Large Cradle (AI) Rocking butter trough or dough trough)
Entry/Object ID
100380
Scope and Content
Brown Inventory #11 Two Cradles always been in the Stone House
(AI) While its long length makes it look like an adult size bed, this is actually a rocking butter trough (or dough trough with rockers), often mistaken for an invalid cradle or adult rocking bed.
Function: Used in 18th- and 19th-century farmhouses to churn, wash, and knead large batches of butter or rise bread dough.
The Rocking Mechanism: The rockers allowed a homemaker to tilt the trough back and forth effortlessly to drain buttermilk or knead heavy dough without heavy lifting.
