FEBRUARY ANTIQUE & ART AUCTION Tuesday, 27 February 2018 - 9:00 AM start

A unique chiming 30hr longcase by William Porthouse

Lot Details

Penrith, circa 1750. Oak case with typical Lake District mouldings, the casemaker’s initials CW incised in the back board. Simple Whittington chime on six bells chiming on the first three quarters, hour strike only on the fourth. Rack striking for the hours, chime barrel contains a spring wound every quarter by gearing from the motion work and controlled by count-wheel. This arrangement is entirely original and previously unheard of. 11” arched dial carrying the names of the first owners, Thomas and Mary Arnison. Thomas Arnison was born in 1703 at Alston. He married Mary Pattison in 1729. An indenture record supplied by a family member shows that Arnison was a carpenter who took an apprentice in 1741. This clock has been described in Brian Loomes’ Brass Dial Clocks and the 2nd edition of John Robey’s Longcase Clock Reference Book. The article William Porthouse’s Remontoire was published in Antiquarian Horology, December 2010. Copies of the above come with the clock. This clock was offered for sale by Kingston Antiques (UK) in a full-page advertisement in Antiquarian Horology, March 1971 and sold to a New Zealand buyer. The swan neck pediment was damaged on the trip to New Zealand and the illustration from the advertisement used as a guide in its restoration by the current owner.