THE KING'S MANY CLOCKS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23133, 3 September 1938, Page 15 (Supplement)

THE KING'S MANY CLOCKS

THE busiest olookmakers in England within the next few weeks when Britain says cood-bye to summer time will be those whose job it 13 to readjust His Majesty's 'clocks. For King George has nearly a thousand in all i_and the task of putting them back bne hour is even more delicate than advancing them. The Royal clockmaker at Windsor (starts work in the early afternoon and }ro does not finish until about midnight. the castlo there is the finest collection of clocks in England—some 360 in Ull. Buckingham Palace has about 160, find they are corrected by the clockmaker synchronising them by means of ji Greenwich-timed watch. There are pbout 50 at Sandringham, and 250 or at Balmoral, and others are in other Royal residences. The clocks at Windsor are of nearly incalculable value, and they are all carefully inventoried in ledgers kept by officials of the Royal Chamberlain, gome of these clocks are hundreds of Vears old, but most of them still go. Gift to Anne Boleyn The most treasured clock in the castle is the one which was given by Henry VHI. to Anne Boleyn on her redding morning. 'lts value runs into five figures, although it is only four iaclies high. This little masterpiece is finely engraved with the Royal Arms of England quartered with the arms of France. On the weights are the initials, H. and A., and true lovers' knots. Round the top of the clock is the fciotto, "Dieu et mon droit," and round the bottom is the inscription, "The Most Happye." As contrasted /with this tiny clock, -the most magnificent at Windsor is one in the form of a sunflower, set Bmong a bouquet of other flowers in

' Dresden china, the whole being in a Dresden china vase ornamented with landscape views on a white ground. The quaintest is in the room used by the castle footmen. This is a socalled "Act of Parliament Clock," an amusing relic of the time when Pitt put a tax on watches. These clocks were designed especially to evade the new form of taxation, and had a long vogue, but they are very rare now. Wonderful Chimes Outside the castle is one of the most celebrated clocks in tho country. This is situated in tho turret over the State entrance in the grand quadrangle of the castle. It is one of the finest timekeepers known, and it is said that it seldom varies more than a second a day, and when the wind is in the proper quarter its chimes can be heard three miles away. Thero are some splendid clocks at Buckingham Palace too. Perhaps the most curious is a French clock, made in tho reign of Louis XIV. It is in the form of a negress' head, and the time is shown in her eyes. In one the hours are indicated, and the minutes in the other.

George 111. was very fond of clocks, and at the palace is one known as the "Cuming Clock." He gave Cuming £2OOO for this, and paid him £2OO a year to keep it in order —so that it proved a pretty expensive luxury. Today it takes two dozen men a couple of months to overhaul and keep the Royal clocks in order. John Arnold A noted clockmaker of the eighteenth century was one, John Arnold. He made a ring for George 111. and inserted in it a diminutive watch. The monarch rewarded him with £SOO. The Emperor of Russia offered Arnold £IOO0 —a fortune in tboso times —for a similar watch, but he refused. An interesting fact is that the 8.8.C.'s first time signal was given not from Greenwich but by a watch made nearly a couple of centuries back. Arnold made it for one of the sons of George 111., who, however, returned

Ancient Timepieces Have a R History

By E. R. YARHAM—(Copyright)

it with the statement that he "wanted a watch, not a warming-pan." This watch has a marvellous mechanism, and every week it is tested at Greenwich, afterwards being taken round to various watchmakers' premises, workshops, and the homes of two millionaires, in order to set their clocks and watches correctly. Famous Bell Another noted clock is that at St. James' Palace. The bell is, as a matter of fact, even more famous than the clock which is about a century old. The boll, on tho other hand, has bopn in use for nearly 300 years, for it bears the inscription: "William Own made me, 1660." When King Edward VIII. was at the palace he contented himself with a plain mahogany timepiece.

Watches were used as far back as the time of Henry VIII., and in 1714 one which had belonged to that king was still in use. Another interesting fact is that the first known wrist watch is reputed to have been worn by Queen Elizabeth. It was a ruby and diamond studded bracelet affair, and was given to her by the Earl of Leicester on New Year's Day, 1572. At Hampton Court is a very ancient clock, adorned with the signs of the zodiac, and various astronomical figures. It was erected during the reign of Henry VIII. Queen Mary had a silver watch in the form of a death's head. It kept good time but required frequent windings. Craft Encouraged Coming further down the centuries, we find Charles I. doing all he could to encourage the craft of clock and watch making in England. He incorporated the makers of watches and clocks, and the charter forbids clocks, watches and alarms from being imported into England. Last year there died Mr. Herbert Green, who for many years was regarded as one of the greatest authorities on clocks in Britain. One of his most treasured possessions was a clock having an inscription on the inside bearing the legend that it gave the signal for the execution of Bang Charles in 164.8.

Another priceless clock bears the inscription, N. Vallin, 1598." The clock is in the form of a temple, and Mr. Green believed the clock was made by Elizabeth's own clockmaker, Nicholas Vallin. The mechanism is perfect, and Mr. Green once remarked it would keep time for another throe or four hundred years.

James I. was also keenly interested in clocks. He brought over from France a Scotsman named David Ramsay, who had emigrated to that country, and he becamo "keeper of all His Majesty's clocks and watches" and clockmaker extraordinary. Eventually he was in 1631 appointed first Master of the newly incorporated Clockmakers' Company. One of his noted clocks was acquired a year or two back by tho Victoria and Albert Museum.