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Lot Essay
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
Derek Roberts, British Skeleton Clocks, Antique Collectors' Club, 1987, pp.79-87.
Cedric Jagger, Royal Clocks, Robert Hale, 1983, pp.197-200.
Sir William Congreve (1772-1828) was the eldest son of Lieutenant-General Sir William Congreve (d.1814), Comptroller of the Royal Laboratory at Woolwich. After taking the degrees of B.A. (1793) and M.A. (1795) at Trinity College, Cambridge, Congreve entered the Middle Temple. After studying law he edited a political newspaper and then concentrated his energies on developing the military rocket for which, along with his rolling ball clock, he is best remembered.
His father's senior rank gave William the opportunity for military experimentation and in 1805 he was able to demonstrate his new rocket to the Prince Regent and Pitt. In 1806 an attack with Congreve rockets on the French fleet at Boulogne proved very effective and in 1807, 1808 and 1809 they were successfully used at the siege of Copenhagen, in Gambier's fight at the Basque Roads and in the Walcheren Expedition. Congreve was present at these engagements.
In 1810/1811 Congreve was apppointed equerry to the Prince Regent and 1811 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Also in 1811 he was made a lieutenant-Colonel in the Hanoverian artillery; in 1812 he became Member of Parliament for Gatton; and upon his father's death in 1814 he succeeded both to the baronetcy and also to the office of Comptroller of the Royal Laboratory. When foreign dignitaries visited London Congreve arranged the pyrotechnic displays that the Prince Regent gave in their honour. In 1817 he became senior equerry to the Prince and in 1820 he was elected M.P. for Plymouth. He died in France in 1828.
Congreve's renown amongst horologists is based on his famous rolling ball clock, for which he took out a patent in 1808. A small metal ball runs along the grooves of an inclined metal plane. After completing its journey in 30 seconds (each groove represents a 2 second interval, which is marked on the plane) the ball trips a lever which inclines the plane in the other direction and sends the ball on its return journey. The plane thus acts as the clock's escapement.
Congreve's first clock was made to his design by Gravell & Tolkien and was presented to the Prince Regent. It was later passed to the Royal Regiment of Artillery at Woolwich and now resides in the Museum of Artillery (see illustration). The first example was weight-driven but subsequent examples are spring-driven, as with the present clock.
Congreve did not make his rolling ball clocks himself, instead they were made by highly regarded clockmakers such as John Moxon, who made the present example and also the two Congreve skeleton clocks in the Royal Collection.
A clock of related design and attributed to Moxon was sold Sotheby's, London, Important Clocks and Watches, 1 October 1998, lot 460.
Derek Roberts, British Skeleton Clocks, Antique Collectors' Club, 1987, pp.79-87.
Cedric Jagger, Royal Clocks, Robert Hale, 1983, pp.197-200.
Sir William Congreve (1772-1828) was the eldest son of Lieutenant-General Sir William Congreve (d.1814), Comptroller of the Royal Laboratory at Woolwich. After taking the degrees of B.A. (1793) and M.A. (1795) at Trinity College, Cambridge, Congreve entered the Middle Temple. After studying law he edited a political newspaper and then concentrated his energies on developing the military rocket for which, along with his rolling ball clock, he is best remembered.
His father's senior rank gave William the opportunity for military experimentation and in 1805 he was able to demonstrate his new rocket to the Prince Regent and Pitt. In 1806 an attack with Congreve rockets on the French fleet at Boulogne proved very effective and in 1807, 1808 and 1809 they were successfully used at the siege of Copenhagen, in Gambier's fight at the Basque Roads and in the Walcheren Expedition. Congreve was present at these engagements.
In 1810/1811 Congreve was apppointed equerry to the Prince Regent and 1811 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Also in 1811 he was made a lieutenant-Colonel in the Hanoverian artillery; in 1812 he became Member of Parliament for Gatton; and upon his father's death in 1814 he succeeded both to the baronetcy and also to the office of Comptroller of the Royal Laboratory. When foreign dignitaries visited London Congreve arranged the pyrotechnic displays that the Prince Regent gave in their honour. In 1817 he became senior equerry to the Prince and in 1820 he was elected M.P. for Plymouth. He died in France in 1828.
Congreve's renown amongst horologists is based on his famous rolling ball clock, for which he took out a patent in 1808. A small metal ball runs along the grooves of an inclined metal plane. After completing its journey in 30 seconds (each groove represents a 2 second interval, which is marked on the plane) the ball trips a lever which inclines the plane in the other direction and sends the ball on its return journey. The plane thus acts as the clock's escapement.
Congreve's first clock was made to his design by Gravell & Tolkien and was presented to the Prince Regent. It was later passed to the Royal Regiment of Artillery at Woolwich and now resides in the Museum of Artillery (see illustration). The first example was weight-driven but subsequent examples are spring-driven, as with the present clock.
Congreve did not make his rolling ball clocks himself, instead they were made by highly regarded clockmakers such as John Moxon, who made the present example and also the two Congreve skeleton clocks in the Royal Collection.
A clock of related design and attributed to Moxon was sold Sotheby's, London, Important Clocks and Watches, 1 October 1998, lot 460.