Lantern clock by John Pennocke
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1625-1635
This English brass lantern clock is signed by London maker John Pennocke, dating to circa 1625–1635 or circa 1640 according to British Museum catalogue records.
Built with a posted brass frame supported by turned pillars, finials, and feet, the movement was constructed originally with a balance and verge escapement before undergoing conversion to an anchor escapement. The weight-driven clock retains count-wheel striking, but its alarm train, alarm setting disk, pendulum, crutch, doors, and back plate are missing. The pierced front fret is engraved with strapwork and inscribed with Pennocke's signature along the lower border.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Type
- Lantern clock
- Height
- 406 mm
- Escapement
- Anchor (conversion), verge (original)
- Provenance
- Bequeathed by Octavius Morgan in 1888
- Museum number
- 1888,1201.148
- Place recorded
- England
- Maker signature
- John Pennocke at Lond. Within Bishopsgate fecit
- Maker / attribution
- John Pennocke
Design
- Visible features
- • Pierced strapwork front fret engraved along the lower band with maker signature • Dial plate decorated with floral engraving inside the chapter ring, with an open center originally occupied by an alarm disk • Brass chapter ring with Roman numerals I through XII, half-hour markers, and inner quarter-hour track • Single steel hand with shaped tail and counterpoise mounting • Posted brass frame featuring turned corner pillars, top finials, and turned feet • Overhead bell supported by arched straps and crowned by a turned finial
- Construction and Dial
- The clock is a weight-driven, wall-mounted lantern clock with a posted frame movement constructed primarily of brass. The front fret is pierced with a strapwork pattern and engraved. The dial plate features an engraved floral pattern within the chapter ring. The center of the dial is open, as the original alarm setting disc is missing. The clock underwent severe over-cleaning in the 19th century, resulting in a loss of original surface; the shallow engraving was subsequently filled with black wax.
- Identity and Production
- The brass lantern clock is attributed to John Pennocke, a maker who is noted in the source to have been active in Bishopsgate, London, between 1630 and 1642. The production date of the object is recorded as 1625-1635. The maker's signature is located on the lower border of the front fret, inscribed as "John Pennocke at Lond. Within Bishopsgate fecit".
- Mechanical Modifications
- The clock was originally designed with a verge escapement and balance. It has been converted to an anchor escapement with a long pendulum. The alarm mechanism is missing, and the alarm train is described as almost entirely absent. Other components, including the spider, bell, and top finial, are noted as later replacements. The bell strap is constructed from five brazed parts, and the bell is noted to be too shallow for the hammer to reach properly.
Identification
- Reference
- 1888,1201.148
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: Source reports the spider, bell, and top finial are non-original replacements
- Research required: Source notes the original balance and verge escapement were converted to an anchor escapement, with the pendulum and crutch now missing
- Research required: Alarm train, central setting disk, side doors, and back plate are missing
- Research required: Source notes 19th-century over-cleaning scraped the metal and dial engraving, which was subsequently filled with black wax