Lewis Walduck
Cataloguer
Lot 93*
A mid 17th century pre-pendulum brass lantern clock, with re-instated verge balance wheel escapement William Raynes in Butchers Row in East Smithfield Londini
2 July 2025, 13:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £2,176 inc. premium
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A mid 17th century pre-pendulum brass lantern clock, with re-instated verge balance wheel escapement
William Raynes in Butchers Row in East Smithfield Londini
The case surmounted by a turned finial over a strapped bell locating into a corner finial, the front and sides with pierced and engraved frets over gently tapering Doric columns between side doors and a steel backplate with hook and spike, all sitting on four ball feet. The 6.25 inch dial with silvered Roman chapter ring with wheat-ear half-hour markers, the centre with an engraved rose surrounded by tulips emanating from VI, signed William Raynes in Butchers Row in East Smithfield Londini, with a single blued steel hand. The weight driven movement with reinstated balance wheel and verge escapement, striking the hours on a single bell via an external countwheel, powered by two weights. Ticking and striking. 38cms (15.25ins) high.
The case surmounted by a turned finial over a strapped bell locating into a corner finial, the front and sides with pierced and engraved frets over gently tapering Doric columns between side doors and a steel backplate with hook and spike, all sitting on four ball feet. The 6.25 inch dial with silvered Roman chapter ring with wheat-ear half-hour markers, the centre with an engraved rose surrounded by tulips emanating from VI, signed William Raynes in Butchers Row in East Smithfield Londini, with a single blued steel hand. The weight driven movement with reinstated balance wheel and verge escapement, striking the hours on a single bell via an external countwheel, powered by two weights. Ticking and striking. 38cms (15.25ins) high.
Footnotes
William Raynes was born near Helmsley in Yorkshire in 1638. In 1653, he was sent to London as an apprentice of the clockmaking brothers William and Ralph Almond, being freed in 1660 or 1661. Raynes remained in London, establishing himself in Butcher Row, East Smithfield; all the extant clocks from this London period are lantern clocks. In 1676, he is still listed as living in London, though by 1682 or 1683 he appears to have moved to York; he was certainly there by 1687, in which year he was made a Freeman of the City. Two of his lantern clock dials are very similar, not only to each other, but also to a dial on a clock by Thomas Cruttenden, another York clockmaker, and it seems likely that both Cruttenden and Raynes used the same engraver. William Raynes died in a riding accident on 28th December 1694. There are three lantern clocks and three longcase clocks signed William Raynes in York, one of the longcase clocks having been sold by Bonhams in October 2014.
Provenance
The above lot is illustrated and discussed by Brian Loomes in Clocks magazine, April 2017 edition, page 9.
Additional information
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