"hurdy gurdy"

[J Patrick Draine]

I have a customer who has what he calls a hurdy gurdy. A quick Google 
search of that term reveals something completely different, so allow me 
to attempt a description, and hope for some enlightenment/direction 
from y'all.
The thing has a strung back like a "birdcage" or "cottage piano", and 
has a large cylinder which, when cranked, drives leather covered 
hammers, producing a cacophonous din. It hadn't been tuned in many 
decades, but with the aid of a SAT II with the oscillator-to-speaker 
plugged in, I managed to chip it within 150 cents of 440.
The customer of course is sure it's priceless, and is looking to sell 
it for big bucks!
Anyone have a more precise name for this thing, or a website somewhere 
out there with further information?

Patrick