Lantern clock A lantern clock is a simple weight-driven English domestic clock made of brass and shaped like a lantern. Lantern clocks are often regarded as the first type of timepiece used in private homes. The English lantern clock design is reminiscent of European Gothic clocks (see the Gothic Iron Wall Clock made around 1500) but differed chiefly in its use of metal: the European Gothic clock was made of iron, whereas the English lantern clock was made of brass. The use of brass was a distinctly English design and key to the lantern clock’s success: it simplified construction, delivered a more durable mechanism, and reduced the cost of production.[1] The first lantern clocks were built with a balance wheel escapement and were driven by two separate weights: one for going, and one for striking. These early examples required winding every 8–12 hours. They typically featured just one hand – an hour hand that indicated hours, halves and quarters – as they were not accurate enough to merit inclusion of a minute hand. Robert Harvey's Brass Lantern Clock made around 1610 is the earliest known British domestic clock design. Other makers copied Harvey's design, and these were the first domestic clocks to be made in considerable numbers. After 1656, when Christiaan Huygens invented the domestic pendulum clock, lantern clocks began being made with anchor escapements and a pendulum mechanism to increase accuracy. Now obsolete, the earlier balance-wheel lantern clocks were upgraded to the new, more accurate system, and hardly any survive with their original verge escapements unaltered. Lantern clocks also began using a single-weight drive comprising a continuous (figure of eight) rope known as the Huygens winding system.[2] The length of the duration was determined by how high the clock was hung, so owners typically mounted their lantern clocks on a wall, as close to the ceiling as possible. When they first appeared on the market, lantern clocks were the only domestic clocks and were simply called ‘clocks’ or ‘chamber clocks’. There are two dominant theories regarding the origin of the name that they eventually acquired: ‘lantern clock’. The first is that the name refers to the use of brass, the main metal used for the construction of the English versions of this clock. Brass alloys were also known as ‘latten‘, and this could be where the name comes from. The second theory is that the name is based on the shape of the clock, which is reminiscent of a 17th century lantern. Horologists Brian Loomes and John Robey have written extensively on the history of this type of clock.[3] End Notes [1] Jaggar 1983, 291; Loomes 2014, 248. [2] Loomes 2013. [3] Loomes 2007 and 2013; Robey 2016 and 2017. References Jaggar, C. 1983. Royal Clocks: The British Monarchy and its timekeepers 1300–1900. London: Robert Hale. Loomes, Brian. 2007. Lantern Clocks and Their Makers. Ashbourne: Landmark Publishing Ltd. Loomes, Brian. 2013. Collecting Antique Lantern Clocks: Some frequently asked questions. https://www.brianloomes.com/collecting/lanternfaq/index.html. Robey, J. December 2016. ‘The origin of the English lantern clock. Part 1: Comparison with European Gothic clocks’ in Antiquarian Horology 37(4): 511–521. Robey, J. March 2017. ‘The origin of the English lantern clock. Part 2: The earliest lantern clocks’ in Antiquarian Horology 38(1): 35–50. Further Reading Taylor, J. C. and K. E. Leith with T. Phillipson. 2019. The Luxury of Time: Clocks from 1550–1750. Isle of Man: Fromanteel Ltd.
