A & C Edwards of Ashby, Massachusetts. No. 223. A rural New England tall clock. CCC-37.
This country case is constructed in New England white pine and retains an old dry surface. The coloring of the wood has mellowed and is often described as “pumpkin pine.” This case rests on an applied molding that sits flat on the floor. The base section transitions to the waist with an unusually complex waist molding. This molding has a complex profile. The waist section is long. It features a large rectangular-shaped door that provides access to the case’s interior. Through this door, one will find the two drive weights and pendulum. The clock is wound through this door by pulling on cords that raise the weights. This will be a daily ritual. The molded arched bonnet features a pierced and open fretwork design, three capped chimneys or finial plinths, and three ball and spike wooden finials. The turned wooden finials are painted gold. The bonnet door is in an arched form and is fitted with glass. Fully turned and shaped bonnet columns are positioned on either side of the hood door. They are free-standing and support the upper bonnet molding. You should notice that the columns are also decorated with gold paint providing the illusion, from a distance, that they are brass.
The arched dial is interestingly constructed. This is an early example. The backplate is tin, and the decorations are applied to it. The front side of this dial plate is painted gold to make it look like brass. The four corner spandrels are cast in pewter, painted gold, and are nicely detailed. They feature themes agricultural themes that include wheat and corn. Two additional pewter spandrels are used to frame the name boss in the lunette. These have a slightly different shape and are decorated with ghostly figures of skeletons. This morbid decoration was popular with the Edwards brothers, who were industrious. They must have used this symbolism to remind us that humans are mortal and that time forever moves forward. These spandrels frame the name boss, engraved with the Maker’s name, working location, and the numbering of this clock as 223. The time ring is formatted with Roman-style hour numerals. A closed-minute ring separates them from the Arabic five-minute markers. This clock is also fitted with a calendar. The center mat area is painted in a contrasting color of yellow/orange. The variation of color aids in one ability to see the fancy pewter hour and minute hands. The dial is attached to the movement with two wooden batons that are mounted to the back of the dial. These have holes drilled in them to accept the four wooden dial feet.
Ashby-made wooden geared movements are considered by many to be better quality than the output of their competitors. They are heavily constructed and well-made. They often run well. This wooden geared movement is weight powered and designed to run for 30 hours fully wound. The winding of this example is done by opening the waist door and pulling a cord which raises the drive weight. The winding barrels are not divided as one might expect. Early Ashby-made movements are set up as direct drive movements. This set of works is a time-and-strike design. It features a count wheel striking system that will strike each hour on a cast iron bell. The count wheel is located on the outside of the movement on the back plate. The pendulum rod is wood and supports a lead bob. This movement is supported on the rails by a wooden slats seatboard.
This clock was made circa 1794. The overall height of this example is approximately 7 feet 4.5 (88.5 inches) inches tall. It is 19 inches wide and 10.5 inches deep.
This fine example is in very good condition. Very few metal-dial wooden gear clocks were produced. Finding one in the marketplace today is a real treat.
Inventory number CCC-37.
Abraham Edwards is believed to have been born in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1761. His younger brother Calvin was born two years later, in 1763. Both were the sons of Samuel Edwards and Huldah Easterbrook of Concord. The family moved from Concord to Ashby, Massachusetts, sometime in 1777. Ashby was then and still is today a small village located in Massachusetts on the New Hampshire border due North of Worcester.
Abraham and Calvin were hard workers and owned everything in common, including several pieces of land in the town of Ashby. They entered a partnership in 1792 and made wooden gear clocks. These clocks are signed on their dials "A & C Edwards." This partnership lasted approximately four short years until Calvin's death at the age of 33. While alive, the collaboration appears to have produced more than 530 clocks. A number of horological references state that their production exceeded 600 clocks, but the highest number that I have personally seen recorded is in the upper 530s. It is assumed that all the clocks made after the partnership ended are signed by Abraham only. Many such examples have been recorded. Early examples of the A&C partnership feature composite metal dials. The later examples, sometime after the number 190, feature the use of a colorfully painted wooden dial.
Abraham and Calvin were responsible for training other clockmakers. Some of these include Abraham's son John and Calvin's sons Calvin Jr. and Samuel. They also trained Alexander, Jacob, and Philander Jacob Willard of Ashburnham. Several members of this Willard family moved to Ashby. A. Eaton, Jonathan Barker, and Samuel Taylor of Worcester. Possibly Bartholomew Ballard from Townsend but worked in Antrim and Temple, NH, and later moved to Ohio. This list of names is still growing.
