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John and Grandfather Clocks
Over the past few weeks, I have been asked several times, both by e mail and phone, whether I ever get tired of Grandfather Clocks. The simple answer is no, I do not.
I love being involved with Grandfather Clocks, it is engrained in my soul and I cannot see myself ever retiring.I shall probably be buying, restoring and selling them until such time that my Lord and Maker finally calls it a day for me.It's nice to make a profit out of my clocks, of course it is, but it is not just that.I enjoy meeting new people and making new friends and I would like to think that most, if not all of my customers, look upon me as a friend. Above all, I get immense personal satisfaction from the look of joy on somebody's face when I am able to supply them with just the clock they have been looking for, often for a painstakingly long time.It makes me feel good inside and there is no substitute for that.
Some information about grandfather clocks
Most antique grandfather clocks tend to fall into two categories, 8 day and 30 hour,although you will occasionally come across the exception that has a one month,three month,six month or even a twelve month movement. Normally,because of the extra gearing involved, a clock that goes for a month or more will wind anti-clockwise whereas an eight day clock winds clockwise.
A standard 8 day grandfather clock has two winding holes in the dial to facilitate its two weights and is wound with a key. As you look at the clock from the front,the weight on the left hand side is responsible for making it strike and the weight on the right hand side is responsible for making it go.It is my belief that an 8 day clock is really a one week clock which allows you an extra day to wind it should you forget or are not available to wind it at the designated time on the designated weekly day.In addition to the brass or painted dial,antique grandfather clocks will often have other features like seconds and date dials.Slightly less common are clocks that also incorporate either a moon phases disc,or an automatum such as a rocking ship.Rarer still are clocks which boast a variety of musical bells,or even reeds to make them sound like an organ.
Period grandfather clocks are generally made from oak, mahogany(sometimes a mixture of both) walnut or pine.Elm,fruitwood and satinwood sometimes come into the equation but they are far less common. The vast majority of early british grandfather clocks tend to be made of just the oak or walnut as mahogany was not imported into the UK until the mid 18th century.
A 30 hour clock is not wound by a key,but rather by a rope or a chain.It only has one weight and this weight is responsible not only for the running of the clock,but also for making it strike.It is once again my belief,that similar to the eight day clock,a 30 hour grandfather clock is merely a one day clock which affords the luxury of a further 6 hours or so,should you forget to wind it on time. Sometimes a 30 hour clock will have what are known as dummy winding holes in the dial.Although they do not serve any actual purpose,they give a 30 hour clock the physical appearance of an eight day clock and make it look a little more grand, as usually,a 30 hour clock is not as expensive as its 8 day counterpart.
Moon Phases Clocks
This type of antique grandfather clock first came into being in the early 18th century .The moon phases discs were very small at that time,about the size of an old penny, and thus they were called penny moons .As arched dial clocks gained momentum, so the moon phase disc increased in size to the one with which we are all now most familiar.ie.9" diameter
A moon phases disc normally has 4 small paintings on it. Two are moon faces which are opposite to each other,and then you have two other pictures which can be a combination of things.eg sailing ships, country scenes,cottages etc..A full moon occurs every 29 1/2 days,after which time,the moon which started at the top of the dial will be at the bottom and vice versa. Every 15 days,either the country scene or the sailing ship or whatever else will be at the top and obviously, its opposite will be at the bottom.
Moon phases grandfather clocks were designed for one main reason. That reason was so that anyone wishing to travel by night would be able to tell from his clock when the next full moon would be and thus be able to plan his travel at a time when there would be most light to be guided by.
Antique Grandfather Clock Dials
Hands up those of you who own a grandfather clock which has roman numerals on the dial and have never noticed that the one of the numerals was wrong.? If you are honest,I expect that a lot of hands will reach for the sky.Have a look at the number 4.
In roman numerals it should be 1V but it is nearly always 1111.
