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Grandfather Clocks:
Interesting Factoids about the Longcase Clock
Article "Grandfather Clock: Longcase Clock Factoids" will be featured at ArticleCity.com and isnare.com on November 11, 2009
In the following, you will discover more facts about the “grandfather clock” and other pendulum clocks, thank to my research started at Wikipedia. Originally, these clocks were called longcase clocks. These clocks, also go by other names. The tall-case clock, grandfather clock or floor clock are some of these names. The longcase clock is generally a freestanding, weight-driven, pendulum clock. The pendulum is in the center of tower (waist) on these ‘tall’ clocks. These clocks can range in height from 6 to 8 feet. The original longcase clocks, and many of the higher end grandfather clocks of today, often feature elaborately carved ornamentation on the hood, or bonnet, which surrounds the dial, or clock face.
The English clockmaker William Clement is credited with the development of this clock form in 1670. Most longcase clocks are striking clocks, which means they sound the time audibly with a bell or gong. The grandfather clock usually has chimes. That is a whole other page. There is a great deal of information on the grandfather chock chimes.
The terms "grandfather", "grandmother", and "granddaughter" in relation to longcase clocks tends to define differences. There is a general perception that a clock smaller than 5 feet is a granddaughter clock; over 5 feet is a grandmother clock; and over 6 feet is a grandfather clock.
The introduction of the longcase clock is due to the invention of the anchor escapement mechanism around 1670.
(An escapement is the mechanism in a mechanical clock that maintains the swing of the pendulum and advances the clock's wheels with each swing. An anchor escapement is a type of escapement used in pendulum clocks. Another escapement introduced by clockmaker George Graham in 1715 is called the deadbeat escapement. This is the mechanism most often used today in pendulum clocks as well as the grandfather clock.)
(I’ve read that there is some controversy regarding crediting the introduction of the anchor escapement. Some references credit clockmaker William Clement, who popularized it in his invention of the longcase clock. The anchor escapement was most likely invented by a scientist in Britain, Robert Hooke.)
Prior to that, pendulum clock movements used an older verge escapement mechanism, which required very wide pendulum swings of about 100°.
(The verge (crown wheel) escapement is the earliest known type of mechanical escapement. It is the mechanism in a mechanical clock that controls its rate by moving forward the gear train at regular intervals or 'ticks'. The origin is unknown. At the heart of every clock are oscillating instruments for recording or keeping time. The invention of the verge escapement has an important role in the history of technology. It made the invention of all mechanical clocks possible. This moved the processes of time keeping from the flow of liquid in water clocks (continuous process) to pendulum clocks (oscillatory process). Time keeping became more accurate.)
Most clocks had short pendulums to be contained within a case. Long pendulums with such wide swings were used in open clocks usually outside. The anchor mechanism reduced the pendulum's swing to around 4° to 6°. This allowed clockmakers to use longer pendulums, which had slower "beats". These needed less power to keep going. They had less friction and wear in the movement, and were more accurate.
Most longcase clocks use a seconds pendulum ("Royal" pendulum). These are about 39 inches long.
(A seconds pendulum takes 2 seconds to make the full swing. In 1670 the seconds pendulum was employed by William Clement in his improved grandfather clock version of the original pendulum clock by Christian Huygens. An interesting factoid is that in Britain around 1855, the British ‘yard’ was defined as a specified fraction of the length of the seconds pendulum.)
(Christiaan Huygens was a prominent Dutch mathematician born in 1629.He was also known as an astronomer, physicist, and horologist (Horology is the art and science of time.). He was also a writer of early science fiction. His work included many areas of study, including investigations and inventions related to time keeping and the pendulum clock. He was a fascinating man.)
Modern longcase clocks or grandfather clocks use a more accurate variation of the anchor escapement called the dead beat escapement. The deadbeat form of the anchor escapement was initially used only in precision clocks, but due to its superior accuracy its use spread during the 1800s to most quality pendulum clocks. Most pendulum clocks made today use it. The grandfather clock now comes in a variety of options.
Most of a longcase clock's height is used to hold the long pendulum and weights. The two chains attached to the weights. The lack of winding holes in the dial or clock face show this to be a 30-hour clock.
Traditionally, longcase clocks were made with one of two types of movements, the eight-day and one-day (30-hour) movements. Today we have 31 day and quartz movements in some longcase or grandfather clocks. Eight-day clocks are often driven by two weights, one driving the pendulum and the other the striking mechanism. Such movements usually have two keyholes on either side of the dial or clock face to wind each one. By contrast, 30-hour clocks often had a single weight to drive both the timekeeping and striking mechanisms. Some 30-hour clocks were made with false keyholes, for customers who wished that guests to their home would think that the household was able to afford the more expensive eight-day clock. Cable clocks are wound by inserting a special crank (called a "key") into holes in the clock's face and turning it. Others are chain-driven and have weights suspended by chains that wrap around gears in the clock's mechanism. To wind a chain-driven longcase clock, the end of each chain is pulled, lifting the weights. In the early 20th century, quarter-hour chime sequences were added to longcase clocks.
