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Records of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, 1503 - 1992, including copies of charters and bye-laws; Court and committee minute books; financial accounts; lists of liverymen; registers of freemen; registers of freedom admissions; registers of apprentice bindings; papers relating to duties and taxes on clocks and watches; papers relating to patents, hallmarks and foreign imports; letter books; Clerk's papers and papers relating to charities. Please note there is no public access to Ms 2710/17-20, Ms 20384 or Ms 22353 without permission from the Company.

The collection includes a number of papers of John Harrison (1693-1776), describing his construction of longitude timekeepers and watches. These papers were catalogued at various dates from 1918 by members of Guildhall Library staff. The records include description, with plans, by John Harrison, of his first longitude timekeeper or"sea clock"; papers relating to the horological inventions of John Harrison, collected by Alexander Cumming (ca. 1732-1814), clockmaker, by virtue of his appointment by Act of Parliament to adjudicate on Harrison's explanation of the mechanisms of his longitude time keeper "H 4"; journal, 1761-6, relating to the testing of John Harrison's chronometer for the determining of longitude at sea in accordance with a statute of 12 Queen Anne, chapt. 15, by Walter Williams; essays, notes and calculations by John Harrison, and his son William Harrison; and letters mainly from William Harrison, statements, cases etc relating to the tests at sea of John Harrison's longitude watches and his efforts to win an award from the Board of Longitude. PLEASE NOTE: Permission is required from the Company for photocopies or photography of Harrison material (whether for private study or for publication). All requests for reproductions for the purposes of publication should also be referred to the Company. More information is available from staff.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING ACCESS: These records are stored at the Guildhall Library site rather than the LMA Clerkenwell site. Researchers wishing to access these records should do so at the Guildhall Library Rare Books table. The Library is open Monday to Saturday, 9:30 to 16:45. Researchers will need to have an Archives History Card or a Library Readers Card. An archivist will be available at Guildhall Library on Thursday mornings to answer any queries.

Records of William James Barnsdale and Son, watch and clockmakers, comprising order and repair books and accounts, as well as a pedigree of the family from the 18th to the 20th centuries.

Records of clockmakers Ainsworth Thwaites and Company, later Thwaites and Reed Limited. The records comprise daybooks 1780-1955; ledgers, including workmen's time and materials accounts, 1788-1958; estimate and order books 1802-1945; maintenance and repair books 1822-47 and 1874-80; spare parts books 1842-1912; stock books 1814-55 and 1904-54; copy invoice books 1917-20; out-letter book 1919-20; cash books and journals 1812-1951; bank books 1886-1954; and wages books 1828-1931.

Access to Mss 6788/1-6, 6789 and 6791/1-4 is subject to special conditions: for further information ask a member of staff.

Job order books of Edwin Robert Sills, watch and chronometer finisher.

Records of Parkinson and Frodsham, clock and watch makers, comprising a watch manufacturing book 1872-1925; a register of clocks and watches supplied to retailers 1866-1914 and a record of retail sales 1911-4; clock and watch repair books 1937-45; customer accounts 1923-40 and 1932-45 and lists of customers and manufacturers in the clock and watch trade [1900-1941].

Letters from Sir Robert Moray to his friend Alexander Bruce, Earl of Kincardine, also known as 'The Kincardine Papers'. Bruce was sick of the ague in Bremen for part of this time, and the letters were written to alleviate the tedium of of Bruce's illness, hence ranging over topics which might not otherwise have been the subjects of correspondence. They include accounts of chemical experiments in his laboratory, his interest in magnetism, medicine in all its aspects, horticulture, fuel, whale fishing, its risks and profits, coal mining, water wheels and tide mills, stone quarrying and the various qualities of different stones, the pumping works needed for undersea coal mines at Bruce's home at Culross in Fifeshire, even to the trees whose wood was best for pipelines, and the diameter of the bore best suited to the purpose. Familiarity is shown with mathematical and surveying instruments, with music, and all sorts of mechanical devices and especially clocks and watches, more particularly the taking out of a patent in respect of a clock for use at sea for finding longitude. Bruce is advised on the choice of books over a wide range of subjects. Moray includes anecdotes to amuse his ailing correspondent; he describes his quiet life and is enthusiastic about many of his chemical experiments. Notable at the end of the letters Moray added what he described as his Masonic signature - a pentagram which also occurs in his crest.

