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Important Executive Director Announcement from the NAWCC The NAWCC Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Mr. Rory McEvoy has been named Executive Director of the NAWCC. Rory is an internationally renowned horological scholar and comes to the NAWCC with strong credentials that solidly align with our education, fundraising, and membership growth objectives. He has a postgraduate degree in the conservation and restoration of antique clocks from West Dean College, and throughout his career, he has had the opportunity to handle some of the world’s most important horological artifacts, including longitude timekeepers by Harrison, Kendall, and Mudge.
Rory formerly worked as Curator of Horology at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, where his role included day-to-day management of research and digitization projects, writing, public speaking, conservation, convening conferences, exhibition work, and development of acquisition/disposal and collection care policies. In addition, he has worked as a horological specialist at Bonhams in London, where he cataloged and handled many rare timepieces and built important relationships with collectors, buyers, and sellers. Most recently, Rory has used his talents to share his love of horology at the university level by teaching horological theory, history, and the practical repair and making of clocks and watches at Birmingham City University.
Rory is a British citizen and currently resides in the UK. Pre-COVID-19, Rory and his wife, Kaai, visited HQ in Columbia, Pennsylvania, where they met with staff, spent time in the Museum and Library & Research Center, and toured the area. Rory and Kaai will be relocating to the area as soon as the immigration challenges and travel restrictions due to COVID-19 permit.
Some of you may already be familiar with Rory as he is also a well-known author and lecturer. His recent publications include the book Harrison Decoded: Towards a Perfect Pendulum Clock, which he edited with Jonathan Betts, and the article “George Graham and the Orrery” in the journal Nuncius.
Until Rory’s relocation to the United States is complete, he will be working closely with an on-boarding team assembled by the NAWCC Board of Directors to introduce him to the opportunities and challenges before us and to ensure a smooth transition. Rory will be participating in strategic and financial planning immediately, which will allow him to hit the ground running when he arrives in Columbia
You can read more about Rory McEvoy and this exciting announcement in the upcoming March/April issue of the Watch & Clock Bulletin.
Please join the entire Board and staff in welcoming Rory to the NAWCC community.
Show us your Half hour markers on brass dials
- Thread starter novicetimekeeper
- Start date
OK I can start with these that are currently set up in the house
1 Thos Barrett 1700
2. Thos Eayre 1740
3. Thos Baker 1700
4 Richard Fennel 1700
5 Peter Bower 1740
6. George Avenall 1730
7.John Knibb 1690
8. Henry Ward 1810
9. Thos Speakman 1690
10. John Mercer 1730
11. Thomas Hall 1730
12. John Voyce 1730
Dates are the start of the decade clocks likely made. All English.
1 Thos Barrett 1700
2. Thos Eayre 1740
3. Thos Baker 1700
4 Richard Fennel 1700
5 Peter Bower 1740
6. George Avenall 1730
7.John Knibb 1690
8. Henry Ward 1810
9. Thos Speakman 1690
10. John Mercer 1730
11. Thomas Hall 1730
12. John Voyce 1730
Dates are the start of the decade clocks likely made. All English.
Last edited:
Few more from the study
1. Charles Gretton 1690
2. Thomas Clarke 1730
3. Samuel Whitmore 1760
4. Anon 1730
1. Charles Gretton 1690
2. Thomas Clarke 1730
3. Samuel Whitmore 1760
4. Anon 1730
1. Thomas Ranger 1750
2. Anon Swiss 1740
3. Anon France 1790
4. Anon English hooded clock 1770
5. Anon German 1830
6. Anon Vienna(?) 1790
oops, these are not all brass dials. have iron and pewter in there.
2. Anon Swiss 1740
3. Anon France 1790
4. Anon English hooded clock 1770
5. Anon German 1830
6. Anon Vienna(?) 1790
oops, these are not all brass dials. have iron and pewter in there.
Just goes to show how skilled and innovative engravers were. I have seen the reverse side of a chapter ring that had been reused, it was older than the new version as that had no half hour markers, they'd disappeared by then, relics of single handed clocks.
I remember reading somewhere that floating half hour markers are said to be later than fixed but I'm entirely convinced that's the case.
I remember reading somewhere that floating half hour markers are said to be later than fixed but I'm entirely convinced that's the case.
Yes floating came later, but it's a timeline for a maker, engraver, region. Not all were at the same place at the same time.
This is one of my oldest clocks. No signature so don't really know how old but it is the oldest style of chapter ring for a two handed clock that I have.
The half hour markers are an early form but not as early as the trident type.
The half hour markers are an early form but not as early as the trident type.
Well Nick, to get it going you have certainly blitzed the field !!, But to keep the list going g, here are two of mine. First, an English lantern clock which looks the part but for going through the usual 19th century rigours of a twin fusee movement, the other a GustaveBecker German vienna regulator.
David
David
We welcome the converted lanterns, the alternative was scrapping them and then we would have lost them forever and details of their makers with them.
Very nice trident markers.
Very nice trident markers.
I have a couple of longcase without, and I only have two brackets, one with diamond lozenges and one without. Half hour markers never seem to have been a thing on dial clocks as they arrived too late.