The Origin and Legend of the Term “Grandfather Clock”
During the 19th century, two brothers named Jenkins were managers at the George Hotel in Piercebridge, County Durham, England. One of the brothers died and, according to the story told to Henry Clay Work, in 1875, the clock (made by James Thompson) began to lose time. Repair attempts were made by the hotel staff and local clockmakers, but failed. When the other brother died at the age of 90, the clock broke down, and was never repaired in commemoration of the brothers.
Henry Clay Work decided to write a song about the story of this clock in 1876, which he called ‘My Grandfather’s Clock’. The song became popular, and it is from this song that the current term originates.
Historical Styles of the Longcase Clock
Comtoise Clocks
Comtoise clocks, also known as Morbier or Morez clocks. They are a style of longcase clock made in the French region of Franche Comte, hense the name. These clocks began production in 1680 and continued for 230 years. Astonishingly, during the years (1850-1890) over 60,000 clocks were made. These clocks feature a curving "potbellied" case and a greater use of curved lines in the overall design. Often a heavy, elongated, exceedingly ornamented pendulum bob is used in the case.
Many Comtoise clocks can be found in France, but they are also frequently found in Spain, and Germany. Some are even in the USA.
Bornholm Clocks
Bornholm clocks are Danish longcase clocks in the form of a tall wooden box. They were made on Bornholm (Danish island in the Baltic Sea) from 1745 to 1900. Bornholm clock-making began in the 1740s when an English ship, which had longcase clocks in its hold, was stranded at the island. They were sent for repair. The clocks went to a turner (A turner is a worker who uses a lathe for metal and wood working.) named Paul Ottesen Arboe in Renne (a town on Bornholm) and as a result of his repair of these clocks, he learned enough about clocks to begin to make his own.
Personal Comments
There is an amazing amount of material on clocks and the longcase or ‘grandfather clock.’ I have included only a brief smattering of the marvelous information available in print today.
There is a bibliography with numerous links to Wikipedia and a few external links. I have to admit here that I only reviewed four materials to get this information. Just imagine the abundant resources for this topic. I’ve included below a listing of some historical clockmakers. Take some time to look through this information and you just might become an avid pursuer of this knowledge.
The grandfather clocks of today are varied and are filled with the history of the mechanical clock. Their prices range from a few hundred dollars to many thousands of dollars. Some of the antique clocks are priceless. There is much history and heritage around clocks and the grandfather clockin particular. Take advantage of the remarkable plethora of information. Start with Wikipedia as I did, and go from there. I’m now looking into clock collecting and renovation. I found two resources already.
I give many thanks to Wikipedia. There ease of access to materials and information sped me on my path of discovery to the historical heritage of these clocks.
Historical Manufacturers
Britian
- John Alker
or Alker of Wigan, Lancashire
- Allam & Clements
- William Barrow, London
- Robert Bryson, Edinburgh
- Thomas Bullock, Bath
- Thomas Cartwright
- Richard Donisthorp (fl. 1797), of Loughborough
- Matthew & Thomas Dutton
- Peter Fearnley, Wigan
- John Fernhill, Wrexham
- Thomas Hackney, London, c. 1700-1750
- Edward Harrison, Warrington
- John Harrison, Wakefield/Barrow/London
- Holmes
- James Howden, Edinburgh
- Thomas Johnson
- William Lassell (1758-1790), Toxteth Park, Liverpool
- Alexander Miller, Montrose
- Daniel Quare
- Thomas Ross, Hull
- John Snelling, Alton
- Trubshaw
- Thomas Worswick, Lancaster
- Thomas Wright
- Henry Young, Swaffham
- John Wyld, Nottingham
Clockmakers in the United States
References
- Headrick, Michael (2002). "Origin and Evolution of the Anchor Clock Escapement". Control Systems magazine, (Inst. of Electrical and Electronic Engineers)
- Nelthropp, H. Leonard (1873). A Treatise on Watch-Work, Past and Present. London: E.& F.N. Spon.
- Barnett, Jo Ellen (1999). Time's Pendulum: From Sundials to Atomic Clocks, the Fascinating History of Timekeeping and how Our Discoveries Changed the World. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0156006499.
- Chappell, Jessica (2000). "The Long Case Clock: The science and engineering that goes into a grandfather clock". Illumin (Viterbi School of Engineering, USC)
- Wikipedia, Longcase clock, retrieved September, 2009
- Christiaan Huygens, Traité de la lumiere (Leiden, Netherlands: Pieter van der Aa, 1690), Chapter 1. (Note: In the preface to his Traité, Huygens states that in 1678 he first communicated his book to the French Royal Academy of Sciences.)
