Everything You Never Knew About Sleigh Bells

 We sing about them, decorate our Christmas cards and ugly sweaters with them, and love to hear the sounds of a horse-drawn wagon or sleigh bedecked in bells. But why bells?

Arguably the official “sound” of the holidays, the jingling of sleigh bells instantly puts a listener in the mindset of Christmas. (Don’t believe me? Flip on the radio to virtually any station this time of year and you can tell within seconds if you’re listening to a holiday song —  you’ll hear sleigh bells in the background.) One-horse open sleighs are, of course, jingling all the way, and it’s a well-known fact that Santa’s reindeer also wear bells. But why? Who decided that putting bells all over a sleigh and harness were festive?   

 

Look out, coming through!

Like other forms of equine ornamentation, bells on the harness, tack or horse itself were used as charms: they were said to bring good luck, ward off evil and protect against disease and injury. Additionally, bells and ornaments were a great way to show off your wealth and status: bells and other charms have been in use since at least 800 BC.

For more practical purposes, however, bells were a good “early warning” system to pedestrians and other folks on the road that horses or horse-drawn vehicles were heading their way. For horse-drawn livery or vendors, the bells also served as a commercial to let potential customers know they were in the area — kind of like an old-school ice cream truck.

In both Europe and the United States, sleighing became a popular form of recreation in the winter as well as a method of transportation in the nineteenth century. Therefore, horses and sleighs were turned out spotlessly with plenty of decoration, including rich strings of harness bells — again emphasizing the wealth and status of the owner. The sound of harness bells became inextricably linked with winter activity, especially around Christmas, and an icon was born.

Bell manufacturers began to shape an industry in the eighteenth century, casting their makers’ marks and ornate designs on individual bells. Bells were cast until the end of the 1800s, when an American manufacturer developed a process to stamp bells out of sheet metal, greatly expediting the production process.
However, as horse-drawn transport faded with the advent of the automobile, so did the bell makers: only a handful of the old manufacturers are still producing the classic bells and many strings still used today are vintage relics from days gone by.

Types of bells

Individual makers aside, a bell is a bell, right? Not quite: within the category of “sleigh bells” there are a number of ways to classify the individual bells: shape, throat style, decoration and construction. It should also be noted that what we think of as a traditional sleigh bell — a pellet trapped within a hollow globe — is actually called a “crotal” and is technically a rattle, not a bell. (I warned you that this article included things you never knew you never knew.)

Shape: Crotal bells for harness purposes are commonly seen in a few shapes: round or egg-shaped bells were called arctic or globe bells by the makers. Round bells with a flared ridge were also popular. Less common shapes include the bevel or band bell with a slightly pointed face; square bells look impressive but are said to sound absolutely terrible (and are also quite fragile). Other specialty custom bell shapes include acorns or flower buds.
Traditional and authentic bells, with an open mouth and a clapper, were used on occasion and are still found on European working harnesses with one bell suspended between the hames.

Throat: The “throat” of the bell refers to the number of slits, which allow the bell to vibrate and therefore ring. Before the heydey of the sleigh bell, most cast harness bells were designed with a broad single throat, which gave them a rich tone much like an open-mouthed “liberty” bell. To add distinction to their bells in the 1800s, manufacturers started adding a second and sometimes even a third throat, which gave the bells a softer chime, or jingle — the kind of sleigh-bell sound that’s familiar thanks to the miracles of Christmas pop recordings. Most of these multiple-throat bells were stamped rather than cast, allowing for new and unusual shapes.

 

An exception to these rules is the Swedish bell, typically a very large bell up to two or three inches in diameter. These bells are distinctive because of the six “pie slices” formed by the narrow throats that were cut into the bell rather than cast. Their hefty size gives the Swedish bells a deep and loud tone.

Decoration: Old traditional cast bells from Europe commonly carried a petal or horseshoe design and were subsequently referred to as “petal bells.” Individual makers might include their initials, or perhaps the size of the bell. As styles changed and stamped bells became vogue, bells were left undecorated and were polished to a shine. Individual specialty antique bells can still be found with fish-scale or ornate petal designs, but these are much less common.

