Description:The swathe turner was used to turn the hay after it was cut to ensure it dried evenly and quickly. This Bamfords model SC4 swathe turner was originally horse-drawn but has been adapted for use with a tractor. It is painted in Bamfords' standard colours of light blue frame and red seat, wheels and tines. This swathe turner was collected from Waterhouses in north Staffordshire.
The story of Bamfords Ltd. starts in 1871, when the company was founded by Henry Bamford and his son, Samuel. The Leighton foundry was set up in Uttoxeter to enable them to make their own castings. The Bamford range included oil cake mills, sheep racks, horse gears, haymakers, milk carriages and horse rakes. By 1881 they had expaned their business further to include lift pumps and a great range of agricultural machinery. Henry Bamford & Sons became a limited company in 1916 and were internationally renowned for the quality of their castings. Bamfords Ltd. finally closed in 1987. Bamfords is the ancestor company of JCB.
Joseph Bamford, one of Henry's sons, developed a new style of swathe turner in 1910. It was extremely successful and sold in large numbers, but was the subject of a legal action by Blackstone & Co. Ltd., Stamford, Lincolnshire who manufactured a similar machine and felt that it was an infringement of their patents. Bamfords won the case and their business continued to flourish.
This object is now part of the Staffordshire County Museum collection, and was restored in 2007 with the assistance of MLA West Midlands' Supporting Stewardship grant.