Crotal bell identification: dating by loop, holes and initials

A crotal bell is a bell with a loose pellet (the “pea”) trapped inside a closed body. Shake it and it rattles. Sleigh bell, rumbler, pellet bell, hawk bell: all names for the same idea.

They turn up on almost every permission. Most are post-medieval. But the type runs back to the 13th century, and a few clues will usually tell you which end of that range you’re holding.

Start with how it was made

Construction is the strongest clue. Rod Blunt’s reference article on crotal bells, which this guide leans on heavily, sets out the sequence.

The one-piece cast bell is the one you’ll find most. Its pellet was cast inside the sand core, so nothing needed soldering or bending. The two holes in the top half were mainly there to hold that core in place. Blunt calls the method “a triumph of ingenuity” that hasn’t changed in 400 years.

Then look at the loop

On one-piece bells the suspension loop narrows the date further.

• Drilled solid lug, generous curve where it joins the body. About 16th to mid-17th century.
• Cast-in hole, no curve at the join. From the 17th century. The hole sits on the bell’s round profile, so it can’t be a neat circle.
• Large, angular loop. Typical of the 18th century, until the traditional crotal gave way to a new style of horse bell in the mid-19th century.

Blunt notes that some loops are later repairs, soldered or brazed on.

Decoration

The most common pattern is the “sunburst”: long oval petals radiating from the centre. It runs through the whole post-medieval period, so on its own it doesn’t date much.

Fish-scale pattern is more useful. Blunt says it belongs to the early post-medieval period and is rarely if ever found on bells after the 17th century. It often sits on the lower half with a sunburst on the top.

Decoration on the lower half only, or none at all, usually means late 18th to mid-19th century. There are exceptions, so weigh every clue together.

Metal colour

Many earlier post-medieval bells are a white or grey metal. They’re often called pewter or tinned, but Blunt argues they’re probably a high-tin copper alloy, since they corrode green. Either way, he says white-metal bells are unlikely to be later than the 17th century. Later bells are plainly copper alloy, with a green-brown patina.

Makers’ initials

From the late 17th century some founders put their initials on the lower half, often either side of the slot. Others used a bell-founder’s hammer mark. These are the closest dates you’ll get.

This is a selection from Blunt’s Table 1, which lists only initials confirmed on real bells. Note the “I” for J: Latin-style lettering, so IB is James Bridgman and IH is John Higden.

Treat attributions with care. Blunt estimates about 170 bell foundries have worked in Britain since the mid-13th century, with nearly sixty around 1700. Matching two letters to a founder’s name, without other evidence, can easily go wrong.

Aldbourne and the Wells bells

The Wiltshire village of Aldbourne was the centre of English crotal making. The Corr family cast bells there from the late 17th century. Robert Wells took over in 1755, and according to the Aldbourne Heritage Centre he became known for perfecting the crotal bell with the pea inside.

His son Robert II and then James Wells carried on. The Heritage Centre says the Wells family made thousands of hand bells and crotal bells. In 1825 the business failed and was sold to the Whitechapel foundry of Thomas Mears. James Bridgman, a Wells worker, returned to Aldbourne and cast crotals until 1851: hence the IB bells.

Wells bells were also numbered by size. The Heritage Centre has a No. 28 Wells crotal, one of the largest cast at Aldbourne.

Recording your bell

Medieval and early post-medieval bells are archaeological finds. Record them with your Finds Liaison Officer, with a findspot. For other dress accessories from the same fields, see our guide to buckle identification and our musket ball size chart.

FAQ

How old is my crotal bell?

Look at how it was made. Sheet-metal bells soldered from two halves are typically mid-13th to mid-15th century. Bells cast in two halves with vertical mould lines are around the 15th century. One-piece cast bells with two holes in the top half date from about the 16th century onwards. Then use the loop, decoration and any initials to narrow it down.

What does RW on a crotal bell mean?

RW is attributed to the Wells foundry at Aldbourne in Wiltshire: Robert Wells I (casting about 1755–1781) or Robert Wells II (about 1775–1798). That places an RW bell in the second half of the 18th century.

What were crotal bells used for?

Many uses. Medieval examples have been found on horse-harness mounts and worn as dress accessories; small bells were also used as hawking bells. Later cast bells were sold as horse bells and as sheep bells. Size and context help tell which.

What are the holes in the top of a crotal bell for?

On one-piece cast bells, the two holes in the upper half are mainly there to position the sand core during casting, not to let out sound. They are a useful dating clue: the type took over from the 16th century.

Should I record a crotal bell with the PAS?

Medieval and early post-medieval bells are archaeological finds, and the PAS Code of Practice asks you to record all archaeological finds with your Finds Liaison Officer. A grid reference makes the record useful.

Sources

Every figure in this guide comes from one of these. We checked each one on 1 November 2026.

1. Rod Blunt, “Crotal Bells” (reference article), UK Detector Finds Database. www.ukdfd.co.uk/pages/crotal-bells.html
2. Aldbourne Heritage Centre, “Aldbourne's Bell Industry”. aldbourneheritage.org.uk/village-history/aldbournes-bell-industry
3. Portable Antiquities Scheme, Code of Practice for Responsible Metal Detecting. finds.org.uk/guides/detecting-guidance/code-of-practice-for-responsible-metal-detecting