IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR RINGING BELLS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Wright Jones, of Pendleton, in the County of
Lancaster, Brass and Iron Founder, for the Invention of " IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR RINGING BELLS."
Sealed the 26th October 1858, and dated the 26th April 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Wright Jones at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th April 1858.
I, WRIGHT JONES, of Pendleton, in the County of Lancaster, Brass and
Iron Founder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVED MACHINERY FOR RINGING BELLS," to be as follows:-
My Invention is principally applicable to those bells employed in the turrets
of churches, &c., but it may also be adapted for the purpose of eliciting sound
from bells employed for other purposes. The bells to be operated upon are
to be mounted or hung in a suitable framing, and each provided with a cranked
lever, terminating in a weight forming the striking hammer. These hammers
are in connection with a corresponding series and number of levers, by means
of cords or chains passing over conveniently placed pulleys, the weight of the
hammers being counterbalanced by metallic, india-rubber, or other springs, to
retain the levers in a horizontal position. The machinery or apparatus for

page_text: actuating these levers and lifting the hammers, consists in an arrangement of
pinion gearing which gives motion to any desired number of rods or rollers,
which may be mounted in a rotating frame, upon which certain tappets are
arranged to act upon the levers. This revolving frame is governed by a ratchet
and ratchet wheel, so that any tappet roller may be brought into gear with the
levers, according to the "service peal," "change," or combination of bells
required. The driving toothed wheel may either be actuated by a winch
handle or otherwise.; it will also be evident that the depression of the levers by
the tappets will lift the hammers, and when the levers are released by the revo-
Jution of the tappet roller, the weight of the hammer will bring it into contact
with the bell, and the sound will thereby be produced as required by self-acting
means; or in adapting this arrangement to ringing smaller bells as a musical
instrument, an ordinary organ or pianoforte "key board" may be used, and
actuated by the finger of the performer in place of the "tappet" barrels
above named.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Wright Jones in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th
October 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WRIGHT
JONES, of Pendleton, in the County of Lancaster, Brass and Iron Founder,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Wright Jones, Her especial license that I, the said Wright
Jones, ny executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Wright Jones, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY
FOR RINGING BELLS," upon the condition, amongst others, that I, the said
Wright Jones, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed

page_text: in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Wright Jones, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment, and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
".
My Invention is principally applicable to those bells employed in the turrets
of churches, &c., but it may also be adapted for the purpose of eliciting sound
from bells employed for other purposes. The bells to be operated upon are to
be mounted or hung in a suitable framing, and each provided with a cranked
lever, terminating in a weight forming the striking hammer "or clapper;"
these hammers are in connection with a corresponding series and number of
levers, by means of cords, chains, or wires passing over conveniently placed
pulleys, the weight of the hammers being counterbalanced by metallic, india-
rubber, or other springs, to retain the levers in a horizontal position. The.
machinery or apparatus for actuating these levers, and lifting the hammers or
'clappers," consists in an arrangement of pinion gearing which gives motion
to any desired number of rollers or shafts mounted in a rotating frame, and
upon which certain tappets are arranged to act upon the levers. This revolving
frame is governed by a ratchet and ratchet wheel or division wheel and catch,"
so that any tappet shaft mounted therein, may be brought into gear with the
levers according to the "service" peal, "change," or combination of bells
required. The driving toothed wheel may be actuated by a winch handle or
otherwise; it will also be evident that the depression of the levers by the
tappets will lift the hammers or "clappers," and when the levers are released
by the revolution of the tappet shaft, the weight of the hammer will bring it
into contact with the bell, and the sound will thereby be produced as required
by self-acting means; or in adapting this arrangement to ringing smaller bells
as a musical instrument, an ordinary organ or pianoforte "key board"
used, and actuated by the fingers of the performer, in place of the "tappet"
barrels above named.
may be
In order that the Invention may be better understood and explained in
detail, I have hereunto annexed two Sheets of Drawings made upon a scale
of about two inches to a foot, having similar letters of reference marked upon
corresponding parts of the apparatus.
In Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is an end view of the apparatus as arranged for three
changes of peals, shewing the rotating frame in which the three shafts are
mounted, and the connection between the apparatus and a bell in the turret
or belfry; Fig. 2 is a view of the opposite end of the apparatus, having a

page_text: portion of the framing removed to shew the arrangement of tappets, and their
action upon the levers; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same, also shewing the
tappets and levers.
Sheet 2 is illustrative of another arrangement or modification of the same
apparatus as shewn in Sheet 1.
In Sheet 2, Fig. 1, is and end view of the
apparatus, shewing its connection with a bell as used when the bell is struck
by a hammer or "clapper" inside; this figure also shews the manner of applying
the apparatus to a swing bell as hitherto rung by a rope passing round its
pulley, which is effected by securing the bell in the horizontal position, and
actuating the hammer or "clapper" within; Fig. 2 is a view of the opposite
end of the apparatus, having a part of the framing removed; and Fig. 3 is a
plan view of the same. In Fig. 1, Sheet 1, a, a, is the framing of the apparatus
supporting the central shaft b, upon which the circular framing c rotates;
d, d, da, ds, are the shafts supported in the circular framing, and upon which
the tappets e, e, e, e, are secured; f, f. f, are the toothed wheels driving such
shafts when in connection with the driving handle (or other power) by the inter-
mediate pinion g. The tappets upon the shafts d', d, are as arranged to ring
eight bells, for which purpose there are sixteen tappets which ring the series
of bells twice in one revolution of the shafts; between the sixteenth tappet and
the first, there is a space corresponding in width to one tappet, which causes a
slight dwell at the termination of every second " peal;" the tappets on the
shaft d³ are placed in a line so as to strike all the bells simultaneously, termed
a shooting peal. The handle h gives motion to the pinion g, which moves
any of the wheels which may be placed in gear with it, and thus cause the
tappets to strike the levers i, i, i, which draw or pull the rods or wires k, k, k,
and thereby lift the hammers or clappers" 1, 1, 1, and when the tappets
release the levers, the hammers or "clappers" fall upon or strike the bells as
required. The rotating framing c is retained in its position by means of the
catch m taking into recesses in its periphery.
66
In Fig, 1, Sheet 2, a, a, is the framing in which the shaft 6 has bearings;
upon this shaft is the handle c bearing the winch or driving handle d, and
e, e, es, are toothed wheels and their shafts, each driving one of a series of
wheels fff, when placed in gear with the pinion g, which is lifted into gear
by the handle c, and retained by the spring handle h. In this arrangement
there are three large toothed wheels f, and their pinion f¹, to each of the
levers i, i, (as seen in Fig. 3,) and each wheel fis provided with two tappets
(formed as shewn in Fig. 2), so that the pinions upon each shaft when in
gear with the pinion g, cause the revolution of one toothed wheel in every
series, and cause their tappets to strike the levers i, i, and lifting the hammer

page_text: or clapper k within the bell, effect the striking or sounding of the bell when the
hammer or "clapper" falls thereupon, as explained in Sheet 1. I would here
remark that the number of shafts may be extended so as to produce more
changes, each additional shaft requiring its own individual set of pinion
toothed wheels, and tappets.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, together with the
method of performing the same, I wish it to be distinctly understood that
I claim the novel application, employment, and use of the "Improved
Machinery for Ringing Bells," as herein-before described, set forth, and fully
exhibited in the Drawings annexed, or any other modification or arrange-
ment of the same, which may be capable of producing a similar result.
In witness whereof, I, the said Wright Jones, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
WRIGHT JONES. (L.S.)