Lanterns are a great source of trident half markers. Sadly my only lantern, though rare in its own right, is too late for half hours. We need some dates dean
The half hour markers have been used since the 16thC although usually plainer than the later English versions. Often a small T or star.
German, unsigned 1590
John Wise, English, 1660
Andreas Raeb, Hamburg, 1630
German, unsigned, 1620
German, unsigned, 1570
1. D Seddon Frodsham 1760
2. Samuel Clay Gainsborough 1730?
3. John Lees Middleton 1780
4. Anon 1900
5. John Duffett Bristol 1760
6. Robt Markham London 1730
7. Thos Carter Bishop Auckland 1740
8. Windmills & Bennet London 1720
All English clocks
2. Samuel Clay Gainsborough 1730?
3. John Lees Middleton 1780
4. Anon 1900
5. John Duffett Bristol 1760
6. Robt Markham London 1730
7. Thos Carter Bishop Auckland 1740
8. Windmills & Bennet London 1720
All English clocks
Very nice, you also find individual minute numbering on early English longcase and bracket clocks.
The reason I'm not convinced is floating ones are found on 17th C lantern clocks along of course with fixed ones.
I think the reason rooted half hours are more important for earlier clocks is that they had a purpose on single handers that became redundant on two handers. The line bisecting the hour was a useful guide for the eye.
Yes the very earliest English pendulum clock have that. I have seen it on a very few rare German clocks from 16thC and early 17thC.
Here are a few of mine.
Anthonie Hebert, Archer Stow (2x). Francis Stamper, George Booth, Dilkes Sibford, Handscomb Ampthill, John Washbourn, John Wilks, Joseph Cooper
Anthonie Hebert, Archer Stow (2x). Francis Stamper, George Booth, Dilkes Sibford, Handscomb Ampthill, John Washbourn, John Wilks, Joseph Cooper
James Goodyer, John Burges, John Sanderson, John Shepley, Muzzel Bolney, Richard Gilkes, Richard Savage, Richard Sill, Samuel Greenhill, William Atkinson
The single train Gould one is unusual as is the position of the calendar.
Lots of lovely clocks on this thread.
I'm thinking that since the dial maker was very often different from the clockmaker, the clockmakers' names are not relevant. What might be relevant are the date of the clock and where it was made. (Similar dates and locales may have similar half-hour markers because they were made by the same dial maker.) Just an opinion.
Frank
Frank
It appears many of the London makers used similar patterns and quite possibly a small numbers of engravers leading to fairly homogenous designs.
The provincial ones can be quite different. Maybe the clockmaker themselves did some of the engraving or there was a local engraver who did his own thing?
Certainly some provincial makers were known to do their own engraving. Loomes suggests that the trident marker and the lozenge were part of that. Some provincial makers supplied dials to other makers
We know that Peter Bower of Redlynch advertised by hanging dials in the tree outside his cottage. This would be a big expense if he had to buy them in, given that clocks were only made to order.
His early work has quite simple engraving which supports this idea.
We know that Peter Bower of Redlynch advertised by hanging dials in the tree outside his cottage. This would be a big expense if he had to buy them in, given that clocks were only made to order.
His early work has quite simple engraving which supports this idea.
About when did half hour markers stop? Would the time frame be different in Scotland? Just curious, both my brass dials are apparently too late ( 1775-80)
It was later in the North, and I expect also in Scotland. They seem to have been kept as decorative for longer in the North. I don't have any quotes from books but I would say gone by mid century in London and spreading out in fashion from there. My later Wimborne clock is without them, that's perhaps 1760. They don't appear on any dial clocks I'm aware of and they start around 1770.
Here are two shots of my Thomas Lister of Halifax tall case clock. Lister, Jr. worked alone in Halifax until 1795. He then partnered with Bromley. So this clock was made in or before 1795.
My understanding is by around 1760 on two handed longcase clocks half hour markers had largely gone along with quarter hour ones. As ever there are always exceptions and one is shown in Barber's book on provincial longcases dated to c. 1770 which retains half hour markers but not quarter hour ones. The chapter ring of the Thomas Lister II clock above also unexpectedly has the earlier feature of smaller minute numbering outside the minute band.
Here's my single hander by Thomas Powell, Ravensthorpe, Northamptonshire c. 1750
Here's my single hander by Thomas Powell, Ravensthorpe, Northamptonshire c. 1750
I know we have had this discussion before about the date or authenticity of my Lister clock. Some said, if I recall correctly, that the Hepplewhite case came later. I'll have to search for that thread.
What would taking off the chapter ring show me? How difficult is that?
Is it possible that it is a Lister dial on a later clock? or a Lister clock in a later case?
If you don't want to take the dial off you can take the hood off and have a very good look, take the movement and dial out so you can see better, look for any unused holes or unused fixings. If it has a different chapter ring then there will be evidence of this.
If the movement has been on a different dial, again unused holes. or changed fixings.
You should be able to take photographs too but you will be able to see what I'm talking about for yourself.
If the movement has been on a different dial, again unused holes. or changed fixings.
You should be able to take photographs too but you will be able to see what I'm talking about for yourself.
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