A barrel is a dry and liquid measurement that varies with substance. A barrel of beef or pork was equal to 200 lbs, a barrel of butter varied from 106 to 256 lbs, a barrel of flour from 196 to 228 lbs, a barrel of gunpowder was 100 lbs, a barrel of raisins was 112 lbs, a barrel of soft soap was 256 lbs, a barrel of candles in 1888 was equivalent to 120 lbs, a barrel of beer is two kilderkins or 36 gallons. Research Barrel
A bell is a hollow, somewhat cup-shaped, sounding instrument of metal. The metal from which bells are usually made (by founding) is an alloy, called bell-metal, commonly composed of eighty parts of copper and twenty of tin. The proportion of tin varies, however, from one-third to one-fifth of the weight of the copper, according to the sound required, the size of the bell, and the impulse to be given. The clearness and richness of the tone depend upon the metal used, the perfection of its casting, and also upon its shape; it having been shown by a number of experiments that the well-known shape with a thick lip is the best adapted to give a perfect sound. The depth of the tone of a bell increases in proportion to its size.
A bell is divided into the body or barrel, the ear or cannon, and the clapper or tongue. The lip or sound-bow is that part where the bell is struck by the clapper. It is uncertain whether the jangling instruments used by the Egyptians and Israelites can be correctly described as bells; but it is certain that bells of a considerable size were in early use in China and Japan, and that the Greeks and Romans used them for various purposes. They are said to have been first introduced into Christian churches about 400 AD by Paulinus, bishop of Nola, in Campania (whence campana and nola as old names of bells); although their adoption on a wide scale does not become apparent until after the year 550, when they were introduced into France.
Benedict Biscop, abbot of Wearmouth, seems to have imported bells from Italy to England in 680, but their use in Ireland and Scotland is probably of earlier date. The oldest of those existing in Great Britain and Ireland, such as the 'bell of St. Patrick's will' and St Ninian's bell, are quadrangular and made of thin iron plates hammered and riveted together.
Until the thirteenth century bells were of comparatively small size, but after the casting of the Jacqueline of Paris (6.5 tons) in 1400 their weight rapidly increased. Among the more famous bells are the bell of Cologne, 11. tons, 1448; of Dantzic, 6 tons, 1453; of Halberstadt, 7.5, 1457; of Rouen, 16, 1501; of Breslau, 11, 1507; of Lucerne, 71, 1636; of Oxford,7.5 1680; of Paris, 12.8, 1680; of Bruges, 10.5, 1680; of Vienna, 17.75, 1711; of Moscow (the monarch of all bells), 193, 1736; three other bells at Moscow ranging from 16 to 31 tons, and a fourth of 80 tons cast in 1819; the bell of Lincoln (Great Tom), 5.5, 1834; of YorkMinster (Great Peter), 10.75, 1845; of Montreal, 134, 1847; of Westminster (Big Ben), 15.5, 1856, (St Stephen), 13.5, 1858; the Great Bell of St. Paul's, 17.5, 1882. Others are the bells of Ghent (5 tons), Gorlitz (10.75 tons), St Peter's, Rome (8 tons), Antwerp (7.25 tons), Olmutz (18 tons), Sacred Heart, Paris (27 tons), Novgorod (31 tons), Pekin (53.5 tons).
Besides their use in churches bells are employed for various purposes, formerly the most common use being to summon attendants or domestics in private houses, hotels, etc. Bells for this purpose were of small size and may be held in the hand and rung, but most commonly were rung by means of wires stretched from the various apartments to the place where the bells were hung. Bells rung by electricity became common in hotels and other establishments around 1905.
