Joseph Smith Clockmaker of Barthomley and Chester

Joseph Smith ‘s Domestic Clocks made in Chester 1
All of Joseph Smiths bracket and longcase clock movements have
the family style screwed pillars. These are well cast with fine fins.
His early dials are similar to those produced by his father at the
same date, ie they have heavily engraved matted centres and
wheatear decoration. He utilised a sun motif and sometimes birds,
as his father did. These designs are not uniform. For example the
suns are not all to the same pattern. This could indicate different
engravers’ styles, the same engraver, possibly Joseph Smith
himself, experimenting with different designs or a combination of
the two.
The very earliest Chester made clocks were signed ‘Joseph Smith,
Gloverstone’. Later dials were plain matted with no engraving or
wheatear decoration. Many of Joseph Smith’s longcase and
bracket clocks have the Arabic minute numbers flipped vertically
on the chapter ring; on some, just the 30 stands the ‘right’ way up
instead of the more common upside-down arrangement. On other
clocks the 35, 30 and 25 are all flipped. We have seen this feature
on a clock by Thomas Hampson, and only one other Chester
maker. This is Robert Jones who had a close working relationship
with Joseph Smith.
Joseph Smith’s turret clocks all run on smaller weights than is
usual for big clocks, and similarly, his longcase clocks run with
smaller weights than is usual, four pounds instead of the usual
twelve pounds. We know of about thirty domestic clocks by
Joseph Smith. They are almost all either eight day longcases or
verge table clocks (often later converted to anchor).
The clock was signed Joseph Smith Gloverstone
It is the only one we have seen which is signed in this way