Canons
Often referred to as 'crowns', the canons are the loops on top of the bell that were designed to strap the bell to its headstock. Around the early 1900s, bell foundries began to cease the use of canons, and cast the top of the bell flat, bolding the bell directly to a metal headstock with a spacer in-between. Prior to this, it was traditional for headstocks to be made of elm wood. At the centre of the canons is a much larger loop of metal known as the argent.
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Type
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Examples
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Button
These are somewhat uncommon, although, they are found on almost every single bell by Naylor Vickers & Co, a foundry from Sheffield who cast bells made for steel, many of which have been scrapped. The generally consist of a set of 4 legs with a circular plate on the top. All 5 of the bells in The Elizabeth Tower, including Big Ben, have a button canon with a cylindrical centre instead. |
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Conventional
These are the most commonly found type of canons. They consist of 6 loops, 4 facing one way, and the other two facing the other. The traditional way of hanging these is to have the pair of loops facing the direction of swing, and then having the 4 loops facing the direction of swing after it's been quarter-turned. |
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Doncaster
These started to come into fashion around the mid 1800s, and lasted through to the last decade of the 1900s. Some founders, like Whitechapel, did continue using them as late as the first quarter of the 20th century. Their benefit is that they're easy to design, and that it's easier to quarter turn bells since you can re-use the same fittings if their in good condition. Stylistically, they are square in section, and generally quite squat. Mears & Stainbank adopted a more rounded design. See right for a photo of the outer mould showing the negative space for a Doncaster canon. |
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Flat
As the name implies, this is where the bell is cast without canons, and is simply bolted directly to the headstock with a spacer. The bell is cast flat on top. |
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Peg argent
These contain no canons, and are simply just a rectangular, or semi-circular piece of metal on the top of the bell. There are the easiest to design, allowing the bell to be bolted directly to the headstock with a single bolt. They're also found most widely on smaller bells up to around 16". |
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