 Construction: As mentioned above, harness bells were originally cast in brass. The process of metal stamping revolutionized the bell-making industry as well as the tonal qualities!

Harnessed up

Okay, now that you’ve finally selected what style of bell you’ll be using, you need to look at your horse and harness and decide where to put these things.

Body strap: Arguably one of the more common places to put your bell string, the body strap buckles over the traces of the harness around the horse’s middle. Body straps can come in the New England style, in which all of the bells are the same size, or the graduated style, in which bells get smaller as you travel down the strap. Less common body straps are the pony strap, which includes a double-row of small bells (so named because of the size of the bell, not the animal!) or the all-metal Sunday strap which would be used only on special occasions. A warning: even the most careful driver may sometimes get a line caught up in the bells. Because of the body strap’s location, bells are more prone to becoming broken, scraped off or gummed up with mud and ice.

Neck strap: Perhaps a safer option than the body strap, the neck strap simply places those bells around the horse’s neck or collar. Bells might all be one standard size or they may be graduated.

Hip straps: Usually just a few bells make up a hip strap, which slides onto the back strap of the harness and hangs down over the horse’s lower back or hips. The hip strap is a common place to find Swedish bells with their deep voices.

Saddle & shaft bells: These are small collections of large bells intended to be attached to the wagon or sleigh directly. The name refers to where they are placed on the vehicle: the saddle bell is placed on the horse’s back pad while the shaft bells are attached to the shaves of the wagon or sleigh.

The above information can all be referenced to Classic Bells‘ thorough history!

And what about the sound?

No discussion of sleigh bells would be complete without listening to a few examples!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=rnAWyZ8yCv0&feature=emb_logo

Submitted by:  Priscilla Rose

Queen Victoria and Photography

Although not a photograph, this wedding portrait of Victoria is one of the first images that comes to mind of the young Queen. 

Queen Victoria is depicted dressed in her wedding wreath of orange blossom flowers and her wedding veil, with the small collar of the Garter. She also wears the brooch Prince Albert gave her on their wedding day and the ear-rings and necklace made from the Turkish diamonds given to her by the Sultan Mahmúd II in 1838. She noted in her Journal that the painting was ‘a surprise for my beloved Albert, for 10th of Feb’. Painted by Franz Winterhalter in 1847 for an anniversary gift.  The date of the Queen’s marriage Was February 10, 1840.



From the late 1840s many photographers were commissioned to take portraits of the royal children, whose photographs were then collected and organized chronologically in albums. This series of 44 albums, known as ‘Portraits of Royal Children’, covers the years 1848 to 1899. These images, as well as others depicting Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, were intended to be quite informal, private portraits, recording happy or significant family events.  Source

The first photographic portrait of Prince Albert dates from 1842, while the earliest photograph of Queen Victoria (a double portrait with the Princess Royal) was taken by the miniature painter Henry Collen, c.1844.














 On the right, taken in the late 1840s







 There is some confusion on whether or not they are wearing their wedding clothes in this photograph.   Taken 1854 in the drawing room at Buckingham Palace, 14 years after their marriage.














 On the right, a lovely colorized photo taken in late 40s-early 50s

In July 1854, Queen Victoria commissioned Bryan Edward Duppa to take a photograph of her, as a surprise for her husband. The portrait shows the Queen holding a framed copy of a portrait of Prince Albert taken by the same photographer a few months earlier.

On the right, this photo taken in 1859, on the grounds of Osborne House, Isle of Wight.

Note the three tiered skirt, a popular style in the 50s.


















Queen Victoria photographed by John Jabez Edwin Mayall, 1860, about age 40



In 1861, Prince Albert died. Photography helped the Queen through her long period of grief and mourning, playing a crucial role in her desire to do justice to his memory.Photography was perfectly adapted to documenting, recollecting and memorializing.

