Rattles came into use sometime in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century when night watchmen and/or village constables began using them to "raise the alarm". They proved to be an ideal method to summon aid, sound the fire alarm, or, just generally get folks attention. 
A traditional rattle was constructed of wood, usually oak, where one or two blades are held in a frame and a ratchet turned - generally by swinging - to make the blades `snap' thus creating a very loud noise.
When the Metropolitan Police was formed in 1829 the rattle was a standard piece of equipment issued to each constable. Made to fit in a special uniform pocket, this rattle was one-bladed and had a folding handle. It was weighted with two lead plugs to make it swing easier and this also made it become a formidable weapon if necessary.
Rattles were used by police forces, fire brigades, and military units across the British empire up through WWI. In 1883 the Metropolitan Police conducted tests and found that the sound from a whistle carried almost twice the distance of a rattle's noise. In 1884 whistles were issued in place of rattles and by 1887 all rattles had been withdrawn from use by the Met.
Many police forces marked their equipment, including rattles, by stamping initials and/or numbers into the body or the handle of the piece … that brings us to the little mystery surrounding the specimen rattle featured on this page.
PHOTO ONE shows Side One of the rattle while folded and it's two markings …. first, at the top-middle of the frame is "FIELD 59 LEMAN St E" then, on the bottom-right of the frame is stamped, "POLICE". Parker, Field & Sons was a very prominent firm of truncheon & rattle manufacturers during the Victorian period; they were located at 59 Leman Street from 1877 to 1883.
PHOTO TWO shows Side One of the rattle with the handle extended.
PHOTO THREE shows Side Two of the rattle while folded … notice the two lead weights at the bottom of the frame.
PHOTO FOUR shows Side Two of the rattle with the handle extended.
PHOTO FIVE is a close up view of the markings on Side Two of the rattle … and, herein lies our "little mystery". There appear to be two different sets of markings … first, on the handle and above the weights is stamped "W^D" which means "War Department" … and then, just above and within the weights is stamped "R" above "296". I believe the two sets are separate because the "W^D" was done with a smaller die-stamp tool than the other markings. The "R 296" probably means "R" Division of the Metropolitan Police and inventory number "296".
Perhaps this rattle was first used for police duty in the 1870's -1880's and was then retired away to some government warehouse. Then, at some later time, it was re-issued to the War Department for military use during one of the Empire's wars of that period … maybe the Boer War, or even as late as WWI when rattles were used to alert folks of Zeppelin attacks. If anyone can provide information about this "mystery," please contact the author at rattle@constabulary.com .
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