Early Clocks
Lantern Clocks
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Above. A wonderfully interesting pre-civil war lantern clock by George Newton at Seend, c1636. Almost 400 years ago in the year 1625 George Newton of Seend who was born in between aroundt 1600-1610 became the Village Blacksmith. His father Richard Newton had just died leaving George his Forge. However, Richard also bequeathed his son a clock and research suggests that George Newton could have copied his father’s gifted clock to become a self-taught clockmaker, making his first lantern clocks in Seend from the mid-1630s and performed all his own engraving to the wonderfully charming dials and frets of his earliest examples. History suggests that George was more than capable. The famous diarist John Aubrey the compiler of ‘Brief Lives’, wrote about his visit to Seend in 1666: - “I went to the smythe, George Newton, an ingeniose man, who from a blacksmith turned clockmaker to fiddlemaker “ and he assured me that he has melted of this oare in his forge, which the oare of the Forest of Deane &c. will not doe”. Click on image to see my full article which is shown alongside historic high quality images. Private collection, Photographed by Lee Borrett
Above. Fine early lantern clock signed William Bowyer of London Fecit, c1630. Showing a fine early lantern clock by William Bowyer of London. Bowyer was probably the finest maker of lantern clocks in London up to the English Civil War and is one of the few makers who continued working through the war. The fine example shown here was originally made by Bowyer with balance wheel control. It then went through the customary 17th century conversion to long pendulum anchor escapement with the alarm being removed before being re-converted back to balance. Interestingly, instead of Bowyer signing his name at the bottom of the dial in his usual manner, he has signed it on the bottom of the front fret 'William Bowyer, London fecit'. The dial centre is engraved with an interesting gothic, gadroon, pattern. Click on image to see my full article which is shown alongside historic high quality images. Private collection, Photographed by Lee Borrett.
Above. A Fine early lantern clock by William Selwood signed 'Willim Selwood at ye Maremaid in Louthbury'. The small early lantern clock shown here was made by Wiliam Selwood and is signed 'Willim Selwood at ye Maremaid in Louthbury'. The clock, which stands about 12-inches high is very unusual for Selwood in having integral round-based pillars. These have the early round-shouldered urn finials and ball-and-ring feet. The ring-of-roses theme is apparent. This early form of meeting-arrowhead half-hour marker is very different from that found towards the end of the century and is sometimes called a ‘sword-hilt’. The fret is an unusual one of two grotesque boars heads. Click on image to see my full article which is shown alongside historic high quality images. Private collection, Photographed by Lee Borrett
Above. A First Period Civil War Lantern Clock attributed to Thomas Browne of Bristol, c1644. Wonderfully elegant proportions with an ultra-narrow chapter ring and early rounded brass pillars. With my interest in history and passion for collecting early 30-hour clocks, I have always been interested in the English Civil War period of 1642-1651. This was an historically important time which ultimately led to the death of King Charles I when he was executed on the 30th of January 1649 outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall. Working as a clockmaker at that time must have been very tough, especially when iron and brass was in extremely high demand for the war effort including the making of cannon, weapons and ammunition for the Royalists and Parliamentarian armies. But despite this, some clockmakers still managed to make lantern clocks during the English Civil War and the clock illustrated here is about one such extremely rare and previously unrecorded example that was made in the first period of the English Civil War by Thomas Browne of Bristol. Although unsigned, the clock can safely be attributed to Thomas Browne and is done so based on his uniquely distinctive style and from comparisons with other known signed and unsigned examples that have all been fully illustrated and attributed to this early Bristol clockmaker. The example shown here is one of his earliest surviving clocks, if not earliest to come to light so far. Click on image to see my full article which is shown alongside historic high quality images. Private collection, Photographed by Lee Borrett
Above. A Fine and historically important early lantern clock by John Selwood c1650. Made right at the end of his working life as he die in 1651. This is an historically important clock, being his only surviving example signed 'John Sellwood neere the French Church' and a late example of John Selwood’s work, as he died in 1651. John and his older and better-known brother, William Selwood, established the famous workshop ‘The Mermaid’ in Lothbury, which is a street near the Bank of England in the City of London. The clock was made in about the year 1650 and this was around the time that the Selwood bother's would have just witnessed one of London's most historically important events which happened in Whitehall, London, in 1649 and known as the 'Trial and Execution of King Charles I'. Click on image to see my full article which is shown alongside historic high quality images. Private collection, Photographed by Lee Borrett
Above. A Fine early lantern Charles II lantern clock by James Brundle, c1660. The fine early lantern clock shown here, was made around the same year, or shortly after the Restoration of King Charles II in 1660 and is signed on the fret ‘James Brundle Fecit’ without a place name. Brundle, who is a previously unrecorded maker was probably working in the London area. The chapter ring half-hour markers are the matchstick type with single flower and behind the dial - the star-wheel has a 'matchstick man' casting feature which is typical of many lantern clocks made in London during this period. The dial centre is all-over engraved with a wonderfully interesting tulip flower design and the clock, which retains its original single iron hand stands 15 inches tall. Click on image to see my full article which is shown alongside historic high quality images. Private collection, Photographed by Lee Borrett
Above. A fine 17th century historic lantern clock made in 1692 by Richard Savage of Shrewsbury. The wonderfully interesting and historic lantern clock illustrated here was made by Richard Savage of Much Wenlock in Shropshire for the Yarpole Wedding of Edward Pardoe and Millborough Brown, at Yarpole Church in Hererordshire, 30th April, 1692. This wonderfully historic lantern clock was most likely to given as a wedding present to Edward and Millborough by Millborough’s parents who would of presented it to them on their wedding day in Yarpole on April 30th, 1692. The original the Christenings, Weddings and Burials Register and Edward Pardo's Will still survive, and pleasingly they show the signatures of Edward Pardo and John Browne (Millborough’s father), with Edward being described as of Bitterley in the marriage licence. Edward and Milborough’s wedding day would have been a very joyous and happy event. They no doubt would have celebrated alongside excited family members and villagers from Yarpole and Bitterley on that special day on the 30th of April, 1692. However, far away in the village of Salem, on that very same day in 1692 , something terrible was happening that would shock the world and be remembered forever! Click on image to see my full article which is shown alongside historic high quality images. Private collection, Photographed by Lee Borrett
