In this article, we will look at the history and evolution of probably the most important invention in Horology, the Pendulum Clock. A pendulum clock is a clock that uses a pendulum, which is a swinging weight, as its timekeeping element. The advantage of a pendulum for timekeeping is that it is a harmonic oscillator: it swings back and forth in…
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The Grandfather Clock The grandfather clock (also a longcase clock, tall-case clock, grandfather’s clock, or floor clock) is a tall, freestanding, weight-driven pendulum clock with the pendulum held inside the trunk or waist of the case. Clocks of this style are commonly 1.8–2.4 metres (6–8 feet) tall. The case often features elaborately carved ornamentation or…
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Robert Hooke | England’s Leonardo Robert Hooke was an English natural philosopher, architect, and polymath. Born 18th July 1635 in Freshwater, Isle of Wight, and died 3rd March 1703 (aged 67) London, England. As a young adult, he was a financially impoverished scientific inquirer but came into wealth and a good reputation following his actions…
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Skills Needed by Clockmakers Were Many. Clockmaker’s skills and knowledge to make a clock are many, and in the case of making a longcase clock, there are three trades each with specialised skills and knowledge to complete its production. Movement (mechanical parts) Case making Dial Making The idea that in the old days a clockmaker…
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John Jefferys (1701 – 1754) was an English clockmaker and watchmaker. His parents, John and Jane Jefferys lived in a house called Darbies in the village of Midgham in the parish of Thatcham in Berkshire. His father was a wool merchant. His maternal grandparents were William and Bridgett Yeats. He had at least five brothers…
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John Smith (1770-1816) was a clockmaker born in Pittenweem, Fife, Scotland. His most famous clock is in the possession of the Duke of Buccleuch. It is reported to have four dials and shows days of the week and days of the month. The clock can play eight old Scots tunes and every three hours initiates…
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Raymond Saunders is a Canadian clockmaker who has designed and built more than 150 customized clocks that mainly serve as tourist-attracting public artworks. In 1977 he was commissioned to build a steam clock for the Gastown district of Vancouver, Canada. The Gastown clock may be the first steam clock ever built, although there is evidence…
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John Benson was a famous English clock maker who worked and lived in Whitehaven. He became a highly skilled and much respected clock maker, and his work was mainly in brass dial 8-day clocks with rolling moons for the upper market. Many have centre calendar work and simple rise/fall, ebb/flow, tidal indicators, and include clocks…
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John Ellicott (London, 1706-1772), was an eminent English clock and watchmaker of the 18th century. His father, a Cornishman, John Ellicott (-1733), was also a clockmaker and had been admitted to the Clockmakers’ Company in 1696. John Ellicott (Jnr) conducted business first from Austin Friars Street EC2 and later from Swithin’s Alley, Royal Exchange, and…
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George Graham (7 July 1673 – 20 November 1751) was an English clockmaker, inventor, and geophysicist, and a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was born in Kirklinton, Cumberland. A Friend (Quaker) like his mentor Thomas Tompion, Graham left Cumberland in 1688 for London to work with Tompion. He later married Tompion’s niece, Elizabeth Tompion.…
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