- I believe that we do not know anything for certain, but everything probably." —Christiaan Huygens, Letter to Pierre Perrault, 'Sur la préface de M. Perrault de son traité del'Origine des fontaines' [1763], Oeuvres Complétes de Christiaan Huygens (1897), Vol. 7, 298. Quoted in Jacques Roger, The Life Sciences in Eighteenth-Century French Thought, ed. Keith R. Benson and trans. Robert Ellrich (1997), 163. Quotation selected by W.F. Bynum and Roy Porter (eds., 2005), Oxford Dictionary of Scientific Quotations ISBN 0-19-858409-1
- Hans van den Ende: "Huygens's Legacy, The Golden Age of the Pendulum Clock", Fromanteel Ldt., 2004,
- van Kersen, Frits & van den Ende, Hans: Oppwindende Klokken - De Gouden Eeuw van het Slingeruurwerk 12 September - 29 November 2004 [Exhibition Catalog Paleis Het Loo]; Apeldoorn: Paleis Het Loo,2004
- Hooijmaijers, Hans; Telling time - Devices for time measurement in museum Boerhaave - A Descriptive Catalogue; Leiden: Museum Boerhaave, 2005
- No Author given; Chistiaan Huygens 1629-1695, Chapter 1: Slingeruurwerken; Leiden: Museum Boerhaave, 1988
- nature - International Weekly Journal of Science, number 439, pages 638-639, 9 February 2006
- Notes and Records of the Royal Society (2006) 60, pages 235-239, 'Report - The Return of the Hooke Folio' by Robyn Adams and Lisa Jardine
- Ron Baalke, Historical Background of Saturn's Rings
- Peter Louwman, Christiaan Huygens and his telescopes, Proceedings of the International Conference from discovery to Encounter, 13 – 17 April 2004, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, ESA, sp 1278, Paris 2004
- Johar Huzefa (2009) Nothing But The Facts - Christiaan Huygens
- Milham, Willis I. (1945). Time and Timekeepers. MacMillan. ISBN 0780800087.
- Glasgow, David (1885). Watch and Clock Making. London: Cassel & Co.. http://books.google.com/books?id=9wUFAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA124.
- Headrick, Michael (2002). "Origin and Evolution of the Anchor Clock Escapement". Control Systems magazine, (Inst. of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 22 (2). http://www.geocities.com/mvhw/anchor.html.
- Reid, Thomas (1832). Treatise on Clock and Watch-making, Theoretical and Practical. Philadelphia, USA: Carey & Lea. http://books.google.com/books?id=BB8JAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA184.
- Beckett, Edmund (Lord Grimsthorpe) (1874). A Rudimentary Treatise on Clocks and Watches and Bells, 6th Ed.. London: Lockwood & Co.. http://books.google.com/books?id=OvQ3AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA75.
- Chapman, Allen (2005). England's Leonardo: Robert Hooke and the Seventeenth Century Scientific Revolution. CRC Press. ISBN 0750309873. http://books.google.com/books?id=OH_c_21OG6MC&pg=RA1-PA84&sig=R7vewAX1u4W1wxmAA4kMEGhU4jU.
- Britten, Frederick J. (1896). The Watch and Clock Maker's Handbook, 9th Ed.. London: E.F. & N. Spon. http://books.google.com/books?id=5SYJAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA392.
- Moore, N. Hudson (1936). The Old Clock Book. Tudor. . http://books.google.com/books?lr=&id=HpFCAAAAIAAJ&dq=grandfather+anchor+clock&q=anchor&pgis=1#search.
- Clocks". Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Ed.. 6. The Encyclopaedia Britannica Co.. 1910. http://books.google.com/books?lr=&client=opera&as_brr=3&id=b5rSQtoe0LcC&dq=dead+escapement+Graham&pg=PA543&lpg=PA543&q=graham.
- Deadbeat escapement". Encyclopedia of Clocks and Watches. Old and Sold Antiques Marketplace. http://www.oldandsold.com/articles02/clocks-d.shtml.
- Betts, Jonathan Regulators in Bud, Robert; Warner, Debra Jean (1998). Instruments of Science: An Historical Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0815315619.
- Flamsteed, John; Forbes, Eric; Murdin, Lesley (1995). The Correspondence of John Flamsteed, First Astronomer Royal, Vol.1. CRC Press. http://books.google.com/books?id=Hrm9aCi48CYC&pg=PA376&sig=EAmQp1qgkJeOTjhH5jNKxip6-DI. Letter 229 Flamsteed to Towneley (September 22, 1675),
- Andrewes, W.J.H. Clocks and Watches: The leap to precision in Macey, Samuel (1994). Encyclopedia of Time. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0815306156.
- Airy, George Biddle (November 26, 1826). "On the Disturbances of Pendulums and Balances and on the Theory of Escapements". Trans. of the Cambridge Philosophical Society (University Press) 3 (Part 1): 105. http://books.google.com/books?id=xQEBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA105.
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