Worshipful Company of Clockmakers
Encyclopedia
The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers is one of the Livery Companies
of the City of London
. The Clockmakers were formed by a Royal Charter
in 1631. Originally, no person was allowed to sell clocks unless they were a member of the Company. However, such requirements have since been relaxed and later removed. The Company now exists as a charitable institution, as do a majority of Livery Companies.
The Company library and museum is housed in the London Guildhall Library
. The collection includes John Harrison's
clock H5.
The Clockmakers' Company ranks sixty-first in the order of precedence
for Livery Companies. Its motto is Tempus Rerum Imperator, Latin for Time is the commander of (all) things.
project. It is shown in the "About Google Web Accelerator" page.
Livery Company
The Livery Companies are 108 trade associations in the City of London, almost all of which are known as the "Worshipful Company of" the relevant trade, craft or profession. The medieval Companies originally developed as guilds and were responsible for the regulation of their trades, controlling,...
of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. The Clockmakers were formed by a Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
in 1631. Originally, no person was allowed to sell clocks unless they were a member of the Company. However, such requirements have since been relaxed and later removed. The Company now exists as a charitable institution, as do a majority of Livery Companies.
The Company library and museum is housed in the London Guildhall Library
Guildhall Library
The Guildhall Library is administered by the Corporation of London, the government of the City of London, which is the historical heart of London, England. It was founded in the 1420s under the terms of the will of Lord Mayor Dick Whittington...
. The collection includes John Harrison's
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...
clock H5.
The Clockmakers' Company ranks sixty-first in the order of precedence
Order of precedence
An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance of items. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments...
for Livery Companies. Its motto is Tempus Rerum Imperator, Latin for Time is the commander of (all) things.
Masters
Those who have been Master of the Company include the following:- 1636 Elias AllenElias AllenElias Allen was an English maker of sundials and scientific instruments.Allen was apprenticed to a London clockmaker in 1602, and after his master died established himself in a workshop beside St Clement Danes Church, the Strand...
- 1703 Thomas TompionThomas TompionThomas Tompion was an English clock maker, watchmaker and mechanician who is still regarded to this day as the Father of English Clockmaking. Tompion's work includes some of the most historic and important clocks and watches in the world and can command very high prices whenever outstanding...
- 1708 Daniel QuareDaniel QuareDaniel Quare was an English clockmaker and instrument maker who Invented a repeating watch movement in 1680 and a portable barometer in 1695.-Biography:...
- 1817 John Roger Arnold
- 1821, 1823, 1825, 1827, 1847 Benjamin Lewis VulliamyBenjamin Lewis VulliamyBenjamin Lewis Vulliamy was a clockmaker, active in 18th and 19th century Britain. He succeeded his father Benjamin Vulliamy as head of the firm and clockmaker to the king.-External links:....
- 1855, 1862 Charles FrodshamCharles FrodshamCharles Frodsham was a renowned English watch and clockmaker. He took over Arnold & Co in 1843 at 84 Strand, London...
- 1902, 1914 William Henry Mahoney Christie
- 1922, 1931 Sir Frank Watson DysonFrank Watson DysonSir Frank Watson Dyson, KBE, FRS was an English astronomer and Astronomer Royal who is remembered today largely for introducing time signals from Greenwich, England, and for the role he played in testing Einstein's theory of general relativity.- Biography :Dyson was born in Measham, near...
- 1946 Lord Iliffe of YattendonEdward Iliffe, 1st Baron IliffeEdward Mauger Iliffe, 1st Baron Iliffe , was a British newspaper magnate, public servant and Conservative Member of Parliament.Iliffe was the son of William Isaac Iliffe, a publisher and Justice of the Peace, of Allesley near Coventry...
- 1949, 1954 Sir Harold Spencer JonesHarold Spencer JonesSir Harold Spencer Jones KBE FRS was an English astronomer. Although born "Jones", his surname became "Spencer Jones"....
- 1959 Viscount FalmouthViscount FalmouthViscount Falmouth is a title that has been created twice, first in the Peerage of England, and then in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1674 for George FitzRoy, illegitimate son of King Charles II by Barbara Villiers. He was created Earl of...
- 1960 Lord HarrisBaron HarrisBaron Harris, of Seringapatam and Mysore in the East Indies and of Belmont in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for the military commander General Sir George Harris. He gained fame as Commander-in-Chief at the siege and capture of...
- 1969 Sir Richard van der Riet WoolleyRichard van der Riet WoolleyRichard van der Riet Woolley was an English astronomer who became Astronomer Royal. His mother's maiden name was Van der Riet....
- 1974 Sir Frank Chalton Francis
- 1976 Sir Hugh WontnerHugh WontnerSir Hugh Walter Kingwell Wontner GBE, CVO, was an English hotelier and politician. He was managing director of the Savoy hotel group from 1941 to 1979 and its chairman from 1948 to 1984, continuing as president until his death. He was also chairman of the Savoy Theatre from 1948 until his death...
- 1980 George Daniels
- 1986 Viscount FalmouthViscount FalmouthViscount Falmouth is a title that has been created twice, first in the Peerage of England, and then in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1674 for George FitzRoy, illegitimate son of King Charles II by Barbara Villiers. He was created Earl of...
- 1989 Lord Murton of Lindisfarne
- 2000 Alexander BoksenbergAlexander BoksenbergAlexander Boksenberg FRS CBE is a British scientist. He won the 1999 Hughes Medal of the Royal Society "for his landmark discoveries concerning the nature of active galactic nuclei, the physics of the intergalactic medium and of the interstellar gas in primordial galaxies...
Interesting facts
The company's motto, "Tempus Rerum Imperator" has been adopted by the Google Web AcceleratorGoogle Web Accelerator
Google Web Accelerator was a web accelerator produced by Google. It used client software installed on the user's computer, as well as data caching on Google's servers, to speed up page load times by means of data compression, prefetching of content, and sharing cached data between users...
project. It is shown in the "About Google Web Accelerator" page.