Jury Box of Bridgton Circuit Court, 1780

Purportedly made in Bridgton, this box belonged to Enoch Perley in his capacity as Justice of the Peace for the circuit courts of Massachusetts Bay, Province of Maine. Used by juries presiding over local court cases from 1780-1810. It is written that Cloe Perley, a former slave of Enoch's wife's father who, upon his death, was brought to Bridgton, feed by Enoch, and taught to read and write, stood as witness in several of the cases before Enoch's court. Cloe is one of a minute percentage of women, much less one of color, who were permitted to witness legal documents at this time. A member of the Perley family until her death in 1829, she was laid to rest alongside Enoch under the marble monument of the Perley family at their graveyard in South Bridgton.