The Bread Riots were a series of riots that took place in New York during the financial panic of 1837 which saw prices rise enormously. Rents were exorbitant and flour was twelve dollars a barrel. During February and March the poor of New York held frequent riotous meetings which culminated in violent assaults upon flour warehouses, on several instances the warehouses being opened and the crowd helping themselves. The disturbances were quelled by militia. Research Bread Riots
A cran was a British measure used for herrings being the number of herrings as fill a barrel. In 1816 the cran was fixed at 42 gallons and in 1832 at 45 gallons and finally in 1852 it was fixed at 37.5 imperial gallons. Research Cran
In the American political campaign of 1840 the Whigcandidate, Harrison, was a military man of plain manners. One of the Democratic papers, scoffing at the Whigs for taking a candidate not of the first calibre, advised that Harrison be given a log cabin and a barrel of hard cider, and he would stay contentedly in Ohio. This was taken up by the Whigs as a slogan, and really helped to make their candidate popular with the masses. Log cabins were erected in great numbers in the cities, and were carried in processions, accompanied with barrels of cider. Research Log Cabin and Hard Cider
The tun was a measure of liquid capacity containing 252 gallons of wine. The name tun was also given to a barrel with a caapcity for 2000 pounds of water. A tun of sweet oil was 236 gallons.
Tun was an old term for any drinking vessel, whether a cup or a goblet. Research Tun
The Green Woodpecker (Picus virdis) is a large, pale, bright coloured bird of the Woodpecker family Picidae, natural order Piciformes. The Green Woodpecker has a cylindrical, barrel-shaped body with pale green, brownish plumage and a striking yellow rump and a red cap to the top of its head. The Green Woodpecker spends most of its time on the ground feeding on ants, ant eggs and larvae. The Green Woodpecker nests in a large hole in a tree, and is to be found near woodlands, feeding in grassy clearings before flying back to the trees when danger approaches. Green Woodpeckers are found in England, Wales and across Europe, but are absent from Scotland, Ireland and Scandinavia except the southern parts. Research Green Woodpecker More pictures of Green Woodpecker
The Botocudos (called by themselves Nac-nanuk) are (were?) a tribe of Eastern Brazil. They were savagely exterminated by early Portuguese settlers who didn't approve of their cannibalism and strange customs, and in 1900 less than 15,000 remained, further reduced by 1904 to between 12,000 and 14,000. The Botocudos were described as very similar in appearance to the Mongolian people of Siberia, having round, flat features, a small nose and oblique eyes, lank, black coloured hair and a brown-yellowish complexion. They were noted for wearing round wooden disks as lip and ear ornaments from which they were given their Portuguese name or barrel plugs. Their language was said to not have any word for any number beyond one, containing a word for the number two which translated as much or many. A treatise about the Botocudos was published in 1883 by A H Keane entitled 'On The Botocudos'. Research Botocudos
Edward V was a King of England. He was born in 1470 and died in 1483. Edward V was the eldest son of Edward IV and reigned from April to June 1483, but was a minor, and his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was made Protector. Richard had been loyal throughout to his brother Edward IV including the events of 1470 to 1471, Edward's exile and their brother's rebellion (George Clarence, the Duke of Clarence, who was executed in 1478 by drowning, supposedly in a barrel of Malmseywine). However, he was suspicious of the Woodville faction, possibly believing they were the cause of George Clarence's death. In response to an attempt by ElizabethWoodville to take power, Richard and Edward V entered London in May, with Edward's coronation fixed for 22 June. However, in mid-June Richard assumed the throne as Richard III. Edward V and his younger brother Richard were declared illegitimate, taken to the Royal apartments at the Tower of London which was then a Royal residence, and never seen again. Research Edward V
Brandon Lee was an actor. He was born in 1964 at Oakland, California and died in 1992. A martial arts expert, trained by his father Bruce Lee, Brandon Lee always wanted to be an actor, and first appeared in the 1986 television film 'Kung Fu', and his feature film debut in 1988 in the Hong Kong produced film 'Legacy of Rage'. He was killed in a freak accident while making the film 'The Crow'. A prop bulletlodged in the barrel of a gun was propelled out by the firing of a blankcartridge only to strike Brandon Lee who died several hours later in hospital. Research Brandon Lee
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Barrel
