Antiques Glossary
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THE VICTORIAN STAFFORDSHIRE FIGURE
GLOSSARY
OF CLOCKMAKERS
GERMANY
FRANCE
BRITAIN
UNITED STATES of AMERICA
The Standard of Silver in Britain has been regulated from earliest times by Acts of Parliament and overseen by Goldsmiths and Silversmiths ‘Guilds’. The ‘standard’ or purity of the silver was tested or ‘assayed’ at various ‘assay offices’ around the country and they have identifying marks and letters for date. Silversmiths or makers also have marks of identification registered with the guilds.
A tax or ‘duty’ was levied on all silver assayed from December 1784 until April 1890 (with some exceptions). The mark of the Sovereigns Head shows the duty was paid.
All these marks together make up the "HALLMARK" which is stamped onto the silver article and ensures that the silver you buy is GENUINE ENGLISH SILVER
The Silver Standard Mark,
the Lion Passant, sterling assayed at 92.5%
The
Duty Mark, Sovereigns Head, from 1784 to 1890.
London Assay
Office. Established aprox circa 1544
Chester Assay Office.
Established aprox circa 1680 closed down August 1962.
Birmingham Assay Office.
Established in 1772 - First marks struck 1773.
Sheffield Assay Office. Established
in1772 - First marks struck 1773.
Other Assay Office's include Newcastle, Exeter, Norwich. Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland and Dublin in Ireland. For full information on these marks see "Bradbury's Book of Hallmarks" printed and published by J.W. Northend Ltd, Clyde Road, Sheffield. S8 0TZ.
Date Mark. Alphabet letters within shields -
letters change annually. Tables can be found in "Bradburys Book of
Hallmarks" and any good silver buyers handbook.
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A SELECTION OF THE FOLLOWING CLOCKMAKERS AND CLOCK TYPES ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE FROM STOCK
GUSTAV BECKER. Established in 1847 in Freiburg, this factory began in two small rooms and developed over the years until by 1899 it had taken over all other clockmaking companies in Freiburg. In 1926 the firm was merged with Junghans.
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H.A.C. ( HAMBURG AMERICAN CLOCK Co.). Founded in 1883 by Paul Landenberger from an earlier partnership of Landenberger and Lang, this German company produced domestic clocks of all types using American methods and many American designs. In 1892 the firm registered the crossed arrows Trademark which is instantly recognisable.
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JUNGHANS. (GEBR. JUNGHANS UHRENFABRIK). A Family firm founded by Erhard Junghans with his brother Xaver in 1861. This company pioneered the adoption of American methods of production eventually becoming the largest clockmaking firm in Germany.
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LENZKIRCH. Known for quality movements, the company was founded in 1850 by Eduard Hauser in Lenzkirch. The Trademark of a treebranch with Lenzkirch A.G.U. in an oval was registered in the 1870's. Taken over by Junghans in 1928, the factory ceased production in 1932.
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WINTERHALDER & HOFMEIER Established in Neustadt in 1895 making clocks in the Blackforest and American styles the company, which exported many clocks to Britain soon developed movements and designs along British lines, including fusee movements.
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BROCOT. Louis-Gabriel a Parisian clockmaker and inventor of the visible pin-pallet escapement. Working 1820/50. His son Achille continued the business and also invented an adjustable pendulum spring suspension.
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JAPY. Frederic Japy, perhaps the biggest and best known of French manufacturers was employing 300 people in his factory at Beaucourt as early as1801. When his sons entered the business in 1807 the famous company JAPY FRERES was established.
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MARTI F. Fritz Marti Et Fils, working from premises in Vieux-charmont in 1867, exhibited in the Paris Exhibition of 1889 and was awarded a Medaille d'Or in 1900.
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Clock making in Britain flourished from the incorporation of the Clockmakers Company in London in 1631 and spread through the regions during the following two centuries. Massproduction was never developed as in Germany, France and particularly America. British clockmakers remained independent with a few making movements for sale to other makers or specialising in producing dials etc. There are several hundred clockmakers known and listed in all the standard reference books - far too many to list here - see our recommendations in "The Library".
DIAL CLOCKS. Developed from the tavern or 'act of parliament' clocks, these simple round white dial wall clocks were popular for library's and offices through out the nineteenth century and into the twentieth. Often non striking timepieces, they can also be found with ' passing strike' where the clock strikes once as the hour is passed and fully striking.
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DROP DIAL CLOCK. Similar to the above but with a longer trunk below the dial to allow for a longer pendulum. Often with a glass window or panel to allow the pendulum bob to be seen.
