Fiddlebase
DATING & IDENTIFYING
JONES HAND MACHINE
PART 1
Possibly from 1874 to 1879
Types 1-2-3-4
PREFACE
The Jones lock-stitch patent, or JONES HAND MACHINE as named by Jones & Co., was probably first manufactured in 1874 circa, in Guide Bridge near Manchester . The earliest versions do not have a take-up lever and the tension discs are mounted on the arm of the machine.
Jones Hand Machines also named as "cat-back", often called "serpentine" or "swan neck". This design was also sold under the name of "Empress of India", manufactured by the Canada Sewing Machine Co. (Hamilton, Canada), the "Eclipse", manufactured by The Eclipse Machine Company of Oldham (Shepherd, Rothwell & Hough) and the "Favourite". The Jones Hand Machines were also badged or labelled for various retailers.
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The Royal Sewing Machine Company
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Thomas Shakespear of Birmingham, in the county of Warwick, Sewing Machine Manufacturer and George Illston, of Birmingham aforesaid, Machinist, for improvements in sewing machines.
GB 898 March 24, 1869
GB 2.524 August 25, 1869
GB 3.688 December 20, 1869
GB 1.057 April 21, 1871
GB 3.015 September 15, 1873
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www.sewmuse.co.uk The Royal S.M. Co. - Windsor (1868-1888)
ismacs.net Wheeler&Wilson - Windsor (1868-1888)
www.sewmuse.co.uk Busy Bee - (1872-1879)
needlebar.org Busy Bee
collections.tepapa.govt.nz The Royal S.M. Co. - Eureka (by 1875)
ehive.com Jones & Co. (1874-1876)
www.sewmuse.co.uk Bradbury - Wellington (1877-1898)
"The Windsor"
between 1868-1888
"Eureka"
by 1875
"Busy Bee"
between 1872-1879
"Empress of India"
1877
"The Jones"
possibly 1874-1876
"The W&W"
between 1868-1880
"Wellington"
between 1877-1898
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In 1876 two applications for british patent. The first patent was an improvement for the "Howe system" sewing machine, where was included a bobbin winder and the second patent for a bobbin winder that became one of the feature of the Jones company.
From October 1883 the word "LIMITED", no longer occurs in the style of the company.
From 1890 onwards, machines were also made with a flower pattern; a brassed medallion replaced the centre decal and in addition to the Company Phoenix Trade Mark a new engraved round stamp "As supplied to H.R.H. the Princess of Wales".
Jones ended the production of these machines possibly before July 20, 1901. There are not records yet for later machines.
Although other sources declaring the Jones Hand machine were started from 1879 to 1907 or 1909, I strongly doubt.
In 1901 the Princess of Wales became Queen Alexandra and if on a machine you find the stamp of "As supplied to H.R.H. The Princess of Wales", this machine couldn't have been made after July 1901.
To today I haven't see any Jones Hand RS machine with the stamp (trademark) of Queen Alexandra. Also with the serial numbers, it's difficult thinking the production continued until 1907 or 1909 with a very low annually production.
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by Lee King, NSMMA
ISMACS News
Issue 82
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Part 1 include machines with the following features:
4 different brass or brassed Face Plates
2 different decals on the Machine Bed
different decals for the Arm of Machine
different decals on the edge of the Machine Bed
different shape on the edge of the Machine Bed
company trade mark on the Cloth Plate
Balance Wheel painted black
2 different Bobbin Winders
Type 1
Type 1 has a bobbin winder foregoing "Jones's Bobbin Winder Patent GB 2.854-1876 ". The central bed decal is shown in Fig.3, a "Phoenix" trade mark in a green background. Upper thread tension on the arm similar to the one in the Busy Bee machines.
The take-up lever is waiting to be, maybe, invented ?!
" One of the earliest difficulties encountered by the maker of a sewing machine was that of effectually controlling the loose thread after it had been cast off the shuttle. In some machines this slack thread amounts to six, in others to one or two, inches. Howe got over the difficulty by passing his thread, on its way to the needle, over the upper extremity of the needle bar, the ascent of the bar then sufficed to pull up the slack. Singer improved upon this by furnishing his machine with a spring take-up lever, partially controlled by the needle bar. The introduction of the positive take-up, the first forms appeared in 1872 ".
from: Recent Advances in Sewing Machinery
by John W. Urquhart - 1887
....A patent was taken out in 1853 by Alfred Vincent Newton on behalf of Singer & Co. It does not say so, but the disclaimer subsequently taken out in the name of Edward Clark, the moneyed partner of I. M. Singer and who set that gentleman on his feet, proves the connection as well as words could do it. This patent claimed a single thread machine and it also described and claimed that to which I. M. Singer attached far greater importance, viz., a spring take up which at the proper time held the thread taut in the eye of the needle. This was no doubt a valuable improvement at the time and is shown as applied in the Singer No. 2 Manufacturing Machine...
William Newton Wilson (1892)
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Type 2
Upper thread tension on top of the arm. Old style bobbin winder. Brass or brassed faceplate. No take-up lever. The two screws that old the faceplate are in a different position. Different balance wheel.
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Type 3
from 1876 to 1879
Upper thread tension on the arm, slide plate stamped with: "J & T Wilkinson, Makers & Repairers, Norwich" . Winder marked with: "Jones's Pat. No 2.854"(Bobbin Winder Patent 1876)
"Jones's Patent No 2.854" (Bobbin Winder Patent 1876)
We may presume that all hand machines with the above bobbin winder were made from 1876 onwards. Upper thread tension on top of the arm. Brass or brassed faceplate. No take-up lever.
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1877
The below machine, very similar to the Jones Hand Machine, is without the "Take-up Lever", but instead, the needle-bar was used to obtain the same operation. I can't tell you who first came out with this new improvement but it look like that was not so binding. Singer Model 12 it seems to have it in 1863 (click here). Davis only in 1889 (click here). German's makers appear to have it from the 1870's. Unfortunately from those sketch of advertisements it seems no one bother to show the "Take-up Lever" improvement. More important was to show the new Automatic Bobbin Winder or the Loose Wheel. Pitt Brothers' machines in 1881 have the Take-up Lever improvement but not the Wheeler & Wilson machine, No.8.
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Type 4
from 1876 to 1879
Figure 9 differs from Figure 8 by the presence of the take-up lever. The bed decal has the word "JONES" instead of the "Phoenix" trade mark. Upper thread tension on top of the arm. The brass or brassed faceplate is designed for the new take-up lever and consequently different from the 3th faceplate (see Fig. 1 and Fig. 7). The new bobbin winder (Jones's Pat. No 2.854 - Patent 1876)
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Because I haven't solid evidences and not enough records for machines with low serial numbers I have only to assume that at Jones in 1879, was decided to renumbering the new and let's say, final model, that will last until July 1901 about, with only cosmetic improvements. With a alleged average production of 8.000 units annually, starting from 1879 and ending in 1901 circa, we can date our machines with more or less of 2-3 years error. Nevertheless for sewing machines with the Trade Mark "As supplied to H.R.H. the Princess of Wales" the manufacturing was from March 1890 onwards.
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THIS WEB-PAGE IS
"JONES HAND MACHINES PART 1"
Possibly from 1874 to 1879
Types 1-2-3-4