Description:

"RATTLE" USED BY BOSTON'S TOWN CRIER - POSSIBLY TO ANNOUNCE THE BOSTON TEA PARTY
A solid wood ratchet "alarm" once owned and used by Boston's last town "crier", James Wilson. The alarm, akin to a New Year's Eve noise-maker, measures 10 1/2" long, 4 1/2" wide, and bears a 5 1/4" turned wooden handle. There are two cogs attached to the handle which, when turned, strike a sounding board causing a loud rattle. This rattle, quite startling, would draw the attention of listeners to the crier's news. One of the cogs has been replaced, as has the sounding board, but the balance of the rattle appears to be original. Affixed to the bottom of the rattle is a ca. 1870 note reading: "Watchman's Rattle Once owned and used by James Wilson Watchman and afterward [?] and for a long time city crier in Boston. Supposed to be fifty years old. or in use in 1820". Records show that Wilson was employed as Boston's last town crier in the early 1800s, and was also the founder and owner of The Bell in Hand Tavern, the oldest continuously operating tavern in the country. One report indicates that "Old Jimmy" actually announced the Boston Tea Party and the birth of the new nation upon the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Certainly worthy of further research.

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September 27, 2012 11:00 AM EDT
Stamford, CT, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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