WILLIAM BARNARD LONG CASE CLOCK
INDEX # : 055-C-1092
circa: 1760-1780
CLOCK STYLE Grandfather, Long Case, Tall Case CLOCK NAME N/A MANUFACTURE William Barnard, Newark, Nottinghamshire, England William Barnard (1710-1785)
CASE MODEL # N/A MOVEMENT TYPE
Brass, 30-hour, endless rope weight driven, hour strike on bell, T&S, single weight. Movement originally drove one hand, it was modified at some point in the past to support and hour and minute hand. CASE SIZE & CONSTRUCTION Base = 17 ½", Height = 80", Depth = 9" LABEL INFORMATION N/A DIAL INFORMATION
Brass, cast brass corner spandrels, hand forged minute and hour hands. Movement stamped: "W. Barnard / Newark / 549". Calendar dial, and 9 ¾" chapter ring. Per correspondence with Mr. Brian Loomes: The dial is marked for hours and quarter hours, and originally would have only supported one hand. The hour and minute hands on this clock, although not original, are quite old and hand forged. It's possible they came off of another 18th century clock.
MISC. FEATURES
Heavily carved case, with old brass hardware. ACQUIRED FROM Antique clock auctions at "Whalen Auction Building" in Neapolis, Ohio. CONDITION WHEN ACQUIRED Case in fair condition, bottom has been replaced. Dial glass may be original. Not running, weight rope is frayed. Possible that movement and case are a marriage due to notches carved into case sides to allow the pendulum to swing freely. If this is the original case, it would have been carved somewhere around 1900 and stained black. This was not an uncommon practice. RESTORATION November 1992 - Repaired splice on weight rope, cleaned and adjusted movement, set clock to running. HISTORICAL DATA Clock was formerly part of the collection of Mr. & Mrs. M. Anderson. [Excerpt from Brian Loomes article on William Barnard]
"William Barnard is a name well known amongst students of Nottinghamshire clock making. He was born in Newark, one source says 1707, another about 1710, the son of another William Barnard, and served a seven-year apprenticeship from 1724 under a young master, Daniel Tantum of Nottingham, a member of another well-known clock making family and himself only twenty-four years old. In fact with a little research I discovered that William was baptised at Newark 10th June 1708, making him sixteen years old when apprenticed, two years older than was normal. Barnard would have ended his term of service about 1731, aged twenty three. In 1732 Daniel Tantum moved to Derby to take over his father's business there. It appears to have been at this time, about 1732, that Barnard moved back to his native town of Newark.
It seems that William kept up his connection with Nottingham for he was married there at St. Nicholas's church on 3rd February 1742 to Mary Wright, though he was stated to be 'of Newark'. Mary must have died as he seems to have married again there on 29th March 1744 to Ruth Jackson, at that time he was again stated to be 'of Newark'.
Whether he worked at first for some other clockmaker at Newark, or set up on his own from the start, we do not know. He is said to have been successor there to the business of Nicholas Goddard, who in fact died in 1740, though I know of no actual evidence to support this tradition. From the style of some of his surviving work, I would have thought he was working before 1740. We do know that he worked in Newark till his death in 1785, a remarkable working life exceeding fifty years, and this may account for the considerable number of his clocks which survive. If he made as many clocks as we know a typical clockmaker was capable of making, some twenty five clocks a year, his output must have exceeded 1250. We know he had several apprentices, some of whom may have also worked on for him for a while a journeymen, and so he may have been capable of an even higher output. These apprentices were Thomas Ingerson, John Crampern, William Lowther, John Barber and Edward Crampton. Of these we know that John Barber became William Barnard's successor, working from about 1786 to 1790.
William Barnard is one of those interesting clockmakers who numbered their clocks. Like most of them, he did not seem to hit upon this idea immediately he began his career. We know of some of his clocks without any numbers. The highest numbered clock of his that I know of is number 1216. So it is possible he achieved a higher output than the notional 1250. Barnard himself may have kept, in fact must have kept, a register of his numbering system. If so, this was probably scrapped long ago, as were the ledgers of most clockmakers once they had served their temporary purpose. If it survives, then its whereabouts today are unknown."
The number on the boss of this clock is "549" and the Spandrels on the dial are identified as "Urn with Two Birds". This design was popular between 1730 and 1765.
REFERENCES 1. "Grandfather Clocks and Their Cases", by Brian Loomes,. 1985 NOTES The acquisition of this clock came as a bit of a surprise. As I was carrying the three other clocks acquired at this auction out to our van, I heard my "number" being called by the auctioneer. This confused me for a second, because I wasn't there to bid on anything. Peering back into the auction room, I saw my wife waving and pointing to a grandfather clock against the back wall. At this point I new she had struck again (Gotta love this woman!). Some of the historical information above was acquired by writing to the Museum in Newark, England. They responded very quickly, and were helpful in dating and providing information on the maker. Continue with selection:
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