Singletons - was baldricks

[La Greenall]

Since you all managed to explain what a baldrick was so eloquently, I
wonder if I might ask for a similar explanation of the term 'singleton'
(and 'doubleton') in relation to church bells, or possibly metalworking.
I have to admit that I haven't yet acquired a copy of Trevor Jenning's
"The Development of British Bell Fittings" - but I do intend to. In the
mean time, here's two 17th century extracts from the churchwardens'
minutes for Waltham Abbey which both refer to 'singletons' probably as
some form of ironwork:


Paid to John Kemp [the smith] as followeth for the second bell: for six
Stirops and fower ears - 0-2-6; two Staples single tons & Spikes -
0-1-8; two Iorn hoops two gugins & sixpeny nailes - 0-1-2; the Stock for
the bell & Grab boxes - 0-0-8; for nailles to mend the treble & fourth
bell whels & Cords for the same - 0-1-0; the Carpenters worke for the
same bell & the other two bells - 0-3-0.

Paid for [a] thousand of Lath naylles and for dublle and singlle tens -
0-1-10.


The most comprehensive description of 'singleton' I could find was on
the Wikipedia site (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singleton) but it
doesn't have anything that can help in this context.

Any thoughts gratefully received! 


Lawrence Greenall,
Waltham Abbey Hist Soc.

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