exceptional london 8-day longcase clock by john ellicott, circa 1770

John Ellicott (1702-1776) was the most famous member of a family who were amongst the finest clockmakers of the 18th century. He was the son of an eminent clockmaker, also John, who had been admitted to the Clockmaker's Company in 1696. When his father died in 1733, John took over the business. In 1738 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He showed a keen interest in all scientific matters and maintained an observatory at his home in Hackney. He became clockmaker to the King. One of his most significant achievements was his work on the compensated pendulum. He also supplied clocks to the Spanish Royal Family. His son, Edward (d.1791), joined the business in 1760 and from then their joint clocks were simply signed Ellicott. This is a father and son joint clock and was made circa 1770.

This eight-day clock has a number of exceptional features. Normal longcases have a recoil escapement which is accurate enough for most purposes. A more accurate version is a dead-beat escapement which requires more accuracy and skill in the making but keeps even better time. This clock has a dead-beat escapement.
London cases often have brass reeded columns to the hood, better clocks also have them to the trunk. This is the only clock we have seen which has four sets – two pairs to the hood, one pair to the trunk and a pair to the base! A very elegant mahogany case with a bridge door. Very high quality movement and 12-inch dial. We do, of course, guarantee that this clock is original in respect of dial to movement and dial and movement to case. It comes with 18th century brass-cased weights and 18th century pendulum and winding key.We have unashamedly used artificial intelligence to get the following information. We entered 'Is John Ellicott a good London clockmaker?' This was the response.John Ellicott was considered a very good London clockmaker, and in some respects an outstanding one. He worked in the 18th century and was part of a family of skilled makers. A few things that set him apart: Reputation and clientele
Ellicott became clockmaker to George II, which was a major mark of prestige. Royal appointments weren’t handed out lightly—they reflected both technical skill and reliability. Technical innovation
He made real contributions to horology (the science of timekeeping). Most notably, he improved temperature compensation in pendulum clocks using mercury—important because temperature changes affect accuracy. This puts him alongside leading scientific instrument makers of the era.
Scientific standing
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is unusual for a clockmaker. That tells you his work was respected not just as craftsmanship but as science. Quality of work
Ellicott clocks are known for: High precision (for the time)
Elegant but not overly flashy cases
Mechanically thoughtful designs They’re still collected today and often fetch strong prices at auction. Bottom line
He wasn’t just “good”—he was among the more important London clockmakers of the 18th century, especially on the technical side. --------- Please note that we have not resilvered the dial. Some customers love to see an all-over brass dial although it would have been silvered originally. Other customers want the dial to be bright silver as it was when it was new. Here you have the best of both worlds. The clock as it is or we will resilver the dial AT NO EXTRA COST. We have resilvered hundreds of dials over 50 years and are highly skilled in the process. Delivery and setting up is included anywhere in mainland England, Scotland or Wales.An Ellicott clock would set you back five figures from one of the high-profile London clock dealers. We are pleased to be able to offer this clock at a price which can be considered as a good investment as well as a beautiful object to grace your home.

Antiques.co.uk Ref: BRY5HF9FW

Maker/Artist:

John Ellicott, London

Materials:

Mahogany, brass, steel.

Width (cm):

49

Height (cm):

211

Depth (cm):

29

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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