Antique 5 Mounted Horse Bell Chiantel Fondeur Siagnelegier 1878 Sleigh Wagon

Conestoga Horse 5 Mounted Bells Conestoga Wagon Sleigh Beautiful Tone. I was not very knowledgeable about these impressive old bells.

I did find the below info which I assume is correct. The hanger and the nuts holding them on however are rusty. I did a quick clean on them, but if you spent time and really polished them up, they would be gorgeous. Five Mounted Bells with beautiful tone. "Chiantel Fondeur Siagnelegier" 1878 (more info below on this bell).

Unsure of maker of the other four bells. Weighs 5 lbs 14 oz. Metal holder and nuts/bolts show rust.

Wire wrapped around two bells is rusty. Color may vary slightly from what you see on your screen.

I found this interesting history information. Saignelegier is a town in Switzerland, Chiantel is the name of the company which produced the bell. Fondeur means foundry (It is a French word). Guessing the 1878 is the date the foundry was created.

They were reproduced in the United States by Bevin Bros. The original bells are heavier than the reproductions and the bas relief is deeper. Brass bells have a steel clapper hung on a wire. By "Chiantel Fondeur Siagnelegier" 1878.

Chiantel (actually Chiantello), cast bells in his foundry at Saignelegier about 1875 assisted by another bell-caster named Barinotto. Both men were Italian or Savoyard in origin at a place in France near Doubs and not in Switzerland.

The best bells were made of bronze or brass and it is known that some of the bells were made of silver. They were used to a great extent in connection with horsedrawn sleighs and wagons. An article by Jack Jamieson mentioned that Mr. Chiantel cast bells in his foundry at Saignelegier (Switzerland).

Chiantel later moved to France, where his family carried on the bell business. It is not known how these bells found their way to America but many have shown up in Canada, and a fewer number in the U. It is a bell that would be used in conjunction with a horse-drawn cutter (sleigh).

CHIANTEL FONDEUR on one side and 1878 SAIGNELEGIER on the other. Decorated with crosses and flowers. Unsure if cast brass or bronze. Conestoga horse wagon bells from 1830 - 1850 features 5 brass bells with iron clappers.

Bells are attached to curved iron strap with pointed iron prongs at the bottom that fit into the harness of one of the horses. Conestoga wagons were pulled by a special breed of draft horses called Conestogas. These large horses measured sixteen to seventeen hands at the withers and weighed 1,800 pounds or more. It took six horses to pull a Conestoga wagon.

Each horse wore a set of bells hanging from an arch that was attached to its harness. Usually the horses in the front had five bells, the middle horses wore four, and those next to the wagon wore three bells. These bells announced that the team was coming and that people and cattle should get out of the way. What the horn is to the car today, the bells were to the wagon.

A Keppel Township man, Allan S. According to law in the winter, when you were using horse-drawn vehicles of any kind, you had to have bells on the horses so you could be heard approaching. With steel-tired wagons and buggies, this was not necessary in the summer. There were several types of bells. Some were small bells and were attached to a strap and went around the horse's middle.

One kind was fastened to the cutter shafts. Most of the bells used on the work teams were nice sounding. Some would have several bells on a team and would choose them so that the different tones would blend and make a pleasing sound. Even at night if you couldn't see a sleigh or cutter approaching, you knew who it was by the sound of the bells. Also check out my store for more.