Early Clocks
ffecitt, 1692
Richard Savage
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 and Millborough Brown, at Yarpole Church in Hererordshire, 30th April, 1692.
Yarpole Church, Herefordshire. The clock was made for the wedding of Edward Pardoe & Milborough Brown of Yarpole. They were married on April 30th, 1692, by license in Yarpole Church.
Richard Savage is the first true clockmaker to be listed in the records of the Smiths' Company of Shrewsbury. He was born in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, on 2 August 1663, the son of William & Joan Savage. He was one of the middle children of a family with at least 11 children, not all of whom survived their childhood. Richard married Elizabeth Price of Bridgenorth in 1685/86, after he would have finished his apprenticeship. Their children included William, born in Much Wenlock on 15th September 1687 and Thomas, also born in Much Wenlock, on 17th August 1690. William was apprenticed to his father, in Shrewsbury, in 1700 and Thomas, also in Shrewsbury, in 1703 when both were aged 13. Elizabeth, Richards wife, died in Shrewsbury on 7th March 1722. Richard re-married, to Margaret Jones on 19th October 1726, but he himself died, in Srewsbury, on 27th June, aged 64.
Above. A fine 17th century historic lantern clock made in 1692 by Richard Savage of Shrewsbury. The clock retains its original verge escapement and is of lovely proportions, standing 15 inches high. Photographed by Lee Borrett.
Above. Showing the beautifully engraved dial centre. Signed Richard Savage FFecitt (Made It) Original iron hand. Richard Savage is the first true clockmaker to be listed in the records of the Smiths' Company of Shrewsbury. Photographed by Lee Borrett.
Above. Showing a side view of the Richard Savage 1692 movement. Nicely shaped hammer stop. Original verge escapement and bob pendulum. Photographed by Lee Borrett.
Above. Showing the opposite side view. Note the original iron and brass gobet shaped collets. Original wheel-work, pinions and chain pulley's. Photographed by Lee Borrett.
Above. Showing s close-up of Savage's original iron goblet shaped collect which is integral and direct to the wheel. Photographed by Lee Borrett.
Above. Showing a close-up of Richard Savage's brass goblet shaped collet. Photographed by Lee Borrett.
Above. Top plate. The clock retains it's original verge escapment. Note this clock has iron top and bottom plates which is a typical feature found on early Richard Savage clocks. Photographed by Lee Borrett.
Below. The Fret. This clock was given as a wedding gift to Edward Pardoe & Milborough Brown of Yarpole. They were married on April 30th, 1692, by license in Yarpole Church. Photographed by Lee Borrett.
Yarpole Church
Above. Showing another view of Yarpole Church in Hererordshire where Edward and Millborough Brown were married on the 30th April, 1692. www.british-history.ac.uk
Wonderfully
Historical
Richard Savage Lantern Clock
Made for ye Yarpole Wedding of
Edward Pardoe and Millborough
Brown, at ye Yarpole church in
Herefordshire, 30th April,
Anno Domini
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.
Above. Marriage Register. Edward Pardoe of ye parish of Milford Globe in ye County of Salop & Milborough Brown of this parish were marryed April 30th by license. Herefordshire County Record Office.
Above. Marriage License. Showing the signatures of Edward Pardoe and John Browne (Millborough's Father). Herefordshire County Record Office.
Milborough was baptised in Yarpole in September 1667 daughter of John & Ann Browne. She seems to have had a sister, Ann, baptised in 1658. It is exceptionally unusual for this type of inscription to appear on a lantern clock. Research suggests it is very likely that the clock was paid for by John Browne. His name appears on the marriage licence and in the christening register of Yarpole. There are only a few Brown(e)s in the Yarpole registers, but John Brown is referred to in a memorandum of 1672 that Thomas & John Bedford gave up all their rights to the pews lately enclosed by John Brown gent. If this is the same John Brown (the ‘e’ seems to come & go) this would imply he is a man of some substance to enclose the pews and style himself gent. This would match with the magnificent wedding present and it makes sense to me that John Brown(e) would have travelled to Much Wenlock to meet with Richard Savage to discuss the fine clock which he was about to commission for the wedding of his beloved daughter Millborough.
St. Mary's Church
Bitterley
Edward & Milborough lived in Bitterley, Shropshire, where they had two children, Anna, born March 1695 and John born September 14th 1696 who were both baptised at St. Mary's Church in Bitterley. Yarpole village is only about 8 miles to the south west of Bitterley and is almost visible in the distance which must have been pleasing for Milborough to live within about only two hours or less travel from her parents by horse and carriage.
Above. The Church of St Mary is located in Bitterley, Shropshire. Photograph by Terry Rowntree.
The Church of St Mary was built in the 12th century and later, it is a Grade II listed building. Apon entering the church, there is a prominent and fabulous Pardoe family plaque on the south wall.
