Rare "Act of Parliament" or
"Tavern Clock"
Robert Morryson of Gosport

English oak case with extra-large 19" dial. This clock is in its original, unrestored condition. The dial still has a visible crack, closed as much as possible in our own workshop, although without exception standard in wood dials of this age. The gilded brass hands with counterweight on the minute hand are also original. The twelve-day duration movement has tapered plates with four pillars and a five-wheel train winding counterclockwise.

Information on Maker:

There is record of a Mary Morryson working in Gosport in 1795 as a watchmaker. As was the custom, on her husband's death she would have continued the business, as in all probability she would have apprenticed under him in that trade. My conclusion on Robert Morryson is that he was either her husband, unlisted because of an early death, or her son, who suffered a similar fate.

[!]$21,500[/!]Sold

Footnote*: In 1797 the prime minister of the English Parliament, William Pitt, introduced an Act of Parliament placing a tax on both clocks and watches already owned or purchased. The immediate effect on the industry was so disastrous that the act was repealed in 1798. Since the act was in force for such a short time, very few of these clocks were produced, or have survived.

Dial | Case Detail | Maker's Name | Detail

*The above footnote is an extract from The Collector's Dictionary of Clocks, by H. Alan Lloyd, published in 1974. (Library of Conress catalog card number 65-24848.)