Prince Albert died at the moment when the commercial side of photography was starting to develop rapidly, triggering a conflict of interests that set art against commerce, and idealism against profit. The emergence of photography as a business activity led the vast majority of professional photographers to be considered tradesmen rather than artists.    Source
 

Queen Victoria, Official Photographic Portrait.

Taken by Charles Clifford on 14 November 1861. Victoria recorded in her diary that she had “dressed in evening dress with diadem and jewels” to take this portrait.












 


Queen Victoria with her granddaughter Victoria of Hesse, 1864.  Very full skirt over cage crinoline.
 
Victoria of Hesse, Queen Victoria’s 4th grandchild, was the daughter of Princess Alice.

 Queen Victoria continued to hire photographers, concentrating on her family and on matters of state. The more formal, official photographs were taken by commercial photographers as seen in the stiff formality of the portraits.  However, she still used her favorite photographers for private family photos.



 
Right, circa 1864





Queen Victoria with grandson, the future Wilhem II of Germany as a child, 1864.

A new era of photography began in 1888 when the first roll-film camera was introduced onto the market, opening the door to amateur photographers. Several members of the Royal Family took up the new medium, with Princess Alexandra being the most enthusiastic and talented practitioner. Photography was able once again to invade the privacy of the Royal Family as they themselves were the authors of the photographs. For the first time the camera was now able to take truly informal pictures.   Source  

Left, Alexandra, Victoria's daughter-in-law, the family photographer.  Taken in 1888.   Alexandra was married to Victoria's son Albert Edward, who later became King Edward, VII.

Left, Queen Victoria, 1886.  Age 66.





Right, 1887, the 50th year of her reign 

circa 1895: Queen Victoria (1819 - 1901) with her family, (standing left to right) Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, Prince Henry of Battenberg, Count Arthur Mensdorff-Pouilly, Beatrice, Princess Henry of Battenberg, George, Duke of York; (seated left to right) Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, Queen Victoria, Victoria Mary, Duchess of York holding Prince Edward of York, Prince Arthur of Connaught (hand on chin) and Prince Alexander of Battenberg. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

 

Beautiful colorized photo of  Victoria with Tzar Nicholas of Russia.  Seated on left is Tzarina Alexandra (Victoria's granddaughter) holding Grand Duchess Olga.  Taken at Balmoral 1896

Left colorized 1897


Right, Queen Victoria and the future Edward VIII, aged 2, son of Alexandra and Albert Edward. 1896

We end with my favorite photo of Queen Victoria, relaxed and smiling. 

Submitted by Shenandoah Rose

Queen Elizabeth's Horses and Carriages

The Queen is known for her love of horses.  She started riding at the age of 4.  She can still be spotted on horseback in Windsor Great Park, riding along side her groom Terry Pendry.  While she never rode Daniel - he was her carriage horse - their bond was deep.  She is known for her world's finest working stables.  Daniel was pictured on a Royal mail stamp in 2014. He will live out his days on Horse Trust's 300 acres.  Below, the 92 year old Queen with Terry Pendry.

 

 


Windsor greys have been drawing carriages for the Royal family since the reign of Queen Victoria, even doubling as a postal service, carrying letters between Buckingham Palace and St. James.  The greys were used often and were the Queen's favorites.  The Windsor greys are not a particular breed, but rather any grey that is specifically bred and subsequently selected by the Royals to join the official ranks.

Their selection is based primarily on temperament and appearance, as their singular duty is pulling or accompanying the Queen’s Coach. The horses are saddle trained before they are carriage trained.











The Queen's stables are called "Mews".  This is actually a hawk and falconry term that refers to the time each year when the birds are molting.  Hundreds of years ago the royal family kept their hunting hawks and falcons in the stables to molt, so they started calling the stables the Mews.

The original Mews were demolished in the early 19^th century, and the horses were moved to south of Buckingham Palace, where they remain today. Millions of visitors visit the Mews each year to see the ornate ceremonial carriages, such as the Gold State Coach used in coronations, and the open-top State Landau Coach used in the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011.

