027 Hawksley Bell (Special Edition)

Whistory

The bell whistle has been somewhat unique in and of itself. With a circumferential window edge (see SPOTLIGHT 111) it looks more like a small steam whistle. For the longest time, these were only known to be made by Stevens and designed by Richard Porteous. They have been very rare. This has made study of them scanty, however more and more have surfaced. Now Hawksley can be reviewed. 

How Rare Is This Hawksley Bell Whistle?

This mono-typical bell whistle has come to light as of this writing (2020). Interestingly here is a whistle maker of fine whistles from Sheffield UK, not known for any bell whistles. We are normally used to seeing fine whistles from the UK out of Birmingham or Glasgow, however Sheffield makes another mark outside of there and there were some fine whistle makers based there.

Unfortunately, the mouthpiece was missing, so one was made for this whistle out of tagua nut, a substitute for ivory. 

Progressively, bell whistles by different manufacturers have come to light over the years. This has led to better and better comparison and model research. 

This manufacturer typically produced arms and accoutrements. Not as commonly known are the whistles manufactured of exceptionally fine quality, such as tube shaped, extractors and perhaps others yet unidentified, with round whistles found attached to their extractors. 

What Identifies Hawksley as the Maker?

Now we are presented with a bell whistle of exceptionally fine quality. Fortunately, it is stamped.  

What makes it especially important is the maker and the type of bell.  

Whistle Classification

Typebell
MakerG. & J. W. Hawksley
Categoryhunting
Materialnickel silver
Features

Whistle Archeology

No catalogs or advertisements feature a bell whistle by Hawksley. Most are known to have been pioneered by Richard Porteous and manufactured by J. Stevens and Son circa 1840s 

A snippet from the 1st edition Dog training (breaking) 1848 book, states that Porteous had already designed an ‘acorn’ or bell whistle. 

Whistology

Side by side pictures reveal the stamp and unfinished as well as the finished whistle. It is higher pitched than Stevens bells. 

Unlike other bell whistles, it is made of nickel-silver in all its parts. 

The mouthpiece was lost or broken, so we had a replacement made. Since no catalog or other references revealed that Hawksley ever made bells, we had to design one making a composite form like existing Stevens’s mouthpieces. 

Bell whistles were originally designed by Richard Porteous (circa 1840s) and manufactured by Stevens and Son company. Evidence shows that others were manufactured in or at least came through France.  

No other sources have been found until this date, so this is a remarkable discovery. As of the 2020 revision another mono-typical bell from the USA has surfaced – see SPOTLIGHT 33. 

Hawksley bell whistle overview showing nickel silver construction and bell form, unfinished and finished views

Hawksley bell whistle side view showing bell housing profile and top loop assembly

Here is a comparison study side by side with one by Stevens and Son 

Hawksley bell whistle compared side by side with a Stevens and Son bell whistle for size and design differences

Hawksley bell whistle close-up showing bell housing fit and shaft alignment

Hawksley bell whistle detail showing nickel silver finish and mouthpiece area with replacement mouthpiece

The nickel silver is of the highest quality. It makes sense as Hawksley already manufactured powder flasks, brandy flasks, hunting loading equipment, and were accomplished whistle makers and designers. 

Here the top Hawksley bell house itself does not screw on like Stevens does but merely slides over the shaft and the top loop screws down tightening the bell in the process. 

Hawksley bell whistle top loop and bell housing detail showing slide-over bell designHawksley bell whistle shaft comparison detail showing tapered shaft and top shunt area

Hawksley bell whistle shaft and bell assembly comparison showing overall proportions and construction

The shafts are close in overall design, minus the shunt at the top for the bell. There is some knurling to the brass Stevens shaft. And as you can see comparatively the Hawksley shaft is tapered somewhat.  

Although slightly smaller the overall design follows.  

Stevens was primarily aimed at the railway by this time of manufacture and Hawksley’s company had focused on hunting. So, was the bell here for hunters? 

The following provides a front to back and back to front look to get a real view of Hawksley’s minor variation. 

Then we will take another look at all the pieces and a closeup of the manufacturer’s stamp.

Hawksley bell whistle front view showing bell opening and shaft profileHawksley bell whistle rear view showing bell housing and loop attachment from the opposite side

Hawksley bell whistle disassembled parts layout showing bell housing, shaft, loop, and mouthpiece components

A closer look at the stamp.

Hawksley bell whistle maker’s stamp close-up showing G. & J. W. Hawksley marking

Conclusions

A newly described bell whistle by a previously unknown manufacturer of bells,  widens our scope of knowledge about bell whistle makers. As for this revision there are now at least 7 known manufacturers.   

TWG

Posted November 15, 2013
Revised September 14, 2020
Revision October 11, 2020
Revised February 12, 2021
Revised December 31, 2021
Revised June 19, 2022
Revised December 4, 2025
Revised July 16, 2026

Bibliography:

  • TWG Reference Collection
  • The Whistle Gallery Archives
  • More Whistles, Martyn Gilchrist, 2005.
  • Catalog: Hawksley, 1928
  • Catalog: Hawksley, data unknown
  • Brochure: Hudson Centennial
  • Catalog: Hudson, 1935

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