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HALFPENNY MOON or HALIFAX MOON. Movement in a Longcase (Tallcase) Clock. A type of lunar dial or 'moonphase' adaptation for square dial clocks. Sometimes found on London made clocks, they are predominately found on clocks made in Yorkshire or Lancashire.
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FUSEE this is a method of reducing the difference in the strength of a coiled spring due to being fully wound or unwound. Using a chain or steel cable driving a barrel of decreasing diameter to increase the leverage exerted as the spring winds down thus canceling the decrease in spring strength. (see reference for more details). Invented by a Frenchman but so widely adopted by British makers that the design is considered to be British. Almost all quality British spring driven clocks up to the end of nineteenth century employ this method.
For more details see "The International Dictionary of Clocks" by Alan Smith ISBN 1 85152 907 1
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GRANDFATHER CLOCK Popular name for Longcase or Tallcase in the USA. First developed towards the end of the 17th century their popularity spread until by the end of the 18th century there were clockmakers producing Longcase clocks in every region of Britain. Clocks are of two main types, 30hour duration mainly smaller cased 'cottage' clocks in oak cases although some early provincial cases can be as tall as 90 inch. The 8 day duration movement found in every type and fashion of case.
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MANTEL CLOCK designed to stand on the chimney mantel and be the focal point of a room, these clocks can be quite ornate particularly the clocks from the late Victorian period.
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BRACKET CLOCK Wooden cased clocks usually of good quality they were designed to stand on their own matching wall bracket - often now missing. The elegant design of these clocks distinguishes them on a large mantel or piece of fine furniture.
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ANSONIA CLOCK CO. Founded by Anson Phelps in the 1850's at Derby, Connecticut, production was moved to Brooklyn in1878 where it continued until 1929 when the machinery was sold to the Soviet Union. Very large numbers of clocks were produced of all types and examples can easily be found today.
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GILBERT CLOCK CO. William L. Gilbert founded the company in Bristol, Connecticut in the early 1820's moving to Dayton, Ohio for a short time before returning to Connecticut and an association with John Birge. The company continued into the 20th century until it's sale in 1964.
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JEROME. One of the most influential of Connecticut clock makers. Chauncey Jerome together with his brother Noble developed a 30 hour movement from cheap rolled brass that revitalised clockmaking in the 1830's leading to the great export of clocks.
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NEW HAVEN CLOCK CO. Founded by Hiram Camp, nephew of Chauncey Jerome, in 1844 at New Haven, Connecticut. The company manufactured a large range of clocks of all types, purchasing some styles from other companies. Exporting in large quantities with offices in Britain and Japan in the 1880's.
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SETH THOMAS CLOCK CO. One of the largest producers of clocks in America, the company founded by the first Seth Thomas (1774-1859) flourished throughout the 19th century and into the 20th when General Time Corporation acquired the company in 1931. Making a range of clocks from novelty and alarm to quality regulators they are noted for easy maintenance and good performance.
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WATERBURY CLOCK CO. Established in 1857 from their parent company, The Benedict and Burnam Manufacturing Co., producers of brass. The business grew enormously and by 1917 employed 3,000 people exporting extensively to Britain through their offices in Glasgow. They offered for sale very cheap clocks and watches through mail order business, a factory catalogue of 1913 listing 425 types of clock from one dollar 20 cents to 210 dollars. The company was sold to United States Time Corporation in 1944.
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Figures were produced in the Staffordshire potteries from the beginning of the nineteenth century. Their popularity increased towards the middle of the century and by 1840 the Victorian figure came into its own. Charmingly naive, bright and colorful these figures reflect every aspect of Victorian society. The politicians and actors rubbing shoulders with lion tamers and religious orators. Picturesque animals, castles and cottages, heroines and villains all subjects for the potter's art. The first "Pop Art".
Identifying genuine Victorian figures is not always easy, there are a large number of reproductions on the market but here are a few tips.
Victorian figures were hand dipped into a lead glaze which is easy to spot as it collects into the crevices of the figures as a grey blue deposit. Because of the relatively low firing temperatures used only black and cobalt blue are found underglaze, all other colours being painted overglaze. Check for the 'blow hole' an air vent necessary to allow steam to escape from the figure when it was fired. It should be a rough hole, sometimes in the back of the figure, sometimes in the base, created literally by pushing a small pointed stick into the clay.
For more information email: The Dragon or see The Library book reviews.