 

The Cleveland Bays from Yorkshire, originated some time in the 1600s, and is considered the oldest non-draft English breed.  They are mixtures of English drafts, Spanish andalusians, and much later, thoroughbred and arabian blood was added to make them the slightly taller and leggier carriage horse they are now.  They are only ever true bays in color.





The Queen's Diamond Jubilee stagecoach that has been called a “living time capsule,” made with wood taken from the Tower of London, Henry VII’s warship, Sir Isaac Newton’s apple tree and the door of 10 Downing Street.

The Golden coach was originally built for King George III in 1762.

 1902 State Landau carriage is ridden in frequently, and was used for Prince Charles and Diana's wedding and Prince William and Kate's wedding.

While the horses and carriages may only be used and seen by the world during great ceremonies of pomp and circumstance, the Queen’s Mews continue to be an iconic element of the Royal British image and experience.

Submitted by Misty Rose

Queen Victoria's Christmas Traditions

No other era in history has influenced the way we celebrate Christmas today quite as much as the Victorians.  Before Queen Victoria’s reign started in 1837, no one in Britain had heard of Santa Claus, Christmas trees, Christmas crackers, or Christmas cards.

Father Christmas was originally part of an old English mid winter festival.  He dressed in green and he was the sign of Spring returning.  St. Nicholas or Sinter Klaas became known in Britain as Santa Claus in the 1870s, and his unique gift distribution included reindeer, a red suit and a sleigh.

 

Christmas trees made their debut to Windsor Castle by Prince Albert.  It was a custom in Germany where he was from, to bring in an evergreen tree and decorate it.  The first Christmas tree was a fir tree.  It was put in a big tub with sand and/or rocks - something to hold the tree upright.  Servants and young ladies decorated it.  Decorations included little nets cut out of colored paper.  The nets were filled with sweet meats, golden apples and walnuts.  They were hung hanging down, as if they were grown there.  Red, white and blue candles were fastened to the boughs, and dolls that looked like real people were hung among the foliage.  A tinsel star was placed on top.


Christmas crackers were sweets wrapped in colored paper and later a love note or happy saying was added.  This idea was inspired by Tom Smith, a British sweet maker when he visited Paris and saw sugared almonds sold in twists of colored paper.

Christmas cards originally started in 1843 when Henry Cole asked an artist to make a card for him to send out at Christmas.  It was of a family sitting around a table and included a Christmas message.  The first cards were expensive to print, but during the Victorian era color printing technology made it cheaper for families to give them.  Children were encouraged to make their own cards as well as Queen Victoria’s children.




Before the start of the Victorian era, Christmas was hardly celebrated in Britain.  Families exchanged gifts to celebrate the New Year.

The importance of celebrating Christmas as a family became more popular, gifts were given at Christmas instead.  Children’s toys were generally handmade which meant they were expensive and only the rich received them.  As the factories began to develop mass production, more middle class families were able to receive games, dolls, books and clock work toys.  As Christmas popularity grew, the size and expense of the presents also grew.  Eventually the gifts were placed under the tree versus hanging the gifts on the tree.

In 1840, Christmas dinner for the Queen and family included beef and a royal roasted swan or two.  By the end of the century, most people feasted on turkey for their dinner.

Queen Victoria’s influence during her reign started many of the Christmas traditions we have today.




Submitted by:  Anastasia Rose

Carriage Clocks

The mechanical carriage clock has been around for more than 300 years. Its history began around 1600, when driving in luxuriously equipped carriages began to flourish.

Among demanding watch collectors, the baroque carriage clock is particularly well known.  It gives the impression of a heavily oversized pocket watch. It often weighs more than two pounds and its dial can have a diameter of up to six inches. Due to its size, it is more solid, more accurate, and easier to read than the smaller pocket watch. As a rule, the carriage clock was also protected by a leather or reptile skin-covered case with small holes so as not to dampen the chime too much.

