lantern clock;
striking clock;
weight-driven clock
- Museum number
- 1888,1201.145
- Description
-
Lantern clock; weight-driven; verge escapement with original balance; count-wheel striking.
TRAIN-COUNTS.
Going.
Gt wheel 56
2nd wheel 54/7
Crown wheel 21/6
Striking.
To be completed.
- Production date
- 1645-1655
- Curator's comments
- The following text is the entry for this object from the unpublished catalogue of pre-pendulum clocks by John Leopold, former Assistant Keeper of Horology at the Museum. This information is unedited and should be used accordingly.
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LANTERN CLOCK, ENGLISH; ca.1660.
Bibliography.
White (1989) 192, 193, 500 ff.
Analysis of "count wheel, back strike plate, hoop wheel and drop (foot)": White (1989) 500 ff.
SIGNATURE.
No signature or mark.
DESCRIPTION.
Case and dial.
Lantern clock, consisting of a posted frame movement to which have been fitted four vertical panels, three frets and a bell with bellstrap: these parts together constitute the case.
The front vertical panel is secured at the bottom by a lug on the panel fitting into a hole in the bottom plate, and at the top by two pins in the top plate. The panel is engraved in the corners with an ornament of feathers, and in the centre with a patern of flowers. The chapterring, pinned by three feet, is divided I - XII with half-hour marks and divisions for the quarters. Steel hour hand.
Back panel of iron, with two spurs attached (the left-hand one repaired). At top right there is a small hole suggesting the detend of an alarm, but the fully engraved centre of the dial shows that this clock never had an alarm. The back panel is therefore probably a replacement (in addition it has no hole to match the screw hole in the rear bar of the movement, see later).
The plain brass doors, which are hinged between the movement plates, are replacements. The top stud of the right hand door has been repaired.
Three dolphin frets, each secured by two screws (one screw missing for the left-hand fret). The outer surface of the side frets was polished and left plain; the front fret was engraved. All frets have casting rag in the piercing.
The bellstrap is sprung into the top finials of the movement by steel pins; the bell is secured by a screw through the strap into the top finial, which has an (unused) horizontal hole through it. The entire assembly of bellstrap and bell is a replacement.
Movement.
Posted frame movement, constructed largely of brass. Two suare plates connected at the corners by turned pillars, which are screwed at top and bottom with turned finials and feet. The iron suspension-hoop is riveted to the top of the top plate (two rivets); the back feet have no traces of spurs, which will always have been on the back panel. All train wheels have four crossings. The bottom plate has four holes for the ropes.
Going train.
Traincount:
4 ║ 56 54
── ║ ── ── 21 (x 2)
12-hour ← 48 ║ 7 6
Great wheel: steel cord wheel (not original). Face-click acting on the crossings of the wheel.
Wheel balance of brass; brass cock with steel table.
Hourhand wheel: the arbor with the brass starwheel is friction tight on the wheel, being held by a spring-clip of steel.
Striking train.
Traincount:
4 ║ 56 54 48
── ║ ── ── ──
12-hour ← 39 ║ 7 6 6
Great wheel: 8 steel lifting pins. Steel cord wheel similar to that of the going and probably not original; face click acting on the crossings of the wheel.
2nd wheel: brass hoop.
3rd wheel: steel pin for warning.
Brass fly.
Count wheel: held by a brass spring-clip. The ridge for 2 o'clock has been repaired in steel.
Warned striking with locking on the hoop (2nd wheel) and warning on the 3rd wheel.
The rear bar has in the extension on the hammer side an unused screwhole, which may have helped to secure the original back panel.
CONVERSIONS.
Remarkably, this clock has never been converted to pendulum, although the table of the cock has probably been altered.
Later restorations include the cord wheels, the doors and the spider with the bell.
PERFORMANCE.
Going train: greatwheel - 1 rev. per hour.
escapement - 3,024 beat per hour.
Striking train: 9.75 revs. in 12 hours.
The great wheel of the going train revolves counter-clockwise, that of the striking clockwise.
MEASUREMENTS.
Clock: hight - 397 mm
width - 143 mm (movement plates)
depth - 142 mm (movement plates)
Movement: distance between the plates - 161 mm
distance between the bars, going - 49.5 mm
striking - 47 mm
HISTORY AND PROVENANCE.
Octavius Morgan collection; it is not known when or where Morgan acquired the clock.
Octavius Morgan bequest; reg. 1888,12-1,145.
COMMENTARY.
White classifies this clock as third period (ca.1660-1700). He accepts the balance of the present clock as original but suggests that the iron table of the cock and the iron cordwheels may be early continental repairs. In view of the fact that the clock did not originally have a pendulum a date much after 1660 is unlikely.
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Scape wheel: cast.
Looked under the chapterring: nothing except some trial-strokes on the dial plate.
The wedges of the outer bars made out of a brass ruler.
The positon of the cock and the banking-pin shows that the balance was not meant to do more than about 170 degrees.
Call the spider the "bellstrap". In lantern clocks it is nearly always cast as a single piece (White [1989] 364).
Frets: casting rag remains. This is OK (White [1989] 363).
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BIBLIOGRAPHY (Pauline Wholey – 2019)
White (1989) G.White, English Lantern Clocks (Woodbridge 1989).
Analysis of "count wheel, back strike plate, hoop wheel and drop (foot)": White (1989) 500 ff.
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- Latest: 4 (Jul 2015)
- Acquisition date
- 1888
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1888,1201.145