Marine chronometer rating book kept by C Lupton, watchmaker.

Business archives of Victor Kullberg, watch and chronometer maker, comprising: operational and financial records, 1857-1947 (Ms 14537-42, 14546-54), and correspondence 1871-1930 (Ms 14543-4).

The records of Joseph Preston and Sons, watch, clock and chronometer movement makers, comprise two volumes containing descriptions of parts c 1890-5 and 1892-1914 (Mss 14558, 14560), a cash book 1893-1904 (Ms 14545) and a bank pass book 1907-12 (Ms 14559).

Papers of Cedric Jagger, historian of horology, comprising research notes for Jagger's publication on Paul Philip Barraud; and correspondence relating to clocks and watches to and from Cedric Jagger, arranged alphabetically by correspondent (makers, academics and experts, collectors, dealers, writers and booksellers).

Records of Charles Hobson, clock restorer, comprising workshop notes and diagrams (some photocopies) and photographs of Hobson in his workshop.

Lecture notes, examination questions and extracts from books relating to watchmaking, compiled by Otto Heinrich.

Letter from Charles Haley of London to Mr Whitaker [possibly John William Whittaker, scholar and Anglican clergyman, then a fellow of the College], St John's College, Cambridge, 8 Dec 1818. Discussing a watch ordered by Whitaker, asking whether he would prefer it in silver or in gold; gold would cost 12 or 13 guineas more. Haley intends to put on the crest, 'but rather delicate that it may not injure the case by taking it out, yet it shall look well'.

Autograph, with signature.

Day book of clock and watch maker Benjamin Gray.

Papers of Rupert Thomas Gould, consisting of eight working notebooks containing details kept by Gould on the stripping, cleaning, re-assembling and testing of the four Harrison Timekeepers, 1923-39; three monographs (bound together) relating to the No.1 timekeeper; typescript detailed account on the No.2 timekeeper; and a printed lecture delivered to the British Horological Institute in 1931 on the No.3 timekeeper. There are also various files of correspondence relating to his presentation of notebooks and papers to the Royal Observatory, 1945-46.

Records of George Jesse Dawson and his son Percy George Dawson, antique clock case makers and restorers. The records comprise job books and accounts.

Records of E Dent and Company Limited, clock and watch makers. The archives in this collection are the surviving business records, covering mainly the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They are primarily the records of the Strand and Royal Exchange shops - only Ms 18026 and 23823-4 relating to M. F. Dent, 1856-1920, appear to have survived.

They are arranged as follows:
Ownership of company - shares, bonds (Mss 18005-7);
Administration - ledger, balance sheets and accounts, letter books; company management (Mss18008-15);
Business -
(i) stock books and manufacturing books (Mss 18016-26);
(ii) letters patent, specifications and related papers (Mss 18027-40);
(iii) Watch trial certificates, trade mark certificates (Mss 18041-2);
(iv) Drawings of watches, clocks, parts etc. (Mss 18043-52);
(v) Photographs of watches, clocks, parts etc. (Mss 18053-4);
Leases and agreements relating to premises (Mss 18055-64);
Miscellaneous mainly printed (Mss 18065-76);
Records of M. F. Dent (Mss 23823-4).

The archive of George Daniels documents his major contribution to horology and include his working papers and drawings, research notes and images for his published books, correspondence photographs and audio-visual material. The records are invaluable to researchers interested in Daniels' own work but also in historical watch and clock makers and tracing of watches, chronometers and clocks.

