Went back and bought the clock!!

[Dean Perdue]

I can see why it appealed to everyone.Congrats.

[mariok54]

I could have saved 99p had I more faith in our public services. I e-mailed the library at Wellingborough asking if they knew of any local historical societies who could help me with info on the clockmaker ... and they replied first thing this morning!

Hello Mario,

William Arthur Colpman  was a watch-maker at 9 Sheep Street by 1884 until at least 1890. he was trading from 8 Market Street by 1894, still there in 1903, and was gone by 1906.

Other Colpmans lived in Oxford Street (George) and Church Street (John, later Mrs).
In 1910, a Mrs Colpman lived at 110 Gold Street, still there in 1928, but gone in 1931. 110 Gold Street was built after 1896.

9 Sheep Street had previously been John Peck watchmaker, and later was Hunters watchmaker until the Arndale (Swansgate) shopping centre was built (shop was where the Sheep Street escalator now is - we have contact with a descendant)
8 Market Street became Morris Smith Jewellers, still trading in Silver Street (Maxines).

If we can find more from any census, we will let you know.

Regards

Robert Wharton

But the other site is a really valuable source of info, and deserve supporting, and so I also e-mailed them pics of my clock, so very different to the ones they already had, and they they e-mailed back expressing their gratitude. Nice  

http://www.clockswatches.com/singlepage.php?em=7,0,bxxc,,bhnn-hn-bl_hv:bx:cl,M.V._XLNYXCAI,di5w1gmf6uw6s8ws6.dqe

BTW .. am having problems trying to get the patent info on the Pendulum .. any ideas how I can find it? I've tried the US Patent Office site but just seem to go in circles 

[waywardangler]

I will look for you mario and if I am successful I will tell you how to do it.

This looks like your pendulum http://www.google.com/patents?id=8flAAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=pendulum+march+1,+1881&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q=pendulum%20march%201%2C%201881&f=false

[mariok54]

Hey Wayward! Thanks for that ...

The clock is now coming back to life   

[waywardangler]

Hey mario, this is how I found it.  Go to Google, see the horizontal list starting with Web Images etc., put cursor over to more with the down arrow, expand it to a drop down menu, go down to "even more" with the arrow, expand that, go down the list to "Patent Search" and open that.  Type, in the search box, the patent date and whatever will help you narrow it down faster, in this case "pendulum March 1, 1881".

You have to remember when something is marked "patented" it may mean only one aspect of the item was patented.  Could be the method of construction, a certain part, a certain improvement, etc.  If you have to search just by the date, you may have to go through pages before you find the right patent.  Of course, a patent number is much quicker than a date.

[mariok54]

Invaluable! Thanks for that Wayward!

[mariok54]

I was wrong Again!

When searching for info on the Pendulum to try to establish the maker, I came across a very interesting forum on all things clocks and watches, and posted a thread on this one... got this response...


Welcome to the Message Board. Your clock is called the Dee, and it was indeed (no pun!) made by New Haven. Tran Duy Ly's book on New Haven Clocks and Watches shows it from the 1886 catalogue. It could also have been made a few years either side of that year. It is made of black (or American) walnut, which was popular in the 1880's for this general style of clock, popularly called parlor or kitchen (shelf) clocks, as Jonathan indicated. Some prefer to apply the term kitchen clock to the later pressed oak clocks, which gained popularity in the 1890's. I personally much prefer the walnuts.

New Haven did a fair amount of overseas business in the U.K., particularly through its Jerome & Co. "subsidiary/division." Colpman seems to have been the retailer.

This is a very nice looking clock. Enjoy.

[waywardangler]

I hope you are not disappointed in finding out the true maker as roughly $105 was a bargain.  My wife's folks have one of the pressed oak kitchen clocks in a similar style and if I remember correctly $80-100 was spent getting it cleaned and running.

[KC]

I really like the style of your clock!  Very Nice.

I agree with previous posts that you don't realize you "need" certain items until you see them posted on this site!  This site has definitely expanded my horizons and desires for new "old" items.

I just LOVE this forum! 

[mariok54]

Hi Wayward,

I'm not at all disappointed, in fact I'm happy with knowing who the makers were and who the retailer was, and it's a few years older than I initially thought. And £60 still seems a real bargain. 

I found myself musing over it this afternoon, thinking back to that watchmaker in his shop in Wellingborough, possibly c 1890, taking delivery of that clock from America. How long would it have taken that clock to get from New Haven to Northamptonshire back then? What would Mr Colpman have thought if someone had told him that in c 120 years in the future pictures of that clock as well as what was known of 'his' history, would be crossing the Atlantic in a fraction of a second?

[talesofthesevenseas]

What a cool thought! 

[mariok54]

BTW the forum can be found at:

http://mb.nawcc.org/index.php

and it seems a brilliant place for anyone with a question about antique clocks