Early carriage clocks had a nice special feature: a string with which the striking mechanism can be activated. This meant that the time could be learned at any time, even in the dark.
The repeating chime then sounds the quarter of an hour and the number of whole hours. There was also an alarm function.

Such carriage clocks, also called saddle or alcove clocks, were carried in closed touring carriages. Some carriages had a hook inside the padded box from which the clock could be hung. However, this was only possible on the “new style” roads. In the eighteenth century, many overland roads were in such poor conditions that the carriages along with the passengers and their luggage were shaken hard.

The preserved carriage clocks of the eighteenth century, many of them were created in Bavaria, are now pure collectors items and cost several thousand dollars. A little cheaper are the so called “carriage clocks” from the time after 1800, which are called carriage clocks, but are actually travel clocks with alarm clocks. Their simple, pretty metal cases were covered with leather for travel.

Some carriage clocks from that time period had a display of the moon and sun phases, which could be triggered with a pressure lever. An alternative to the mechanical clock was the folding sundial with built-in compass.

Watches of English coaches and German course carriages.

The Royal Mail coaches of England were the first in the eighteenth century to depart to the minute and follow the specified timetable. They arrived so precisely that the church clocks of the respective places were set based on them, not vice versa. The guard was equipped with a robust pocket watch, which he carried well protected in his leather shoulder bag. The coachman had to keep checking with the guard about the time on the fast ride in the coach. Contemporary paintings show scenes of the coachman turning back to the guard (or conductor).

Exact time became even more important after 1850 with the disappearance of postal carriage routes due to the new railways. A proper coachmen now had a leather bag which was described like this: two straps, one around the neck, the other around the body, a pocket on the inside to store the travel papers, on the outside a container to be closed with a brass fastener, in which the watch was locked.

Carriage Clocks around 1900
In the nineteenth century, a clock continued to be part of the luxurious interior of a closed carriage. At this time, open carriage were also equipped with them. Another innovation was the use of clocks mounted on the stemming board in special protective housing or on the spray leather so the self-driving whips* and sports ladies could easily read the time.

Overview around 1900, the following types of carriage clocks existed:   

1. Clocks for closed carriages & private coaches mainly as part of the toilet bag attached to the front wall.

2. Clocks in the metal cases for large sport carriages and coaches - on the footboard.

3. Clocks in the leather cases for attaching to the dash leather (dash board).

4. Clocks in fixed cases (set in leather on fabric) on hunting carriages.

Carriage clocks from 1890 to 1920 can sometimes hardly be distinguished from boat clocks and early automobile from the same time period.

Side note: Clock are back on carriages again, this time they are used for timing in a CDE (Combined Driving Events), a Pace drive, or any other timed event in carriage driving competitions.

* “Whip” is the title given to the driver of  someone who is driving their own carriage (as opposed to having a coachman driving drive their carriage).

Timetable bag from around 1900 from the guard of a road coach named "The Venture".  Recessed clock on the back and square key on the front side.

Silver carriage clock with alarm function and periodic chime from around 1736.  Lizard skin case has sound holes and surrounds the 5 inch clock., which weigh approximately 3.3 pounds.

Watch case which can be mounted on the dashboard of a vehicle. A leather case of this type can be reproduced by a bag maker, and a pocket watch of this size is easy to find.







Submitted by Priscilla Rose, aka "Sleigh Gal"

Test your Knowledge: A Queen Victoria Quiz

Think you know all about Queen Victoria?  Try this trivia quiz, created by member Rosita Rose.  Answers are below.  No peeking!

QUESTIONS

1.  When was Victoria born and what was her birth name?               2.  Who are her parents?
3.  When was Victoria the queen?
4.  How did she become queen?
5.  What influence did her mother hold over her?
6.  Who did she marry?
7.  How many children did she have?
8.  When did Prince Albert die?
9.  What disease did Victoria carry?
10  How is Victoria related to Queen Elizabeth?
11. Did Victoria have any male companions after Albert died?

