrated in 1831 to Royal Oak, Michigan, from Richmond, New York. Orson started a foundry that same year -- the area's first industry -- to manufacture bells for cows, sheep, horses and other animals. (4) Orson was possibly the second son to Lieutenant Vine Starr (see Barton & Starr Manufacturing Co., above.) His son John Almon (1846-1895) took over operation of his father's Michigan foundry and made animal bells until the foundry was closed in 1866. John was married to Nancy Quick (1831-1895.) (4)

C Phelps and R Atskill: The initials "C" and "R" in the center of a petal style bell, like a regular maker's mark. The initials are surrounded by a ring made by the last names of "Phelps" and "Atskill". Origin unknown.

Major George W. Tucker and possibly the American Ring Company: The maker's mark on many (but not all) "patent" bells is a diamond with a small dot in the center. Located at the base of the bell, the mark is usually found in conjunction with patent dates of "PAT. OCT 24. [18]76 & MAY 14. [18]78" or just the single patent date of "PAT. OCT 24. [18]76".

Tucker's patents described the manufacture of a sturdy machine-stamped bell. The bell was probably produced by the American Ring Company of Waterbury, Connecticut. Tucker, a prominent citizen of Waterbury and officer in American Ring, was dismissed in disgrace from the company in 1886 for embezzling a substantial sum of money. (10)

(1) Terry Keegan, Douglas Hughes, Claude A. Brock, Ran Hawthorne. Horse Bells. National Horse Brass Society, Surrey, England. 2nd ed. 1988.

(2) Israel Foote Loomis, "The Town of Chatham", The Connecticut Magazine; 5:6, June 1899, pp 303-319; and 5:8?, August 1899, pp 370-381. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jdevlin/town_hist/chatham_ct_hist.htm

(3) Gary Barton. The Barton Database. http://www.bartondatabase.info/

(4) Jim Brennan. Michigan Historical Markers. http://www.michmarkers.com/

(5) DeeAnna Weed. Personal research notes.

(6) Gary W. Spickler. Sleigh Bells of New Britain, Connecticut. The Bell Tower. 63:6, Nov.-Dec. 2005, pp 22-25. American Bell Association International, Inc.

(7) James Stanley, editor. Fairview Cemetery: A Chronicle of Eminent People in Fairview Cemetery, New Britain, Connecticut. May 14, 1999. http://www.rootsweb.com/~cthartfo/fairviewcem.html

(8) Rod Blunt. Crotal Bells. UK Detector Finds Database. 2005. http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/pages/crotal-bells.html

(9) Chatham: The early settlers and their descendants, part 1. The History of Middlesex County 1635-1885. J. H. Beers & Co., 36 Vesey Street, New York. 1884. Pages 198-217. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jdevlin/bios/chatham_bios.htm

(10) "Waterbury's sensation: Serious charges against a prominent citizen." The New York Times, February 12, 1886.