Scarce Late 19Thc Convict Watchman’S Bronze Alarm Bell C.1890

The well-preserved nineteenth century bronze alarm bell having a flared body crisply struck to the front with the Broad Arrow ordnance mark denoting government property, the whole retaining a pleasing, time-worn patina and having its original turned wooden handle with good colour and handling wear.

The condition of the bell is good and operative (see video), with its honest utilitarian casting, deep tone and uncleaned surface with a beautifully mellow handle and verdigris to the bronze.

These heavy hand bells formed part of the infrastructure of the nineteenth century British penal and policing system. Issued as government property, indicated by the Broad Arrow ordnance mark, they were used by prison warders, night watchmen and institutional officers to raise the alarm, summon assistance or signal emergencies within gaols, workhouses and convict establishments. Their form prioritised durability and audibility: a thick-walled bronze bell producing a deep, carrying tone, combined with a robust turned wooden handle suited to constant use.

Whilst manufactured within the British ordnance supply system, many examples were transported throughout the Empire, most notably to Australia, where the scale of the colonial convict system ensured their survival in greater numbers. As a result, closely comparable bells are now most often recorded in Australian “Convict Relics” sales. Surviving examples such as this one are evocative remnants of institutional authority and control, objects that once punctuated the daily rhythm of confinement, labour and surveillance in the nineteenth century.

A tactile and evocative object from the shadowy edges of nineteenth century institutional life.