Right, earliest known photo of Victoria taken 1845

ADDITIONAL INTERESTING FACTS

 

*Victoria was barely five feet tall.                                                                                                   
*Victoria was the first monarch to ride a train.
*Victoria proposed to Albert.  He could not propose to her as she was the Queen.
*Victoria started the trend of wearing a white wedding dress. No one else was allowed to wear white at the wedding, and her dress pattern was destroyed so it could not be copied.
*There were six assassination attempts on Victoria's life.
*Victoria spoke several languages: English, German,  French, Italian and Latin.
*Victoria was called "The Grandmother of Europe", as her children married into various European monarchies.  She had 42 grandchildren!
*Victoria was the first monarch to live in Buckingham Palace.

ANSWERS

1.  Victoria was born on May 24, 1819.  Her birth name was Alexandrina Victoria.

2.  Her father was Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, who was the fourth son of King George III.  Her mother was Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

3.  Victoria became queen on June 20, 1837 at the age of 18, and reigned until her death on January 22, 1901. Her coronation took place on June 28, 1838 at Westminster Abbey.

4.  Victoria was born 5th in line:  1.  Grandfather King George died in 1820.  2. Father Duke Edward died in 1820.  3.  Uncle Duke of York George IV died in 1827.   4.  Uncle King William IV died in 1837.   5.  Victoria was crowned in 1837.  She was just 18, and did not require a Regent to rule.

5.   The Regency Act of 1830 made a provision for the Duchess of Kent (Victoria's mother) to act as regent in case the King died while Victoria was still a minor.  King William distrusted the Duchess to be Rregent, and in 1836 he stated that he wanted to live until Victoria's 18th birthday, so that a Regency could be avoided.  The Duchess was very controlling, and between her and her financial advisor John Conroy, schemed to make Victoria look incompetent, so they could take over as Regents.  Victoria was strong and banished him from court, and by the time she married Albert, they had no further control over her.

6.  Victoria married Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,  her first cousin, who was the son of her uncle Leopold, her mother's brother.  The were married February 10, 1840.  They were both 20 years old.  Painting:  Marriage of Victoria and Albert, by George Hayter.

7.  Victoria and Albert had nine children:

i. Victoria, Princess Royal.  ii.  Edward VII, Prince of Wales, who became her successor.  

iii. Princess Alice.  iv. Prince Alfred  v. Princess Helena vi. Princess Louise vii. Prince Arthur

viii. Prince Leopold  ix.  Princess Beatrice.

1946 Family painting showing Prince Alfred, Prince Edward, The Queen and Prince Albert; Princesses Alice, Helena and Victoria.

8.  Prince Albert died December 14, 1861 of typhoid fever. Victoria entered a state of mourning and wore black for the rest of her life. She mourned him for 40 years.  She avoided public appearances, and rarely set foot in London in the following years. She earned the nickname "Widow of Windsor".

9. Victoria was a carrier of Hemophilia, a blood clotting disorder that is passed along maternal lines, also known as the Royal Curse.  Two of her five daughters (Alice and Beatrice) were also carriers, and her son Prince Leopold suffered from it.  Her most famous descendant with the disease was Alexei Nikolaevich, son of Czar Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia.  (Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine at birth, and granddaughter of Queen Victoria, whose mother was Princess Alice).  The entire Russian family was executed in 1917 during the revolution.

10.  Victoria is Queen Elizabeth's great great grandmother:
       Queen Victoria - Edward VII - George V - George VI - Elizabeth

11.  In the 1860s, Victoria relied on a servant from Scotland, Mr. John Brown. There were rumors of a romantic connection and the Queen was referred to as "Mrs. Brown" The story of their relationship was made into a movie in 1997 called "Mrs. Brown". 

In 1887, she became friends with another servant, Abdul Karim.  He was accused by the public of spying on the British, but the Queen did not believe these rumors. He remained in her service until her death in 1901, when he returned to India.  There was also a movie made about this relationship in 2017, called "Victoria and Abdul".