Larcum Kendall
Encyclopedia
Larcum Kendall was a British watchmaker.
asked Kendall to copy and develop John Harrison
's ingenious fourth model of a clock
(H4) useful for navigation at sea. The original, the first successful chronometer
, had an astronomical price: £400 in 1750, approximately 30% of the value of a ship.
's H4, cost £450 , and is known today as K1. James Cook
tested the clock on his second South Seas journey and was full of praise after initial skepticism. "Kendall's watch exceeded all expectations" he reported in 1775 to the admiralty. It was thus K1 which proved to a doubting scientific establishment that H4's success was no fluke.
Three other clocks, constructed by John Arnold
, had not withstood the loads of the same journey. Although constructed like a watch, the chronometer had a diameter of 13 cm and weighed 1.45 kg. K1 accompanied English ships for more than thirty years.
, then it was assigned in North America. It worked less exactly than the original. William Bligh
1787 in his log of HMS Bounty
, recorded a daily inaccuracy of between 1.1 and three seconds and that it had varied irregularly. The chronometer attained fame because of the mutiny on the Bounty
. It returned to England many years later after an odyssey. The American ship's captain Mayhew Folger
rediscovered Pitcairn Island in 1808 and was given the chronometer by the one remaining mutineer there. The Spanish governor of Juan Fernandez Island
confiscated the watch. The chronometer was later purchased by a Spaniard named Castillo. When he died, his family conveyed it to Captain Herbert of HMS Calliope, who gave it to the British Museum
around 1840.
's journey to Australia, 1801. Kendall was a first-class craftsman but not a technical designer. After K3 Kendall built chronometers to the design of John Arnold
.
at the National Maritime Museum
, Greenwich, England.
Commission
The Board of LongitudeBoard of Longitude
The Board of Longitude was the popular name for the Commissioners for the Discovery of the Longitude at Sea. It was a British Government body formed in 1714 to administer a scheme of prizes intended to encourage innovators to solve the problem of finding longitude at sea.-Origins:Navigators and...
asked Kendall to copy and develop John Harrison
John Harrison
John Harrison was a self-educated English clockmaker. He invented the marine chronometer, a long-sought device in solving the problem of establishing the East-West position or longitude of a ship at sea, thus revolutionising and extending the possibility of safe long distance sea travel in the Age...
's ingenious fourth model of a clock
Clock
A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...
(H4) useful for navigation at sea. The original, the first successful chronometer
Chronometer
Chronometer may refer to:* Chronometer watch, a watch tested and certified to meet certain precision standards* Hydrochronometer, a water clock* Marine chronometer, a timekeeper used for celestial navigation...
, had an astronomical price: £400 in 1750, approximately 30% of the value of a ship.
K1
The first model finished by Kendall in 1769 was an accurate copy of John HarrisonJohn Harrison
John Harrison was a self-educated English clockmaker. He invented the marine chronometer, a long-sought device in solving the problem of establishing the East-West position or longitude of a ship at sea, thus revolutionising and extending the possibility of safe long distance sea travel in the Age...
's H4, cost £450 , and is known today as K1. James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
tested the clock on his second South Seas journey and was full of praise after initial skepticism. "Kendall's watch exceeded all expectations" he reported in 1775 to the admiralty. It was thus K1 which proved to a doubting scientific establishment that H4's success was no fluke.
Three other clocks, constructed by John Arnold
John Arnold
John Arnold was an English watchmaker and inventor.John Arnold was the first to design a watch that was both practical and accurate, and also brought the term "Chronometer" in to use in its modern sense, meaning a precision timekeeper...
, had not withstood the loads of the same journey. Although constructed like a watch, the chronometer had a diameter of 13 cm and weighed 1.45 kg. K1 accompanied English ships for more than thirty years.
K2
Kendall assured the Board that he would be able to build a similar but simpler clock for around £200. He received the order and presented K2 in 1771. It was given in 1773 to John Phipps for its expedition for the search of a Northwest passageNorthwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
, then it was assigned in North America. It worked less exactly than the original. William Bligh
William Bligh
Vice Admiral William Bligh FRS RN was an officer of the British Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. A notorious mutiny occurred during his command of HMAV Bounty in 1789; Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to Timor, after being set adrift in the Bounty's launch by the mutineers...
1787 in his log of HMS Bounty
HMS Bounty
HMS Bounty , famous as the scene of the Mutiny on the Bounty on 28 April 1789, was originally a three-masted cargo ship, the Bethia, purchased by the British Admiralty, then modified and commissioned as His Majesty's Armed Vessel the...
, recorded a daily inaccuracy of between 1.1 and three seconds and that it had varied irregularly. The chronometer attained fame because of the mutiny on the Bounty
Mutiny on the Bounty
The mutiny on the Bounty was a mutiny that occurred aboard the British Royal Navy ship HMS Bounty on 28 April 1789, and has been commemorated by several books, films, and popular songs, many of which take considerable liberties with the facts. The mutiny was led by Fletcher Christian against the...
. It returned to England many years later after an odyssey. The American ship's captain Mayhew Folger
Mayhew Folger
Mayhew Folger was an American whaler who captained the sealing ship Topaz that rediscovered the Pitcairn Islands in 1808. Only one of 's mutineers was still alive: Alexander Smith, whose alias was John Adams....
rediscovered Pitcairn Island in 1808 and was given the chronometer by the one remaining mutineer there. The Spanish governor of Juan Fernandez Island
Robinson Crusoe Island
Robinson Crusoe Island , formerly known as Más a Tierra , or Aguas Buenas, is the largest island of the Chilean Juan Fernández archipelago, situated 674 kilometres west of South America in the South Pacific Ocean...
confiscated the watch. The chronometer was later purchased by a Spaniard named Castillo. When he died, his family conveyed it to Captain Herbert of HMS Calliope, who gave it to the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
around 1840.
K3
Kendall's third and last attempt, the K3 in 1774, cost around £100 finished but did not have the required accuracy. Cook carried one in addition to K1 on its last journey. Nevertheless it was still used on Matthew FlindersMatthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
's journey to Australia, 1801. Kendall was a first-class craftsman but not a technical designer. After K3 Kendall built chronometers to the design of John Arnold
John Arnold
John Arnold was an English watchmaker and inventor.John Arnold was the first to design a watch that was both practical and accurate, and also brought the term "Chronometer" in to use in its modern sense, meaning a precision timekeeper...
.
The three watches now
K1, K2 and K3 are kept in the The old Royal ObservatoryRoyal Observatory, Greenwich
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich , in London, England played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and is best known as the location of the prime meridian...
at the National Maritime Museum
National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich,...
, Greenwich, England.
External references
- Mayhew Folger's account of meeting the Bounty descendants
- Book by Nordoff and Hall which includes Folger's account of the rediscovery
- Another link to Nordoff and Hall's book
- The Larcum Kendall Bounty Watch in the National Maritime Museum
- The story of the Bounty Chronometer
Further reading
- Watchmakers & Clockmakers of the World by G.H.Baillie