Early Clocks
Key-Wound 30-hour
c1668-1670
Above. Key-Wound 30-hour, c1668-1670. A rare early Key-Wound 30-hour long pendulum clock with its original, early - fully developed original anchor escapement. The anonymous, 9.75 inch square brass dial is beautifully engraved with an All-Over tulip flower theme which includes spreading to each of the four corners. The original iron hands also have a tulip theme including a flower on the stem of the minute hand. The massive and heavily built plated movement with its original anchor escapement is wonderfully original throughout and has four large ringed and knopped pillars which are latched at the front. Most interestingly it has four-wheel trains like an 8-day, but with some of the pinions substituted by brass wheels with larger counts. This reduces the duration to make it 30-hr (or at least shorter than 8-day). Why this should have been done like this is a mystery but totally original arrangement and possibly experimental from a clockmaker who was probably more used to making balance wheel lantern clocks. The lovely tapered iron wheel arbours are mostly without collets and are direct to the wheels. There are two massive tapered iron arbours that have iron collets, but these are integral and are part of the iron arbour itself - just like lantern clocks of the 1650s and 1660s. The clock is highly interesting and dates within about twelve years from the invention of the anchor escapement in 1658. Click here to view article. Private collection, Photographed by Lee Borrett.
Charles Rogers
at Guild Hall, c1672
Above. An early London 30-hour The small and very desirable early tulip dial longcase clock illustrated here is a rare 30-hour London example and was made by Charles Rogers at Guildhall from around c1672. Charles Rogers was born about 1635. He was apprenticed through the Clockmakers Company when he was Bound to William Almond on 6th November 1649 through Ralph Almond until he was Freed on 14th December 1657. In 1662 he was working in Blackfriars and later at Guildhall and Charing Cross. He took as apprentices: September 1661 Benjamin Heath; July 1662 Henry Atlee, March 1665 Charles Templer; March 1672 John Frethy; his son, Charles Rogers (II), passed over March 1678 from William Cowper but he was never Freed. Charles Rogers, I worked till late 1704 at least and is believed to have been buried in 1709 at St Dunstain’s in the West. He left a Widow, Jane, and seven children. Lantern and longcase clocks are known signed ‘Charles Rogers Guildhall’, ‘Charles Rogers at Guild Hall’ and ‘Charles Rogers at Chareing Cross, Londini’, and ‘Charles Rogers Londini’. Research revealed that on the 17th February 1665 and about two weeks before the first recorded deaths of the Great Plague which began in March 1665, Charles Rogers along with 33 other persons was put on trial in London for attending an illegal Religious Meeting. Click here to view article. Private collection, Photographed by Lee Borrett.
