James VI and I appoints Ramsay In 1613, Scottish watch- and clockmaker David Ramsay is summoned to London by King James I of England (also King James VI of Scotland). The King offered Ramsay two coveted positions in the royal household: Groom to the Privy Chamber and Page to the Bedchamber. Ramsay was also tasked with the responsibility of caring for the King’s clocks and watches, effectively becoming James’ de facto Royal Clockmaker. His joint royal stipend was £250 per annum.[1] Ramsay had truly arrived. As a member of the King’s Privy Council, he found himself at the very heart of power in London and had the private ear of the King; he was thus in a far more influential position than of the person merely tending to the King’s clocks and watches. Ramsay’s King James Portrait Watch, made around 1618, was probably commissioned by the King while Ramsay was in his royal employ. End Note [1] Finch et al. 2019, 183. Reference Finch, A. A., V. J. Finch and A. W. Finch. 2019. ‘David Ramsay, c. 1580-1659’ in Antiquarian Horology 40:2. Image Credit James VI & I (1566-1625). Paul van Somer, 1618. RCIN 401224. Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023, https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/2/collection/401224/james-vi-i-1566-1625
