We are incredibly honored to have just completed restoration of a Thomas Tompion bracket clock for a private collector, photo gallery coming soon!

Thomas Tompion (1639–1713) was an English master clockmaker and watchmaker known today as the father of English clockmaking as stated on the plaque that commemorates the house he shared on Fleet Street with also renowned clockmaker George Graham. His work includes some of the most important clocks and watches in the world and his work commands huge prices whenever it appears at auction. His apprentices included George Allett, Edward Banger, Henry Carlowe, Daniel Delander, Ricard Ems, Ambrose Gardner, Obadiah Gardner, William Graham (nephew of George Graham), George Harrison, Whitestone Littlemore, Jerimiah Martin, Charles Molins, William Mourlay, Charles Murray, Robert Pattison, William Sherwood, Richard Street, Charles Sypson, William Thompson, James Tunn and Thomas White many of whom became important clockmakers in their own right.

Benjamin Barlow

Although the clockmaking industry of the 17^th and 18^th centuries was centred around the City of London, under the auspices of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, many of the finest pieces were made further afield in the provinces. Lancashire and Yorkshire were particularly well blessed with fine and innovative makers, indeed John Harrison of Longitude fame was a Yorkshireman. In the North families tended to work together in business and often the number of clockmakers in one family would run to double figures. Such a family were the Barlow’s of Lancashire. They had a tradition of fine clockmaking producing wonderful clocks, none more so than Benjamin Barlow of both Oldham and Ashton-under-Lyne. The family were descended from the famous clockmaker Edward Barlow, who for some reason changed his name from Booth, and who would’ve been the great grandfather of Benjamin. Edward was the inventor in 1676 of, amongst other things, the rack used to count off the hours when striking and which became the standard on most clocks and is still used in clockmaking today and which also allowed for repeating mechanisms in clocks and watches.

Benjamin Barlow was born on July the 14th 1736, the son of Edward, clockmaker of Oldham, and his wife Anne. He eventually became one of nine children, having four brothers and four sisters. He married Betty Ogden, at St. Michael’s Church, Ashton Under Lyne on October 29th 1761. Betty had been christened at the same church on July 28th 1734 and was buried there after her death on March 28th 1788, aged 54.

The Barlow family were well established in Oldham at this time with Benjamin’s father also being a well known businessman in the town as well as a clockmaker. He encouraged his sons to join the family trade and apprenticed Benjamin himself.

Longcase clocks are known to have been signed by Benjamin Barlow at both Oldham or Ashton, as the example shown here. There are a number of possible reasons for this change. The two towns are separated by just a few miles and as Betty came from Ashton, indeed their first two children were christened at St. Michaels church, they may’ve lived there after their marriage although it’s known that in 1766 they were living in Oldham, a move probably forced upon them by the roots of the family clockmaking business being well established in the town. Perhaps after his wife died Benjamin moved back from Oldham and lived in Ashton to work closer alongside his brother William whom he apprenticed in 1762. It could also be possible that Benjamin and William had to move away and work in Aston simply because there was not enough business for them in Oldham alongside Edward, John and other local clockmakers.

This then raises the question as to who purchased these clocks in the mid-eighteenth century? A clock would probably have cost about £4 in 1770, a lot of money for the times. The population of Oldham was approximately six thousand and many of these lived in poverty. It would only be titled gentlemen, landowners, farmers and professional families who could afford to own such an instrument outright, as they could be viewed upon as more likely to need to know the time so as to organise their lives. During these times Oldham was most definitely a rural community with the local gentry dominating the local society.

So in order that the less affluent could afford to purchase such an expensive item clock clubs were established within the townships. These clubs were an early form of hire purchase with the members paying in an equal weekly payment until the funds were sufficient to buy a clock. The member at the top of the list received the clock and subsequently dropped out of the club and was replaced by someone else, this would now carry forward with the last person to join taking the position at the bottom of the list to receive his clock.

Benjamin was probably very similar to his father and would have also been a well respected gentleman within the town. And as was the case with his father, Benjamin was made a constable of the borough of Oldham and acted as deputy to John Marlow, shoemaker, when mayor.

