A Berwick, Maine, tall case clock made in the school of Paul Rogers school. 214134.
This is a fine maple-cased tall clock attributed to the Paul Rogers School of Quaker clockmakers in Berwick, Maine.
This is a very nice country case tall clock. This case stands approximately 89.5 inches tall to the top of the case or 95.5 inches tall to the tip top of the brass center finial. It is 19.25 inches wide and 8.75 inches deep. This case is constructed in maple and white pine is used as the secondary wood. The finish has mellowed into a very gentle or subdued patina.
This fine example stands on an applied bracket base. The applied molding and the cutout pattern form nicely shaped returns on each foot. The waist section is very long and narrow. The waist door is a tombstone shape and is trimmed with a simple molded edge. Another country detail is the multiple pegs found in the construction of the waist framing. The bonnet is formatted with a bell top or a full pagoda top pediment. This bonnet or hood form was all the rage in London during the last quarter of the 18th century. Three brass ball-and-spiked finials surmount this clock case. Fully turned bonnet columns terminating in brass capitals flank the bonnet door. This door is an arched form and is fitted with glass. It opens to access a locally painted arched dial.
This dial is iron and is paint decorated. Each of the four spandrels is decorated with colorful floral patterns. This theme, with the addition of a bird, is repeated in the arch of the dial. This dial displays the time in a traditional format, with large Roman numerals marking each of the twelve hours. Arabic numerals are positioned at the five minute marker locations. A subsidiary seconds dial is located below the Roman hour numeral XII, and a calendar is below the center arbor.
The weight-driven movement is of good quality. It is designed to run for eight days on a full wind. This clock will also strike each hour on a cast iron bell. This movement is typical of the Rogers school of clockmaking in terms of its construction. The movement plates are not brass. They are constructed in iron and feature brass bushings. It is thought that this was done to conserve the use of brass, which was an expensive material to work with.
This clock was made circa 1795.
Inventory number 214134.
Paul Rogers was born the son of Isaac and Lydia (Varney) Rogers on June 26, 1752, in Berwick, Maine. He was the youngest of eight children. He was a Quaker, more appropriately called a member of the Society of Friends. The Quakers were a sect known for their independence and devotion to hard work and had established small colonies throughout the more rural parts of New England. Paul is often recorded as a “Clerk” in their meeting minutes. Paul was a very productive clockmaker who worked at his trade for nearly forty years. Many of his movements are constructed with cast iron plates and brass wheels. A few notable apprentices that Paul trained include his son Abner Rogers (1777-1809), Reuben Brackett (1761-1867), and John Taber (1796-1859). Paul Married Deborah Hussey of Kittery, Maine, on August 30, 1774. They had nine children. After clockmaking, Paul became a hatter and made and sold many hats throughout the nearby Maine Villages. Paul Rogers died in 1818.
