Early Clocks | Lee Borrett
'Willim Selwood, at
Ye Maremaid in Louthbury'
The wonderfully interesting early lantern clock illustrated here was made by William Selwood of Lothbury, London, and dates from c.1630, placing it amongst the earlier surviving English lantern clocks of the reign of Charles I. Standing just over 12 inches high, it is a particularly attractive and unusual example of Selwood’s work, distinguished by its integral round-based pillars, early round-shouldered urn finials and ball-and-ring feet.
The clock is boldly signed on its fret ‘Willim Selwood at ye Maremaid in Louthbury’, preserving not only the name of its maker but also the sign of the London workshop from which it was originally sold.
Before the Civil War
England in the Years
When this clock was probably made around 1630, Charles I had been on the English throne for only five years and relations between Crown and Parliament were already becoming increasingly strained. One of the most controversial figures of the period was George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, the King’s powerful favourite, whose disastrous military ventures and extraordinary influence at court made him deeply unpopular with many contemporaries.
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Above. George Villiers (1592–1628), 1st Duke of Buckingham, one of the most powerful and controversial figures at the courts of James I and Charles I. Daniël Mijtens. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Parliament twice attempted to impeach Buckingham, largely as a result of his influence over the King and the failure of costly military expeditions undertaken under his direction. On both occasions Charles I intervened to protect his favourite, contributing to the growing hostility between the Crown and Parliament. Buckingham was eventually assassinated at Portsmouth on 23 August 1628 by John Felton, a disgruntled army officer.
Above. The attempted impeachment of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. Parliament sought to hold Buckingham responsible for the disastrous Cádiz expedition of 1625, but Charles I intervened to protect his favourite. Image by Alamy.com
Below. The assassination of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, at Portsmouth on 23 August 1628. Buckingham was stabbed by John Felton, a former army officer with personal grievances against the Duke. Image by Alamy.com
'The Mermaid '
William Selwood established his workshop at the sign of ‘The Mermaid’ in Lothbury, in the City of London, close to what is now the Bank of England. He had been baptised in 1607 at Appleton with Eaton, near Abingdon in Berkshire, the son of a yeoman farmer. His younger brother John was baptised there in 1613 and later joined William in the clockmaking trade.
William was working as a clockmaker in London during the early decades of the seventeenth century and belonged to the generation working around the time of the formation of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1631. If he began learning his craft at the conventional age, his apprenticeship may have started during the early 1620s, although the identity of his master is not known. His brother John would have followed somewhat later.
Above. The wonderfully attractive early lantern clock by William Selwood of Lothbury, c.1630. Standing just over 12 inches high, it is particularly unusual for Selwood in having integral round-based pillars with early round-shouldered urn finials and ball-and-ring feet. Private collection, photographed by Lee Borrett
Above. Close-up of the unusual fret, decorated with two grotesque boars’ heads and signed ‘Willim Selwood at ye Maremaid in Louthbury’. Private collection, photographed by Lee Borrett
Above. Close-up of the dial centre. The distinctive ring-of-roses decoration is clearly visible, together with an early form of meeting-arrowhead half-hour marker sometimes described as a ‘sword-hilt’. This form is quite different from the arrowhead markers more commonly encountered later in the seventeenth century. Private collection, photographed by Lee Borrett.
Above. Side view of the William Selwood movement, retaining the two separate rope pulleys and original iron clickers. These surviving constructional details provide valuable evidence of the clock’s early form. Private collection, photographed by Lee Borrett.
Below. Closer side view of the movement. During its long working life the clock underwent the common historical conversion from its original balance escapement to anchor escapement, with the alarm also being removed. It has subsequently been carefully reconverted to balance. Private collection, photographed by Lee Borrett.
This remarkable William Selwood lantern clock is a rare and particularly unusual survivor from the early years of London lantern clockmaking. Dating from c.1630, it may belong to the earlier part of Selwood’s working career, while its integral round-based pillars, early finial forms, distinctive boars’-head fret and wonderfully characteristic dial decoration give it considerable individuality.
Who taught Selwood his craft remains unknown. If he was apprenticed in the conventional manner, his training would probably have begun during the early 1620s, when comparatively few native-born makers of lantern clocks were established in London. Robert Harvie, generally regarded as the first native-born English maker of lantern clocks, had already died in 1615. Amongst the more important makers active during the following years were Peter Closon and William Bowyer, although the distinctive character of Selwood’s surviving clocks does not at present allow his training to be securely connected with either man.
What survives, however, is the clock itself: an evocative domestic object made in London during the opening years of the reign of Charles I, little more than a decade before the political tensions of the period finally erupted into Civil War. Almost four centuries later, its signed fret, early pillars and surviving movement details still provide a tangible link with William Selwood and his workshop at the sign of ‘The Mermaid’ in Lothbury.
Summary
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the private collector who kindly allowed me to photograph and illustrate this remarkable early William Selwood lantern clock on my website.
I would also like to acknowledge with gratitude the important published research of the late Brian Loomes. His article ‘William Sellwood of the Mermaid in Lothbury, lantern clock maker’ provided valuable information concerning Selwood, his family and his London workshop, and remains an important contribution to our understanding of this early generation of English lantern clockmakers.