Worshipful Company of Clockmakers

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The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers (abbreviated: Clockmakers' Company , in the technical literature also C. C. ) is one of the 110 Livery Companies of the City of London . This guild- like association of watchmakers was founded on August 22, 1631 by Charles I by means of a royal statute, the so-called Royal Charter .

History and Development

The original purpose was to regulate and promote the watchmaking trade along with some other crafts such as engraving or making sundials and mathematical instruments. The scope of the statutes was originally limited to the city of London and a radius of ten miles , but in some areas it was extended to all of England and Wales.

The company had a particular interest in quality control, the training of new watchmakers and the welfare of its members. In the city no one should be allowed to manufacture and sell clocks and clock parts or buy clock parts unless he was a member of the guild. To achieve these goals, the company had far-reaching powers and was authorized to establish rules for the watch trade. The apprenticeship for watchmakers was fixed for five years and violations were punished with severe penalties. Simple members were only allowed to train one apprentice, as a master, warden or assistant of the two. The Company was allowed to search ships, warehouses, factories, and any place where it suspected of inferior goods, poor work, or violations in the presence of a police officer, a right that was exercised well into the 18th century. The restrictions were later relaxed and eventually disappeared entirely.

One could join the Clockmakers Company through a successful apprenticeship with a freelance clockmaker, by paying a transfer fee or through patrimony , the child's right to follow his parent into the company.

The company was (and is still today) run by a court (comparable to a chamber ), to which ten or more elected assistants (assistants) belonged. This court annually appointed a “master” and three “warden” as official representatives and a “secretary” who took care of the day-to-day business. Masters whose year was up fell back to the rank of assistant.

Today the Clockmakers Company, like most Livery Companies, is a charitable institution. It awards Tompion and Harrison gold medals worldwide for exceptional achievements in watchmaking. The company's motto is Tempus Rerum Imperator (in German, for example: Time is the ruler (over) all things ).

Library and museum

The Clockmakers Company Library was founded in 1813. It initially consisted of the company's very old manuscripts, on which most of today's publications on British watchmakers are based. The library quickly grew to include books, often submitted by the author himself or commented on by famous watchmakers, and contains a large number of very rare volumes. In 1925, with the consent of the Corporation of London , the collection was moved to the Guildhall Library so that it could be freely accessed by the public.

The watch collection started in 1814 and is the oldest watch collection in the world. It has also been in the Guildhall Library since 1874. The collection is shown in a single room and includes around 600 small clocks, 30 large clocks and 15 marine chronometers along with a number of rare watchmaker portraits. Most of the pieces date from the period from 1600 to 1850. The collection also includes the marine chronometer "H5" by John Harrison .

Founding members

  • Master: David Ramsay
  • Warden: Henry Archer, Sampson Shelton, and John Willowe
  • Assistant: Simon Bartram, John Charlton, Edward East, Francis Foreman, John Harris, Samuel Linnaker, John Midnall, Richard Morgan, John Smith and James Vantrollier

Other well-known members

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Willis I. Milham: Time and Time Keepers [...] . Reprint, The Macmillan Company, New York (USA) 1975. pp. 95 ff
  2. ↑ GH Baillie, C. Clutton, CA Ilbert: Britten's Old Clocks and Watches and their Makers . Bonanza Books, New York (USA) 1956.
  3. ^ Full text of "Some account of the Worshipful company of clockmakers of the city of London". In: archive.org. Retrieved August 3, 2012 .
  4. ^ GH Baillie: Watchmakers & Clockmakers of the World . Third Edition, NAG Press Ltd., London 1966.

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