WILLIAM DUTTON & SONS, LONDON. CIRCA 1800

Details

A fine month-going mahogany small longcase regulator
William Dutton & Sons, London. Circa 1800
The case with raised rectangular panel to the plinth supported on a double skirt, shallow-arched rectangular trunk door, similarly arched hood with ogee-moulded door, the 10¼in. silvered regulator dial signed Willm. Dutton & Sons London, blued steel hands, dial plate screwed to the dial feet, the movement with thick rectangular plates secured by six ring-turned tapering conical pillars rivetted to the backplate and screwed at the front plate (the latter with various restoration scratchmarks including Gould SEP 1953), the high count wheel train having maintaining power, all wheels with six crossings and end caps, the escape wheel screwed to its collet and the anchor with adjustable jewelled pallets (possibly later), fine beat adjustment to the top of the steel crutch, high grade brass and steel nine-rod pendulum with massive brass bob adjusted by a calibrated chamfered brass nut regulated against a blued steel pointer and with further fine adjustment via a calibrated brass sphere - the pendulum suspended from a massive brass A-frame block
6ft. 2in. (184cm.) high

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

In 1754 Thomas Mudge (1715-1794) and William Dutton (d. 1794), both former apprentices to George Graham (d. 1751), joined in partnership to form the famous company Mudge & Dutton. Their top quality workmanship owed much to the teachings of their illustrious master. Whilst Mudge concentrated on watches and the Longitude problem, Dutton produced a continuous string of top quality domestic and precision clocks. In the 1760s Mudge's health failed and he joined his brother in Plymouth and concentrated on making his Blue and Green chronometers. Dutton continued to make regulators and clocks under the name of Mudge & Dutton but by about 1775 he was trading solely under his own name. His sons, Matthew (Free in 1791 and Master in 1800) and Thomas (Free in 1799) joined the company as soon as they were made Freemen. After William died in 1794, Matthew continued the business and signed his clocks Matthew Dutton London. Once joined by Thomas in about 1800 the brothers traded under the name of William Dutton & Sons until the partnership disolved in 1824.

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