Pearwood winder, English, 1580, carved with an inscription

Wooden wool winder, carved from solid wood (identified visually as pear wood), with two pairs of tapering prongs, with carved Christian inscription

Given by Miss Eleanor C. Roper

Given by Miss Eleanor C. Roper (RF 54/2060)

This winder could have been made at home using low technology and simple tools. The timber chosen is fairly strong but also attractive in colour, and presumably was easily available (and in this quantity inexpensive if not worthless). A small rectangle of wood (the same thickness as the finished winder) would have been sawn out, aligning the grain so that it ran top to bottom (for strength). Drawing the outline of the winder and cutting out the H shape was probably done with knife, small saw and/or chisels, then shaping the edges, again with almost any available blade. At this point it would have been functional. The inscription required care and ingenuity in laying out, and patience in cutting to achieve consistency - but could have been done with a simple pointed blade and did not require specialist skills. As such the inscription is a good example of neat amateur work, personally significant, and historically informative.

Part of the inscription is taken from psalm 25, v. 5, as it appeared in the Prayer book of 1549:
Lead me forth in thy truth and learn me: for thou are the Lord of my salvation; in thee hath been my hope all the day long.

Possibly East Anglia

This curious single piece of carved wood is apparently a hand-held winder for wool, which was spun at home and then wound into loose hanks for washing and dyeing. Through its practical use and its inscription it allowed the combination of domestic industry with religious meditation.

The inscription runs:
LEADE ME FORTHE IN THY 1580 TRUETH AND LEARNE ME FOR THOU AR THE GOD OF MY SALVACION IN THE HATH BEEN MY AL THE DAY LONGE [Psalm 25 v.5] 1580 O LORD HAVE MERCI UPON O LORD

Along the edges is inscribed:
LOVE INNVIETH W S E N A [of uncertain significance but apparently relating to I Corinthians, XIII, v.4]
NO TRHEM SBYRD ONEW [of uncertain significance]

W.21-1954