Wool Spinning Wheel
DateMid-late 19th Century
DimensionsOverall: 128.3 x 128.3 cm
Credit LineGift of Mr. David Stewart, 1965
Object number1965.131.001
Label TextThis great wheel, also called a walking or wool wheel, belonged to pioneer settlers on the 16th. Concession of East Williams, Middlesex Township. It had been cared for and kept in the family, with a plaque added to it that reads: "In loving memory of George Fortune 1836 - 1926, pioneers settlers of East Williams Township, Middlesex County, Ontario."
Invented in medieval times, the great wheel was a spindle mounted sideways, driven by a huge wheel. The wheel pictured here features a minor's head on the right side, which incorporated gearing to increase the speed at which the yarn could be twisted. American Amos Miner invented the device around 1810. Great wheels like this were seen as producing a superior woollen thread over other styles of spinning wheel.
"Spinning is the act of drawing out a few fibers and twisting them together to form a yarn. The process predates written history, and was first done by hand and with sticks. Spinning wheels are believed to have originated in India between 500 and 1000 A.D. By the 13th century, they were seen in Europe, and were a standard piece of equipment for those making fiber into yarn. By the 17th century they were commonly found in homes in the colonies of North America, where the production of fabric was a cottage industry. Spinning was generally seen as a woman's job. Women spun yarn at home, as well as with friends at spinning bees, where food was served and prizes might be given to the person who produced the most or best yarn. The industrial revolution brought mechanization to the textile industry, and eventually spinning was done on large machines in textile mills." (Smithsonian)
The name walking wheel refers to the fact that the spinner must walk back and forth, that is, from the front of the wheel backwards, one hand controlling the fibers and the other turning the wheel. The wheel is the mechanism that puts the twist into the fiber.
NameWheel, Spinning
