Lantern clock
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1676
This silver chiming lantern clock was made in 1676 by the clockmaker Edward Webb in Church Stoke (also known as Chew Stoke), Somerset. Standing on four ball feet, the clock measures 40 cm in height, 16.8 cm in width, and 20.4 cm in depth including its bracket. It features an engraved silver case with a brass movement, surmounted by bell-straps rising from four decorative vases to a central fifth finial vase above the bell assembly.
The silver dial-plate is engraved with flowers and strawberry leaves, fitted with an applied silver chapter ring showing Roman numerals, quarter-hour marks, and fleur-de-lis half-hour markers. Above the dial sits an openwork cresting with a key pattern surmounted by the royal supporters flanking a crowned shield engraved with the initials "I P", inscribed "Edward Webbe in Church Stoke 1676". Unengraved crestings flank the sides of the case. The movement features a verge escapement with a bob pendulum, a central quarter-chiming train playing on six bells, and a rear locking-plate striking train.
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.
Historical context
Lantern clocks served as domestic timekeepers and were typically wall-mounted in halls so the chime of the bell could carry throughout the house. Edward Webb worked in Church Stoke from 1660 until 1693, frequently dating his lantern clocks. This clock was later bequeathed to the museum by the Reverend E. G. Winstanley.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Silver, engraved with brass movement
- Dimensions
- Height: 40 cm; Width: 16.8 cm; Depth: 20.4cm
Technical characteristics
- Inscriptions
- Date: Text: Research required; Latest: Research required; Earliest: Research required; Note: Inscribed on the cresting above the dial. Church Stoke is in Somerset; Type: Research required; Medium: Research required; Method: Research required; Script: Research required; Content: Edward Webbe in Church Stoke 1676; Language: Research required; Position: Research required; Inscriber: Name: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Association: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Description: Research required; Translation: Research required; Interpretation: Research required; Transliteration: Research required
- Maker recorded
- Webb, Edward
- Place recorded
- Church Stoke, Somerset
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Lantern clock
- Museum object number
- M.45:1, 2-1946
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.