an historically important eight day oak longcase clock by william ray of bury st edmunds

Apparently unrelated to the Rays of Sudbury, William married Elizabeth Arbon of Bury St Edmunds on licence on 20 March 1830. He is recorded as a watch and clockmaker at 2 Brentgovel Street, Bury, in the directories for 1830, 1839, 1844, 1846, 1855 and 1864, and was still in business in 1884. This clock dates from circa 1835.

It is a nice, typical Bury case with long trunk door and reeded brass capped mouldings to the trunk. A good, honest clock! However ---It is the only longcase clock we have seen (apart from the ubiquitous 'Death of Nelson') which depicts an actual historical scene.The beautifully detailed arch painting depicts the Bombardment of Algiers, which took place on 27 August 1816.On 27th August 1816, the coastal city and capital Algiers was bombarded by an Anglo-Dutch fleet under the command of Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth. The goal was simple, to end the white slavery practised by the Dey of Algiers and restore the captives back to their homeland in Europe. In early 1816, Pellew’s initial task was a diplomatic mission to Tunis, Algiers and Tripoli with a modest squadron in order to convince the leaders to end their practise of white slavery. In response, both Tunis and Tripoli seemed to acquiesce to his demands with little or no coercion, however the Dey of Algiers proved a more difficult opponent to win over.
That being said, Pellew ended his negotiations believing he had achieved an agreement and returned to England. This was not however as smooth sailing as it first appeared, as some Algerian troops ended up killing 200 fisherman of Corsican, Sicilian and Sardinian origin. This event took place just after the treaty was signed and thus caused outrage as it appeared to immediately void the peace talks. Thus the stage was set for a more volatile encounter.
By the end of August a fleet had been organised consisting of five ships, four frigates and four bomb ships with HMS Queen Charlotte as flagship with 100 guns. There were also an additional five sloops, eight ships, boats with rockets and transportation for the rescued slaves. Moreover, Dutch forces had offered their services, bolstering the main fleet with an additional squadron of Dutch vessels.
With the flagship Queen Charlotte anchored in the bay of Algiers facing the Algerian guns, Pellew gave his ultimatum to the Dey of Algiers to give in unconditionally within an hour and surrender his slaves.
Whilst both leaders agreed neither would fire the first shot, around 3pm from the direction of the shoreline, an Algerian fired one single shot. The battle now ensued.
In response Pellew gave his signal to his captains and as he did, the billowing sound of gunfire echoed around the bay.
Queen Charlotte tilted as she launched twenty-four pounders from one side of the warship towards the city’s defences. What followed was the unleashing of guns firing 300 musket balls at the corsairs.
Meanwhile the Algerian flotilla, consisting of around 40 gunboats, attempted to board the Queen Charlotte but the British were able to take out 28 of these boats with the rest escaping to shore.
The Algerians however proved to be formidable opponents, as they equalled gunfire towards Pellew’s fleet leading to numerous casualties. Moreover, they employed the use of snipers whose task it was to take out Pellew with the aim of his death dealing a devastating blow to the morale of his crew.
Fortunately for Pellew, he survived two musket shots which went through his clothing and another which damaged his telescope. The injuries he did sustain came from a large splinter of wood which had flown through the air and imbedded itself into his jaw.
On the Algerian side, people were forced to dive for cover as the unrelenting ammunition was raining down on the city with the fleet discharging hundreds of cannon-balls into numerous targets.
Fierce fighting continued for hours with the Algerians managing to do enormous damage to the fleet, disabling the rigging and sails and amassing huge casualties; as one lieutenant noted “the slipperiness of the decks, wet with blood”. In particular, the vessel Impregnable was in an isolated position which made her a prime target, allowing the Algerians to cause severe damage.
Undeterred, the Anglo-Dutch fleet now turned its attentions to the corsair fleet in the harbour and launched a barrage of gunfire destroying several vessels and setting the port ablaze.
Fighting would continue well into the night when finally a brief respite appeared, when the Algerians could not maintain their fire and at around 10pm Pellew decided to weigh anchor, leaving HMS Minden to keep firing whilst Queen Charlotte sailed out of range.
