A lovely quality oak thirty hour longcase by this well recorded maker. The thirty hour plated movement strikes the hours on a bell with an outside countwheel. The twelve inch square brass dial has a matted centre engraved with rococo & floral decoration and the name 'Jno Rawson, Penrith' below twelve o'clock, a, date dial, dummy winding holes. With cast brass 'Swag and border' spandrels, a silvered chapter ring engraved with black Roman hour numerals and Arabic five minute markings and with decorative blued steel hands. The oak case is typical of the region and has mahogany quartered columns to the trunk, mahogany veneered panelling below the hood and to the top of the hood and mahogany hood pillars with cast brass capitals, with a shaped top to the trunk door.
In his book 'The Clockmakers of Cumberland' John Penfold writes that John Rawson started the business in 1755 having been born in 1732 and being the older brother was the senior partner employing his younger brother Thomas who was born in 1734, the business being in the Market Place. Interestingly Thomas married Martha Tidsley who was the sister-in-law of the famous Penrith clockmaker William Porthouse and they had a son, John's nephew, John who was born in 1765 and continued the business after the first John Rawson died in the poorhouse on February 28th, 1815. The nephew John retired in 1828 and died of 'flu on June 6th, 1833. The family lived first in Middlegate before moving to Burowgate.
At the time of writing his book only five clocks by any Rawson were known, either signed for John or just Rawson, four of which had painted dials and only one a brass dial, the description being close to the example shown here as it reads as having an oak case and being a thirty hour example with false key holes.
Height: 7ft.
Price: £3,750.00