The earliest document is a volume of Daniels' lecture notes (LMA/4636/A/01/01/001) taken whilst studying at Evening courses at Northampton Polytechnic, St John Street, Islington in 1951-1952 (now City University London). In addition the archive contains: correspondence files, horological exhibition catalogues and papers (series reference LMA/4636/A/04); manuscript and printed technical drawings, calculations and sketches showing the development of the co-axial escapement with Omega and ETA of Switzerland with related patents (series references LMA/4636/A/03 and 04); photographs of Daniels' own watches (series reference LMA/4636/A/05); and Daniels' ledgers containing notes, diagrams and costings on his restoration work, historical watches and his own watches (series reference LMA/4636/A/08).

There are also Daniels' author files with draft manuscripts and research notes for his published books on watch and clockmaking, with photographs of watches used as images and copy business records of Breguet of Paris, France (series reference LMA/4636/B/01); photographs of historical watches and clocks (series references LMA/4636/B/03 and 04), events and studio portraits of Daniels (LMA/4636/D/03); his papers, photographs and video relating to Worshipful Company of Clockmakers (series reference LMA/4636/C); certificates awarded to Daniels (series reference LMA/4636/D/01); collected articles on his life's works and achievements series reference LMA/4636/D/02).

There are also films and video cassettes (series references LMA/4636/D/04 and 05) including talks given by Daniels with his feature in 'Aquarius' produced by London Weekend Television (1976). The archive also includes records of George Daniels Educational Trust (LMA/4636/E), namely Chairman's files on sales and bequests of Daniels' horological collection.

Records of Daniel Desbois and Sons, watch and clockmakers, comprising a series of ledgers and a series of day books.

Manuscript of 'The plan and heads of an essay for the improvement of clock and watch works' London, February 18th 1765 by Alexander Cumming.

Records of J P Crowley comprising drawings of and notes on sundials in churches and churchyards in North Devon, 1952-62, and in Cornwall, 1957-64.

'Stock books' of an unidentified clock and watch maker, recording manufacturing costs, retail prices and sales of individual clocks, watches and chains; also accounts book recording the costs of components.

Records of Charles Frodsham and Company, chronometer, clock and watch makers. The records comprise minutes of the board of directors 1893-1939 and annual general meetings 1894-1939 (Ms 19904); a ledger 1939-55 (Ms 19905), and watch manufacturing books 1876-1910 and 1895-7 (Ms 19906-7).

These papers of Francis and George Bent Buckley comprise antiquarian notes compiled by them from 1930 to 1938, chiefly relating to watches and 17th and 18th century London watchmakers.

The records comprise: list of lost watches of London watchmakers, c 1930 (Ms 02921); list of references to 18th-century newspaper advertisements relating to watchmakers, clockmakers and allied trades, c 1934 (Ms 03338); list of British clockmakers working outside London, 1937 (Ms 03355); and alphabetical list of glass sellers, china-men and "potters", 1938 (Ms 03384).

Records of the Antiquarian section of the British Horological Institute, including minutes and papers.

Records of Birch and Gaydon Limited, comprising watch books and job books, ledgers, stock books, repair and sales books, and other financial records, as well as some promotional material.

RESTRICTED ACCESS: PERMISSION NEEDED FROM THE SOCIETY.

Records of the Antiquarian Horological Society, comprising: AGM notices, 1966-date (Ms 20510); minutes, 1950-70 (Ms 20511, 20512-13, 20575); lists of members, 1957-67 (Ms 20511A); publicity material, 1954-ca. 1974 (Ms 20514-15); Benjamin Gray's daybook, 1704-26 (Ms 23726); Robert Gardner's commonplace book, ca. 1887 (Ms 29842); and miscellaneous papers, ca. 1915-89 (Ms 29186-7A, 29287, 29292, 30794-4A).

Ms 20514 is a series of printed pamphlets recording the history of the Society in a summary form, 1955-ca. 1974.

They were catalogued at various dates from 1983 by members of Guildhall Library staff. Access to records should be sought from the Society (contact details may be obtained from the enquiry desk).