CLOCKS

An early 18th-century "sheep's head" lantern clock by Jno. Crucifex of London, first bought by me in 1962 from an old BADA dealer in Grasmere, for the princely sum of £4.  He asked me £4.10s which I was more than happy to pay, but when I pointed out, just in passing, that the escapement had been converted from verge to anchor, he knocked off the odd 10 shillings. Happy days. I bought and sold the clock a further four times over the next 40 years, until I finally sold it "out of the family" and it was gone for good.

A late 18th-century 30-hour long-case clock in oak case, the arched brass dial with moon-phase to the arch signed J. Harding, Thursby.  Harding was born at Irthington, Nr Carlisle, and first worked there as a clockmaker.  He married a Thursby girl and spent only a few months in that village before settling finally in Wigton, five miles to the west.  This would appear to be the only clock made in Thursby, by any maker.  I don't know why I sold it. Yes I do, I probably had my eye on something else and needed the money!

FOR WATCHES, SEE UNDER "THE GENTLEMAN'S POCKET"

 CLOCK AND WATCH MAKERS UNRECORDED IN BRITTEN OR BAILLIE.

This seems a sensible place to record those clock- and watch-makers, whose work I have handled, who do not appear to be recorded in the above works.

Acton, Christopher, Gravel Lane, Southwark, c. 1770

Boucheret, Paris, Boulle bracket clock, c. 1700

Bridge, Thomas, de Wigan, 10-inch brass-dialled 30-hour deal-cased long-case, clock, single hand, c. 1700

Bullock, Benjamin, Ayrton, 30-hour brass-dialled long-case clock, oak case, c. 1770

Burnett, W., 40 Silver Street, Durham, Watch and Clockmaker, early 19th Century

Goodwill, R., Houghton Le Spring, Watch and Clockmaker, c. 1800

Harding, John, Clockmaker, Irthington, Thursby and Wigton, near Carlisle, c. 1780

Hawthorn, Ferguson & Co, Newcastle upon Tyne, oak-cased 8-day long-case clock, c. 1800

King, Michael, Whitehaven, 8-day brass-dialled long-case clock in chinoiserie black-lacquered case, c. 1770*

Nicholson, Whitehaven, long-case clock, 8-day, brass-dialled, fine mahogany case, c. 1760

Parker, Whitehaven, 8-day brass-dialled mahogany long-case clock, excellent quality, c. 1770

Perkins, Francis, Evesham, long-case 8-day clock, oak case, c. 1700

Reynolds, [?], Kirkbride, oak brass-dialled 8-day long-case clock, c. 1750

Richardson, John, Bubwith, late 18th century

Wheatley, Thomas, Carlisle, silver pair-cased verge watch, 1836

*   MICHAEL KING - WHITEHAVEN

     The firm of Michael King, Cabinet-makers, in Whitehaven was a remarkable one, resulting from the development, by the Lowther family, of Whitehaven from a tiny coastal village to one of the major ports in Britain, with the consequent need for fine craftsmanship of every type.
     Michael King was born in 1714 and was buried on 8th April, 1787.  His two sons, William and Michael, as can be seen from their printed label, dated only a few days later, which was on the reverse of a pair of  magnificent rococo-style giltwood mirrors, carried on the business.  Judging by this pair of mirrors, a replica of which is now in The Beacon Museum in Whitehaven, their craftsmanship was equal to anything carried out in London, or elsewhere. Not only did they execute high quality carving and gilding, they also floated their own plate glass, and ground their own mirrors.