Octavius Morgan (1803-88)
Octavius Morgan was educated at Westminster School in London
and at Christ Church Oxford. He was a Fellow of the Society of
Antiquaries of London, a Fellow of the Royal Society, President of
the Royal Archaeological Institute and became Member of Parliament
for Monmouth. He was also a Justice of the Peace and Deputy
Lieutenant for Monmouth.
He began his collection of clocks and watches in 1837 with the
purchase in Ratisbon of a small group of antique watches. By 1848
Morgan was well informed on the subject of horology and delivered a
paper to the Society of Antiquaries of London, entitled 'The
history and progress of the art of watch-making from the earliest
times'. In years that followed he contributed papers on watches,
clocks, rings, plate, pottery, deeds, printed books, Roman remains,
ironwork, and many kinds of medieval antiquities. He even submitted
a serious paper concerning 'The extinction of several varieties of
dogs in England'. He was also one of the first to assess and
publish the dating system of English hallmarking of precious
metals.
During his lifetime, Morgan presented a number of objects to The
British Museum, including the famous automated nef by Hans
Schlottheim in 1866, a magnificent table clock by Lucas Weydmann
and a fine set of miner's survey instruments by Tobias Volckmer of
Brunswick both in 1867. On his death in 1888 he bequeathed his fine
collections of clocks watches, scientific instruments,
chamberlains' keys, Papal rings and a number of items of glass and
ceramics to The British Museum.