Bobbin winder
Category
Wooden objects
Date
c. 1840
Materials
Wood
Measurements
135 mm (H)150 mm (D)
Order this imageCollection
A La Ronde, Devon
NT 1312587
Summary
Bobbin winder, netting machine, or lazy kate.
Full description
The use of this item is unclear, it is thought that it may have been used to make netting, as a bobbin winder or as a small upright lazy kate. It is of two tiers. The single, upper extended bobbin is held horizontally over a lower tier currently holding two bobbins or reels with space for a third. The upper is rotated by use of an arm with small, turned wood handle. The lower bobbins are loose, held on an iron pin. The frame is of wood with iron pin and handle. The weighted base is unusual, an upturned dome, the flat side supporting the frame of the device, the convex surface presumably rested on a table or was perhaps held in the user’s lap or a basket. The two supporting sides of the frame are designed as decorative columns topped with elegant turned finials. Fine holes pierce the collar of the base and the shank of the upper bobbin, their use unclear but those on the bobbin are likely to have held the beginnings of the thread as winding began. It is likely that some parts are now missing thus making identification more difficult. How does it work? We do not have an exact parallel for this item nor information about exactly who used it or how. Identification and understanding are therefore based on similar examples drawn from elsewhere and others that remain in use by spinners today. It may be identified as a bobbin winder, netting machine, a small scale lazy kate, or was perhaps a multi-functional item, useful for several similar textile crafts. The reel on the upper tier could have been used to pull threads up from those on the lower pin. In this way two or three threads would be plied together. Alternatively, the bobbins could have held thread that was pulled away and plied together by the user in another method. The weight of the object, and its size, suggests that it would have been for very light materials and that the user would have both held the fibre or threads and turned the handle themselves. The small scale and delicacy of design suggest that it was used for finer threads, perhaps linen or silk. It may have been connected to lace making, a craft with strong Devon traditions for which nearby Honiton and Branscombe were renowned or used for making netting. Equally possible is that it was used for embroidery silks. The family had some Huguenot antecedents, a group well known for skilled silk work. An unfinished quilt is held in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London that is thought may be an example of earlier Parminter family work (accession number T.381-1970). Bobbin winders can be very simple and functional, rustic or highly decorated, and often reflect the traditions of the place and culture in which they were made. For those known as a lazy kate, the most frequent design is a vertical or slanted frame with the bobbins set one above the other, they are also found as an arch with the bobbins held across the bridge. Although there are many varieties in design all essentially provide for the mounting of several bobbins or reels from which threads are rapidly pulled off and plied together to make a thicker and stronger yarn. The lazy kate usually includes an element to create tension, ensuring that the bobbin does not overrun and avoids tangles. They vary from very simple to carved and ornate. Some are set into a wooden ‘basket’ or cradle that serves as a holder for the necessary balls of wool or other yarns. The top of the frame is itself often arched, the wear patterns on some examples indicating that the arch was used for carrying. The A la Ronde example is certainly portable in terms of scale. Its concave, weighted base suggests that it could have sat at some distance from the user on the floor or a table, in their own lap, or that of a companion who would have steadied the machine. How does it fit in to the collection at A la Ronde? The design fits the house, small, perfectly considered, decorative but functional. The fine production of this piece of domestic equipment, particularly the graceful finials and handle, demonstrate that it was intended to be both used and visible in the homes of the more refined ladies. Women were expected to be occupied and industrious, but this shows that the Parminters were of a social class that meant that they were able to choose their occupations, they did not work purely from necessity. The house is full of craftwork produced by Jane and Mary Parminter and by later generations of the family. This includes embroidery, paper cutting, decoupage, feather work, and sand pictures. Such activity reflects the expectation of women in the 18th and 19th centuries that they would employ their time productively but also appropriately. Embroidery, spinning, wool work, netting, or similar skills would have been considered acceptable. Who owned or used it? It is difficult to connect the winder with a specific previous resident or family member. It is possible, given the date, that it may have been associated with Jane or Mary Parminter and it could have been something that was shared. A silhouette by Francis Torond of Jane’s family includes her younger sister Elizabeth, seated at a table (NT 1312028.1). She is thought to be using a netting machine, and it is of similar scale. There is a possibility that this piece could be the machine shown by Torond, but only one bobbin is visible and the distinctive base is partly obscured. Inclusion of the activity in the tableau demonstrates the importance of such skilled work that was both domestic and decorative. Elizabeth was one of the party of four that included Jane, her young ward Mary, and a friend, Miss Combrune (or Colville), who together began one of several extensive tours of Europe in 1784. It is thought that inspiration for some of the decorative schemes and crafts to be found at A la Ronde were drawn from such travels. Mary would have been the youngest of the group. Orphaned by the age of six, Jane became Mary’s ‘parent’. If this bobbin winder is one of their possessions it is possible that she may taught her young charge to use the machine. Updated 20 December 2023 Further Reading Davenport, Elsie G. 1964. Your Handspinning. Select Books. Gibson, Brenda. 2011. The Complete Guide to Spinning Yarn. A&C Black Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. Parry, Linda. 2010. British Textiles 1700 to the Present. V&A Publishing.