Cawton Aston facts for kids

Cawton Aston was an English craftsman who lived a long time ago, from about 1693 to 1733. He was famous for building musical instruments called spinets. A spinet is like a small harpsichord, which is a keyboard instrument that makes sound by plucking strings.

Aston learned his skills as an apprentice (a student learning a trade) from another instrument maker named John Player. Cawton Aston was John Player's last apprentice, and he was the only one who went on to start his very own business. Around 1730, he lived in London at a place called the Prince’s Arms in New Queen Street.

Aston's Amazing Spinet Instruments

We know of two spinets that Cawton Aston definitely made because they have his signature!

The 1726 Spinet

One of these special spinets was made in 1726. It has a range of five octaves, which means it can play many different notes, from very low to very high. The outside of this spinet is decorated with beautiful patterns called inlay. This is when different materials are set into the surface to create a design.

The keys on the keyboard are also very interesting! The "natural" keys (like the white keys on a piano) are covered with bone. The "sharp" keys (like the black keys) are made from a mix of ivory and ebony wood. People sometimes call these "skunk-tail sharps" because of their unique look.

This spinet was fixed up by a famous restorer named Arnold Dolmetsch in 1898. Today, you can find this amazing instrument at Colonial Williamsburg in the United States, which bought it in 1960.

The 1733 Spinet

The second spinet was built a few years later, in 1733. It also has a five-octave range, just like the earlier one. The keys are similar too, with ivory on the natural keys and those cool "skunk-tail sharps."

Some parts of this spinet, like its stand, have been replaced over time. This instrument has been kept in a private collection in England for about 30 years.

Another Possible Spinet

There's another spinet, made around 1700, that might have been built by Cawton Aston. It has the letters "C.A." on its lowest key. This instrument is now part of the Richard Burnett Heritage Collection. It has a slightly smaller range of about four and a half octaves and features a special kind of keyboard called a broken octave. This type of keyboard was very common in spinets made between 1690 and 1710.

On this spinet, the natural keys are covered with ebony, and the sharp keys are made of solid ivory. This instrument looks a lot like the ones made by John Player, Aston's teacher.

Why Cawton Aston Was Important

Experts believe that Cawton Aston was a very skilled craftsman. The spinet he made in 1726, now at Colonial Williamsburg, shows just how talented he was. Some historians think that if Aston had teamed up with another builder named Thomas Barton, they would have been a big competitor to other instrument makers of their time.

There was once a spinet signed by both Cawton Aston and Thomas Barton, made in 1709. It used to belong to a collector named Edwin M. Ripin. People thought it might be in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, but it's not there anymore.