The thing about the early period, which lasted from the introduction of the pendulum to England in 1658 until about 1720, when clockmaking became more standardized and businesslike, is that there was a depth of talent and creativity that was astonishing.  There is no reason why we couldn't do articles on the work of Henry Jones in the temple, John Ebsworth, Edward Barlow, of repetition fame, and on and on.

Here's a list of London makers from this period who rate full page illustrations in a standard work on the subject, "English Domestic Clocks" by Cescinski and Webber

Edward Stanton
Richard Lyons
Thomas Johnson
Thomas Hall
Thomas Bradford
Henry Massy
John Wise
Thomas Stubbs
Mansell Bennet
Nathaniel Barrow
Samuel Macham
Thomas Johns
Alexander Irving
William Cook
E. Speakmett
Thomas Wheeler
Ralph Clowes
William Fuller
C. Nicholas
Thomas Johnson
Joseph Davis
Edward Faulkner
Langley Bradley (Who worked for Christopher Wren, and made the clock at St. Paul's Cathedral)
Jonathan Browne
Ben Collyer
Henry Poisson
Richard Scrivner
William Underwood
Thomas Westt
Daniel Robinson
Jacobus Hassanius
Joshua Wilson
Daniel Delander (an early work of someone who was to become a noted maker in the later 18c)

And these are just the boldface names.  There are inch thick books of lists of makers' names, and indeed these are just the ones who got their names on the dials. Behind them stood a nameless army of support workers: founders, smiths, engravers, chasers, gilders, cabinetmakers, inlay workers, turners, suppliers of locks and hinges, the list could go on.  It was, by the standards of the 18th century, a big business. About most of these people we know next to nothing.

This is a later clock by Langley Bradley.  Clearly from the mid 18th century.  

(image credit: Gordon Converse)

There are several things that make a clockmaker famous: Usually some some important or novel invention was credited to the famous maker.  It's important that they were prolific: There need to be enough surviving examples to be represented in important collections. But most important is that their clocks have some stamp of individuality.  In an age before mass production, most clockmakers acted like factory workers, producing ordinary items in the current style for clients who wanted "one of those" and that's pretty much the reaction when you see one for sale "oh yeah, one of those". Famous makers almost always have some spark of individual style, they are as much artists as artisans.

Here's a longcase movement by Jas. Clowes, London, of about 1700.  Note that the semi side view shows off some of the features of early clocks. The early pieces were noted for the three dimensional, almost sculptural details.  Note how high the faces in the corner spandrels are, and you can see some of the elaborate filing used on the hands. Even components like the levers that control the striking are beautifully detailed and finished, and often polished to a high sheen.

(image credit: European Clocks   E. J. Tyler  Ward, Lock, and Co Ltd London 1968)

We'll finish up with some pictures of the first in our comparison above.

This fine clock, by James Wrightman, London, one of our back-benchers, shows that you didn't need to be a star to produce first class work.  It also points up one of the hazards of collecting in this period:  The famous names produce such a price premium that there has for a century or so it has been a great temptation to the unscrupulous to "improve" lesser maker's clocks.

(image credit: Derek Roberts)

Next time: It's back to the continent, and the story of Huygens and the balance spring.

Previously:

Monastic alarms and the beginnings of clockmaking
De Dondi's remarkable astrarium
Early tower clocks
Gothic iron clocks
Rennaisance clocks
Early english lantern clocks
Huygens and the pendulum
Fromanteel's English pendulum clocks
Huygens in Paris
Clement and the recoil escapement
Edward East and the golden age
Thomas Tompion
Daniel Quare
Joseph Knibb