mangle

1) A machine for rolling and pressing sheets, or other items of clothing after they have been washed.

1727 Notice is hereby given ... that the Mercery Goods ... and a Mangle are to be sold, Leeds. It was customary in working class communities for a widow, or a woman in difficult circumstances, to have a mangle and make a living by its use: Mangle House was a frequent place-name in the 1851 census returns. Nanny Mangle of Sheffield may have been such a person: she was accused in 1789 of stealing, and the report in the quarter sessions records made it clear that she was actually called Ann Parkin. See NH161-3.

places Leeds Sheffield
dates 1727 1789

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