A & C Edwards of Ashby, Massachusetts. No. 190. A cherry case tall clock. BBB-3.
This is a special example. Very few brass-dial wooden gear clocks were made. Finding one in the marketplace today is a real treat. This dial is numbered 190 and was made in the first third of the Edwards Brothers' total output.
This arched dial features interesting construction. A thin piece of tin has been hammered flat by hand and treated with a gilt wash. The gilt wash was applied to simulate the look of brass. Brass would have been expensive and very difficult to obtain in a rural village such as Ashby. Two wooden batons are fastened to the back of the tin sheet to keep it somewhat flat and straight. These wooden batons are also used to secure the movement to the dial via four dial feet. There are a total of six cast pewter spandrels on this dial. The lower four spandrels frame the applied chapter ring. This time ring is made of pewter and features engraved Arabic five-minute markers. The closed minute separates them from the large Roman-style hour numerals. The upper two spandrels that frame the name boss are very interesting. They feature a design that depicts a skeletal figure. Their significance is unknown to me. These frame the name engraved boss, including the Makers' name, working location, and production number. It reads "A. &. C. EDWARDS. / ASHBY. / No 190." The hour and minute hands are also cast in pewter. They are a traditional form and somewhat unique to the Ashby clockmaking school. This dial also displays the calendar date in a small square window positioned above the hour numeral VI.
The wooden geared movement is the construction one expects from this clockmaking school, having one early feature or variation. Early Ashby movements are wound by pulling a rope of set length. The drive side is connected to a tin can weight. The opposite end of the rope is counterweighted in an attempt to keep the line true. Latter examples feature winding barrels that are divided and require two strings. Each is secured to its own side of the barrel. The opposite side winds up the additional string as you pull on one side to wind the clock. This set of works features two cherry plates that frame the movement. Five turn posts secure them in place. The gearing is cut from wood. Ashby-made gearing is robust and more substantial compared to the gearing designs produced in Connecticut at this time. This wooden geared set of works is set up with 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 bell is fitted to the top of the movement on a stand. It is designed to run for 30 hours on a full wind. This means one needs to wind this clock daily. This is the perfect daily activity for the individual that loves routines.
This stately proportioned case is constructed in cherry and retains an older, if not an original, surface. This surface is consistent throughout the case construction and shows some areas of light crazing. The case is supported by an applied molding that rests flat on the floor. This molding may be an early addition or restoration to this case. If so, it is evident that it was done many years ago. The waist section is long and narrow. The length of the waist adds to the excellent overall proportions of this fine example. A large tombstone-shaped waist door is centered here. This door is decorated with a carved fan, which adds to the overall appearance of the case design. Open this door, and one can access the two drive tin can weights and the pendulum bob and rating nut. This interior would need to be accessed daily in order to wind the clock. This is done by pulling on the cord that raises the corresponding weight. The molded arched bonnet features a pierced and open fretwork pattern. The design is quite intricate and fancy. Three fluted chimneys or finial plinths support the three decoratively turned wooden finials. These are treated in a gilded finish. The bonnet door is in an arched form and is fitted with glass. Fully turned bonnet columns flank this door. These are nicely shaped and are free-standing. These visually support the arched bonnet molding. The bonnet door is hinged and opens to access the dial.
This clock was made circa 1794. The overall height of this example is 7 feet 9.5 inches tall.
Inventory number BBB-3.
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.
