Very rare travelling writing set owned by Rev. Samuel Dickenson

Stock No. 2214

Rev. Samuel Dickenson
Blymhill, Staffs., 1792
Gilt pair cases, 55 mm.
Verge escapement
Contained in writing & sealing travelling case, 21.5 cm. x 18 cm.

Price £2250

Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch
Rev. Samual Dickenson Pocket Watch

A fine quality and very rare late 18th century travelling companion set, housed within its original fitted red Morocco leather case. Originally owned by The Reverend Samual Dickenson, botanist, contemporary of Erasmus Darwin, and Rector of St. Mary’s Church, Blymhill, Staffs.

WATCH MOVEMENT : The gilded movement has a verge escapement, and an engraved and pierced balance cock, showing entwined foliage, florets and a vase to the neck. Four round baluster pillars and a nicely engraved silver regulator disk.

Signed : Revd Sam Dickenson (the owner) and dated : AD 1792

The movement is in good condition and is running well.

The movement would originally have been protected by a removable gilt dust cap, but this is now absent.

WATCH DIAL : The original white enamel dial is in good condition, with just some light surface scratches and a light hairline running from the edge at 6 towards the centre.

Good matching gold? hands.

WATCH INNER CASE : Gilt, with no maker’s mark.

The metal of the case is in good condition, but the gilding is worn away to most of the surface. The high dome bull’s eye crystal is good.

WATCH OUTER CASE : Gilt, again with no maker’s mark.

The hinge and catch are fine and the bezel snaps shut correctly. The catch button is dented and holed, though still functional.

The gilding is mostly intact, except for a rubbed mark across the back.

The case contains a watchpaper from Lichfield (also Staffs.) which is marked :
Nov 1853 Rev. Dickenson,
with an indecipherable place name ?

TRAVELLING CASE : Red Morocco leather, with gilded border, bevelled glass front and green velvet fitted interior.

All in very good condition. The catch and hinge are fine. The leather, velvet interior and bevelled glass are also in very good conditon.

In addition to the watch, the case contains a gilt seal press, a steel seal engraved with a ‘D’ under a crest, two silver mounted carnelian seal matrices, a steel wax cutter (with replacement boxwood handle), a silver ? mounted pen with gold plated nib and seal in the handle, and four red seal wafers with impressions of the steel seal and the pen seal.

Rev. Samuel Dickenson

The Rev. Samuel Dickenson was born in 1733, and succeeded his father as Rector of St.Mary’s, Blymhill, in 1777. He was educated at St. John’s College, Cambridge, where he was a contemporary of Erasmus Darwin. Dickenson was a noted botanist and tutor to Charles Darwin (uncle of Charles Robert Darwin, the famous naturalist).

Samuel Dickenson died in 1823.

His son, John Horatio Dickenson, succeeded his father as Rector of St. Marty’s. John, or possibly his son, was probably the owner of this watch is 1853, as noted on the watch paper.