I have discussed this point many times with my clock peers and we can only come up with the fact that 1111 balances out the dial better with the nmber V111 on the opposite side.If anyone amongst you knows of another reason ,I would be most delighted to hear it.
UPDATE: Oct 04
My thanks to Martin Hyde who kindly provides the following interesting comments ...
John,
I have been reading your website and noticed that you mention the Roman numeral IIII instead of IV. It is the case that the Roman's themselves did not use IV to represent the number 4, it is a much later invention for expediency (I think it came around in the late 18th Century). They never had a rule such as "if there is a smaller number in front of a larger number then it must be taken away from the larger number before carrying on" - their system was purely additive. Similarly, the number 9 would be VIIII, forty nine would be XXXXVIIII; and so on.
I would assume therefore, that the use of IIII on clocks alludes to these older times. Examples of the original Roman use are replete in the literature.
Regards,
Martin Hyde
More Information
In addition to the number of emails I receive each day asking how I have managed to remain so good looking into late middle age,I also receive a lot from people asking me how to date their antique grandfather clock.Perhaps the two following reference books might be helpful.
- Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World by G.H.Baille, Volume 1
- Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World by Brian Loomes, Volume 2
It is probably possible to find these books in your local library,where there should also be many other books available on grandfather clocks.
Grandfather / Longcase / Tallcase / Moonphase Clocks.Which one to buy?
Often, when potential customers and thus potential friends visit my
premises to view my grandfather / longcase / tallcase / moonphase clocks, they ask
me this question,"If you were me, which clock would you choose for
yourself?". My answer to this question is quite simple and
straightforward and always the same. A clock is a personal thing, and
provided that it is suitable for your home and within your
spending compass, choose the one which you personally like best.Choose
your grandfather / longcase / tallcase clock in the same careful way
you chose your partner for life. Choose the one you are most attracted
to and the one which you would be happy to live with for the rest of
your days.It is a simple,effective and truthful answer. It is my belief
that the potential investment value of a grandfather / longcase /
tallcase clock should only play a secondary roll when considering which
one to buy. People are sometimes a bit surprised by this answer as on
many occasions the clock which they like best is not the most
expensive, but that is not the important issue, even though it means
less money for me! When they have had time to reflect for a moment,
they tend to agree that it is a good and productive way of going about
a purchase.
Website Thanks
I would like to take this opportunity to thank via my website,all the
people who have taken the trouble to contact me, both by telephone and
e mail and told me how much they enjoyed looking at my grandfather /
longcase / tallcase clock cartoons and also reading through my
poems.Initially, I have to say that I was a bit concerned as
to how my cartoons would be received on a professional grandfather /
longcase / tallcase clock website, but I need not have worried. I am
delighted that so many of you have taken to them and accepted them in
the light hearted manner for which they were intended.
The Gonglechinks, Bloj The Swol,The Nasty Blue Jiggers, One eyed Grud
and The Enormous Gigantic may not be active in real life but they are
more than active in my imagination.I think it is great that my
grandfather / longcase / tallcase clock website is allowing folks to
occasionally escape from the every day rigours of life.Thank you all
and God Speed.
Early Clocks
Long before the domestic grandfather/ longcase/tallcase clocks were
made, Blacksmiths were making great iron church clocks as early as the
1400's. These early makers realised that by travelling from one part of
the country to another, they could make a good living by making and
repairing these clocks, so some of the earliest records of
the clock industry are to be found in church records. As soon as
grandfather / longcase / tallcase clocks came into being and
people wanted them in their own homes, watch and clockmakers found
plenty of work in their own areas.The names of these people
are recorded in local directories and it is from these directories that
we are able to build up a list of makers of watches and
grandfather / longcase / tallcase clocks and the people employed by
them.We can find out the towns that they worked in, the streets where
they had their businesses, and a good idea as to when they were in
operation.Other references would be local newspapers, records of wills,
local libraries and museums.
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