Crotal bells (Greek 'crotalon' –castanet or rattle) are various types of small bells or rattles. They were produced in variouspre-Columbian cultures of the Americas. In Europe they were probably made from before theearly Middle Ages; though many founders cast bells of this type, the Robert Wellsbell foundry ofAldbourne, Wiltshire, produced the largest range. The first medieval designs came in two separate halves into which a metal pea was introduced and the two halves were then soldered or crimped together. Somewhere around 1400 they were cast in a single piece with a ball of metal inside.[1]
Crotal bells, also known as rumble bells, were used onhorse-drawn vehicles beforemotor vehicles were common. They were often made ofbronze with a slot cut down the side. These bells were used to warn other users of horse-drawn vehicles (mostly on country roads) that another vehicle was approaching. On smaller vehicles, they were hung on a small leather-and-iron harness bracket above the horse's collar; on larger vehicles, such as delivery wagons, they were driven into the wooden frame of the wagon.
A different form of crotal is found inPrehistoric Ireland. TheNational Museum of Ireland and theBritish Museum have several examples on display dating from the lateBronze Age which were found in theDowris Hoard, alongside various brass wind instruments. These are bronze cylinders in the rough shape of a teardrop, with a piece of baked clay or a pebble inside. It is presumed that they functioned as a type of rattle. The hoard had 48 of them in total, in two sizes. Only two other examples are known, both Irish.[2]
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