The Birth of the Grandfather Clock
Before the grandfather clock became popular in 1670, timekeepers over the centuries have relied on a variety of organic and natural sources to tell the hour of the day.
To understand the evolution of the grandfather clock, it’s important to talk about the origins of timekeeping and timepieces from the very early beginnings, centuries and centuries ago.
The Start of Time
When it comes to keeping track of the hours of the day, space and time have always gone hand-in-hand. Early astronomers, such as Theodosius of Bithynia (160-100 BC) of Anatolia, charted time by following the phases of the moon at night and the movement of the sun across the sky during the day. From these measurements came time and the invention of timepieces to keep us all on track.
Take for instance, the water clocks of 14th century BCE Egypt and Babylonia. Over the course of a day, water clocks used a system of dripping water, much like an hourglass, to mark time. A method that was adopted by 6th Century China to create their water clock towers. Powered by mercury, these clock towers were the first mechanical clocks of their time.
As well as water clocks, the Egyptians (3100 BCE) and Babylonians (1500 BCE) also relied on the sun to predict the time of day. Ancient sundials from the Babylonian period were the first to divide the day into 24 hours. These beautiful timepieces gave us the first imaginings of many modern clock faces and watches today.
The Mechanical Clock
While all of these inventions were good at keeping time, it wasn’t until the early renaissance period that the mechanical clock made its debut (circa 1270 to 1300). Driven by the ancient findings of astronomers and horologists, the first mechanical clocks to come to life in Italy were called Tower Clocks.
These clocks were not the best timekeepers in the world and could run fast or slow by as much as 15 minutes a day. This was due in part to the fact that they only had the hour hand. The minute hand was a later addition. Some of the very first mechanical clocks had no hands at all, but told time by striking bells.
Nevertheless, in the crude design of these tower clocks with their chains and weights and stature, you can see the grandfather clock beginning to take shape.
The Working Parts of Mechanical Clocks
While the inner workings of a mechanical clock is a complex system of cogs, wheels, springs and weights, there are three consistent elements in all mechanical clocks:
- A power source drives the clock’s cogs and wheels through a series of weights and springs.
- A regulator controls the speed of the clock’s cycle.
- The escapement or escape wheel controls the momentum of the clock’s pendulum, marking out time in one-second intervals.
The escapement is an important feature in our journey, as it is William Clement’s 17th Century invention of the anchor escapement that made grandfather clocks the most accurate timepieces of their day.
The Pendulum Clock
In 1582, the famous Florentine astronomer, physicist and engineer, Galileo Galilei was working on something called a pendulum as a regulator to improve the accuracy of these clocks.
But Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens beat him to the punch and in 1656, he invented the first working pendulum clock. The very motion of the pendulum measured out time in equal intervals to help regulate time. Unlike its predecessors, the pendulum clock was more accurate by 15 seconds.
The Long Case Clock
The pendulum mechanical clock became very popular all across Europe, which prompted other horologists and clockmakers like William Clement to work on their own designs. Clement had begun his career as an anchor-maker in the shipyards of Rotherhithe, London, before becoming the Master of the London Clockmakers Company in 1694.
It is no coincidence, then, that he invented the anchor escapement, which gave the pendulum a nudge at the end of each swing, assuring absolute accuracy by eliminating loss of momentum. Replacing the verge escapement, the anchor escape wheel required a much longer pendulum and so Clement invented the Long Case Clock to house all the mechanics and turned it into an elegant piece of furniture.
The grandfather clock came in two different models: the eight-day and 30-hour clock, which referred to how often you had to wind the clock. Eight-day clocks were more expensive and intended for the wealthier classes.
The Grandfather Clock
The grandfather clock was known in the trade as a long case clock or a tall-case clock, hall clock or floor clock. The term ‘grandfather clock’ was first coined in 1876 by Henry Clay in his song entitled, "Grandfather's Clock."
My grandfather's clock was too large for the shelf
So it stood ninety years on the floor
It was taller by half than the old man himself
Though it weighed not a pennyweight more
It was bought on the morn' of the day he was born
And was always his treasure and pride
But it stopped short, never to go again
When the old man died
The song was a hit and the name ‘grandfather clock’ was adopted by the masses. It was an appropriate name, given the height of the long case clock: six to eight feet tall. Smaller longcase clocks were called ‘grandmother’ and ‘granddaughter clocks’.
The Design of the Grandfather Clock
Considered a valuable piece of furniture, only the rich and wealthy could afford such a luxury item to decorate their hallways. The clock faces and the craftsmanship of the wooden cases and hoods became more and more elaborate as time went on. Walnut, mahogany, satin wood and rosewood were used in the more expensive creations, with oak coming in as a close second in the bottom-of-the-line models.
By the end of the 17th Century, the clock faces became more and more decorative with the addition of an arch for the sun and moon to depict night and day. Rich and colourful engravings of bucolic scenery and enamelling were added as embellishments around the clock faces, as well as the case. In some designs, exquisite marquetry turned the long cases into works of art. More elaborate models, used lacquering effects and chinoiserie or japanning. No expense was spared. The grandfather clock was not just a hall clock or time-keeping item of furniture, it was a valuable piece of art.
Longcase clocks from the 17th century often sell at auction from anywhere between $20,000 – $140,000, although some Queen Anne designs have seen numbers as high as $1.2M.
My grandfather said that of those he could hire
Not a servant so faithful he found
For it wasted no time and had but one desire
At the close of each week to be wound
And it kept in its place, not a frown upon its face
And its hands never hung by its side
But it stopped short, never to go again
When the old man died
– Henry Clay 1876