The provenance relating to this rattle suggests that it was used by a Special Constable during the Priestley Riots in Birmingham of 1791.The user would hold the knob at the top in one hand while turning the handle in the other, causing the cog to revolve against the ratchet. Victorian policemen would have to justify the use of a rattle during the night hours, as the privileged classes did not like to be woken by such disturbances. It was a disciplinary offence if they could not give reason for its use.