MOWER OF THE MONTH
Number Twenty Nine
SAMUELSON'S "FAVORITE"
The "Favorite" was a roller mower made by Samuelson of
Banbury in the latter part of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.
Samuelson was a general iron foundry and agricultural equipment
manufacturer that produced lawn mowers from 1854 to early the 1900s. It was one
of the first companies to manufacture lawn mowers, initially to the original
Budding design, and for a time was seen as a rival to larger companies such as
Ransomes, Greens and Shanks.
The "Favorite" was one of the company's roller mowers.
It was produced in 8in, 10in, 12in and 14in cutting widths. The smallest models
were designed to "be used by a "young lady", according to the
company's catalogues. It was fashionable during the late Victorian era for
well-to-do women to exercise doing simple tasks in the garden. The larger models
were designed to be used by two people, often a gardener and his assistant, with
one walking behind the mower to control and steer it and the other pulling on a
rope attached to a bracket at the front of the machine. This was common practice
for mowers of 12in to 16in cutting widths.
One of the more interesting features of the "Favorite"
was the ornate cast iron gear covers on the side of the machine. These protected
the gears from being damaged by small stones and other debris that might be
kicked up from the lawn during mowing. A number of machines from the period had
similarly ornate gear covers, perhaps signifying that the mower was designed to
be used by the owner rather than the gardener.
The spelling of the name "Favorite" is correct and was
used in a number of Samuelson's catalogues. However, the company also used the
more conventional spelling "Favourite" in some of its advertisements.
Samuelson stopped manufacturing lawn mowers before the First
World War. The company never really recovered from the agricultural depression
that occurred during the first part of the 20th century.
Samuelson mowers are relatively rare compared with the better
known manufacturers of the period. However, a number of museums and Old
Lawnmower Club members have examples in their collections. One can be seen at
Banbury Museum as part of a small display about Samuelson's.
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