Above. Showing the inside of St Mary Church is located in Bitterley, Shropshire. Photograph by Terry Rowntree.
Above. Showing a front cover copy of the original Yarpole Register Book of the Christenings, Weddings and Burials.Herefordshire County Record Office.
Above. Showing a close-up fabulous Pardoe family plaque on the south wall. Photograph by Terry Rowntree.
Unfortunately Milborough died only four years after her marriage to Edward and was buried at Bitterley in September 1696. Edward married again in 1699 and died in 1715, being buried back at Bitterley alongside his first wife, Milborough. The locatable graves of the Pardoe family lie together under the tower on the north west corner of the church yard.They are all very weatherworn and practically impossible to read.
Above. The locatable graves of the Pardoe family lie together under the tower on the north west corner of the church yard.They are all very weatherworn and practically impossible to read. Photograph by Terry Rowntree.
Summary
In summary this is a fine and wonderfully historic lantern clock in superbly original condition, including it's wheelwork, made by Shrewsbury's earliest known domestic clockmaker. It is exceptionally rare to find a 17th century lantern clock with a known date of origin and ownership!
Acknoweledgements
I would like to thank the following for providing me with images and for allowing me to use any previously published material for this article.
My thanks go out to Terence Rowntree and his wife who helped me with this Richard Savage wedding clock article. Including cycling to Yarpole and Bitterley, spending many hours of their free time, gathering very historic information and suppying me with
wonderful photographs and some of which are shown above.
My thanks go out to Brian Loomes who allowed me to use his own previously published material for this article.
Further Reading
Click below to view
Salem Witch Trials
of 1692
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!
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom were executed by hanging (14 women and five men). One other man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death after refusing to enter a plea, and at least five people died in jail.
Above. Salem Witch Trials 1692. A women believed to be Mary Walcott protests as one of her accusers, a young girl, appears to have convulsions. A small group of women were the source of accusations, testimony, and dramatic demonstrations. Image. Shutterstock.com
Below. Salem Witch Trials 1692. Two women stand on trial in 1682 with guards, as the accusing girls demonstrate their demonic afflictions. Illustration by Howard Pyle. Image. Shutterstock.com
Arrests were made in numerous towns beyond Salem and Salem Village (known today as Danvers), notably Andover and Topsfield. The grand juries and trials for this capital crime were conducted by a Court of Oyer and Terminer in 1692 and by a Superior Court of Judicature in 1693, both held in Salem Town, where the hangings also took place. It was the deadliest witch hunt in the history of colonial North America. Only fourteen other women and two men had been executed in Massachusetts and Connecticut during the 17th century.
Above. Salem Witch Trials. Puritan Rev. George Burroughs in chains during his trial for witchcraft. Cotton Mather attended his execution by hanging on August 19, 1692. Image. Shutterstock.com
Below. Salem Witch Trial. Martha Cory in jail for witchcraft with her prosecutors. She was convicted by 'spectral evidence' provided by the young Ann Putman. She was executed by hanging on Sept. 22, 1692. Image. Shutterstock.com
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The episode is one of Colonial America's most notorious cases of mass hysteria. It has been used in political rhetoric and popular literature as a vivid cautionary tale about the dangers of isolation, religious extremism, false accusations, and lapses in due process. It was not unique, but a Colonial American example of the much broader phenomenon of witch trials in the early modern period, which took place also in Europe. Many historians consider the lasting effects of the trials to have been highly influential in the history of the United States. According to historian George Lincoln Burr, "the Salem witchcraft was the rock on which the theocracy shattered."
An Act
An act to reverse the attainders of George Burroughs and others of witchcraft. Boston, Massachusetts, Legislation was passed in 1711 to restore the rights and good names of those who had been accused. 1713.
Above. Salem Witch Trials An act to reverse the attainders of George Burroughs and others of witchcraft Boston. 1713. Image. Shutterstock.com
At the 300th anniversary events in 1992 to commemorate the victims of the trials, a park was dedicated in Salem and a memorial in Danvers. In 1957, an act passed by the Massachusetts legislature absolved six people, while another one, passed in 2001, absolved five other victims. As of 2004, there was still talk about exonerating all of the victims, though some think that happened in the 18th century as the Massachusetts colonial legislature was asked to reverse the attainders of "George Burroughs and others". In January 2016, the University of Virginia announced its Gallows Hill Project team had determined the execution site in Salem, where the 19 "witches" had been hanged. The city dedicated the Proctor's Ledge Memorial to the victims there in 2017
Acknoweledgements
My thanks go out to Wikipedia for all the above information regarding the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
Brief Summary
The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between early 1692 and mid-1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft--the devil's magic
and 20 were executed. In 1711, colonial authorities pardoned some of the accused and compensated their
families. But it was only in July 2022 that Elizabeth Johnson Jr., the last convicted Salem "witch" whose name had yet to be cleared, was officially exonerated.