Interestingly in 1771, as well as being a clockmaker, he took possession of the Nagg’s Head Inn and ran this ale house for a period of ten years when in April 1781 ..’it is noted that the Nagg’s Head Inn is to be let’. Perhaps it became too much to run alongside a booming clock business. Interestingly another Oldham clockmaker, John Banks, took on the tenancy of the Inn before the famous Oldham clockmaker Johnathan Lees, who died in 1788, took it over. The Nagg’s Head therefore had three landlords in a row all of whom were clockmakers.

Benjamin died at Cowhill on March the 25^th, 1788.

The following article is from The Oldham Chronicle January 16th 1904, and is headed:

OLDHAM CLOCKMAKERS. INTERESTING PAPER BY MR. S. ANDREW

At the monthly meeting of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society at Manchester, on the old clock- makers of Oldham and the surrounding districts: What year Edward Barlow came to Oldham is not known, but his great grandson, George Barlow, formerly of Greenhill, and at one time Mayor of Oldham, writing to "Notes and Queries" vol.6, says "my great grandfather Edward Barlow, was a clockmaker about 50 years, say from 1726 to 1776, and I believe him to have been grandson of the inventor".

The Prague Astronomical Clock

History Of The Grandfather Clock

In 1656 a Dutchman named Christian Huygens was the first person to use a pendulum, as a driving device, in clocks. This was the birth of the Grandfather clock or, to use the correct terminology, Long Case clock.

The first Long Case Clocks were produced in Britain, after the London clock maker Ahasuerus Fromenteel sent his son to Holland to learn about the use of a pendulum.

For the first 15 years clock makers struggled to develop a pendulum device capable of keep accurate time. By 1670 an anchor escapement had been developed, that when used in conjunction with a pendulum great accuracy could be achieved. This development ensured that history would remember Britain as the dominating producer in the world of clock making. Names such as Joseph Knibb, Thomas Tompian, George Graham, and Daniel Quare all come to mind when discussing the history of Long Case Clocks.

The earliest cases were made from oak and were architectural in appearance. Higher quality clocks would be finished with ebony or pearwood.

Later cases were made from high quality African mahogany. Today, beautiful examples of what is called "flame mahogany" can also be seen.

Early dials were square and made of brass. In 1772 Osborn & Wilson, from Birmingham, introduced the white dial. These early dials had simple decorations, such as birds or strawberries. By 1830 small painted scenes, in the corners and arch, were depicted on dials.

Water clocks were among the earliest timekeepers that didn't depend on the observation of celestial bodies. One of the oldest was found in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep I, buried around 1500 BCE. Later named clepsydras ("water thieves") by the Greeks, who began using them about 325 BCE, these were stone vessels with sloping sides that allowed water to drip at a nearly constant rate from a small hole near the bottom. Other clepsydras were cylindrical or bowl-shaped containers designed to slowly fill with water coming in at a constant rate. Markings on the inside surfaces measured the passage of "hours" as the water level reached them. These clocks were used to determine hours at night, but may have been used in daylight as well. Another version consisted of a metal bowl with a hole in the bottom; when placed in a container of water the bowl would fill and sink in a certain time. These were still in use in North Africa in the 20th century.

Minute Hand

Sun Clocks

Alarm Clocks

The first mechanical alarm clock was invented by Levi Hutchins of Concord, New Hampshire, in 1787. However, the ringing bell alarm on his clock could ring only at 4 am. On October 24, 1876 a mechanical wind-up alarm clock that could be set for any time was patented (#183,725) by Seth E Thomas.

Some Famous Clocks

Origins of "Clock"

The first watch appeared in about 1500. Not very accurate, but a toy for the wealthy. Over the centuries, with the invention of the hairspring, and other improvements, it became more accurate and smaller until it evolved into the small jewel you wear on your wrist today.

What on earth is horology? Briefly, it's the science or art of measuring time. It's a science that started back in the days of the Babylonians, who came up with the idea for the 60-second minutes and 60-minute hours we use now.

Antique Clock Repair And Restoration launch our new blog page regular posts from 1st July........