[Bell Historians] McShane bells in the British Isles

[Carl S Zimmerman]

Thanks to Chris and Andrew for their very informative replies.  It is 
very interesting to see an American bell described in British 
bell-hanging terminology!

The description of the bell at St.Anne's as having a "button head" is 
perhaps not quite accurate.  As the sketch of the former Heaton 
Norris bell indicates, McShane bells have a conical neck, which fits 
into a conical socket in the cast-iron yoke (stock).  There is a 
single center bolt.  The intent of this patented design was to permit 
the bell to be rotated on its axis with relative ease, thus 
presenting a fresh striking surface to the clapper.  (The 
Meneely/Troy bellfoundry used a similar design.)  In practice, such 
rotation of bells was not common, but neither was it rare.

Carl


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At 07:24 +0000 08/11/24, Chris Pickford wrote:
>The Birmingham bell is certainly still there (and I think it may 
>have been mentioned previously on this list; Christopher Dalton 
>certainly referred to it in an account for the Ringing World of our 
>"day out" in Birmingham when we got up to this bell). Details are: 
><snip>
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At 11:10 +0000 08/11/25, Andrew Higson wrote:
>Details of [the Heaton Norris] bell from JT records:  <snip>
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