By this time, the amount of firepower used amounted to around 50,000 cannon-balls, causing absolute devastation to the city of Algiers.
By the early hours of the morning the damage on both sides was being surveyed. The Algerians had witnessed much of the city destroyed whilst the flames from the port were fanned by the wind towards the city.
Meanwhile, the British took this time to clear up the damage on their ships and treat their wounded.
When morning came Algerians woke up to the destruction of their beloved city, as well as the grim sight of bodies floating in the water, many of whom were corsairs. With a high death toll and the city unrecognisable, the Dey of Algiers received a letter from Sir Pellew, restating the same demands he had made before engaging in battle with the additional caveat that if he resisted such terms, the battle would resume.
With the Dey of Algiers surveying the damage, he was left with no option but to accept and agree to all terms unconditionally which included releasing his captives and ending the slave trade.
As such, this agreement in total would lead to around 1,200 slaves being released and roughly 3,000 slaves being freed over a longer period of time. A treaty was also signed against the enslavement of Europeans.
Sir Edward Pellew was met by the freed slaves who despite their poor condition, greeted him in a state of ecstasy.
On his return home he was given a hero’s welcome, celebrated and given honours by other European nations and even the Pope, who all recognised the magnitude of his achievement.A note discovered under the seatboard states that the case was with John Goodwin, Orwell Street, Ipswich, in 1855. This was probably for repair as the clock dates from 20 years earlier.The Furniture History Society has the following entry:
Goodwin, George, London, Woodbridge and Ipswich, Suffolk, clock case maker and cabinet maker (1812–39). By September 1812 at Thoro'fare, Woodbridge where he claimed to be ‘from London’. This claim is also recorded on his trade labels. In 1839 at Carr St, Ipswich where he was practising as a cabinet maker. [D; Ipswich Journal, 26 September 1812; Robinson, The Long Case Clock, p. 343] John was the son of George and astonishingly the descendents still make hand-made furniture in Ipswich as Titchmarsh and Goodwin! where they set out their history as follows:The roots of this family business go back to the 18th century. Around 1770, Samuel Goodwin, a carpenter, in Woodbridge Suffolk, sent his son George to the workshops of a London cabinet maker.
On his return, with all the prestige of a London apprenticeship, George set himself up to design and create fine furniture for the affluent burgher’s of East Suffolk. He unconsciously founded a dynasty of cabinet and clock case makers working as individual craftsmen in and around Ipswich. But it took more than 130 years for this passion for craftsmanship to develop into something more.
In 1920, his descendant, Gordon Goodwin and Lawrence Titchmarsh founded the company that over 100 years on, still thrives in Trinity works, in Ipswich.This clock is obviously a special commission. During our research we established a clear link between Admiral Pellew and Bury St Edmunds. Admiral Pellew's son was the Hon. Rev. Edward William Pellew, Vicar of Bury St Edmunds (1799 – 1869). We clearly believe that Edward commissioned this clock in memory of his father who died in 1833.This clock can be viewed in the Long Melford Antiques and Lifestyle Centre, Hall Street, Long Melford. They are open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Delivery and setting up is free within 50 miles of Long Melford. We can deliver anywhere but there may be a charge for a long distance.

Antiques.co.uk Ref: M2C7DPJPW

Maker/Artist:

William Ray

Materials:

oak, cast iron, brass

Width (cm):

47

Height (cm):

211

Depth (cm):

23.5

Please note that this price may NOT include delivery charges which the seller may charge extra for.

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J. and R. Norman Antiques

We have been antique dealers since 1974 and specialize in antique clocks, especially longcases, but also bracket, carriage and wall clocks. For many years we sourced clocks for a world-renowned clock specialist and author of books about clocks, who has now retired. We carry out restoration on pre-1860 clocks. We are also the largest dealers in 19th century stereoscopic photography in the world. We are a family business and are fortunate in having three generations working - aged from 22 to 75!

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