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John Harrison is probably the most famous and certainly the most
remarkable clock and watchmaker in history. Harrison's life long
dedication to solving the age old problem of the discovery of
longitude at sea is now legendary and certainly brought to public
prominence with the publication of Longitude by Dava Sobel in 1995.
Harrison's motivation to take up the challenge was the introduction
of the 1714 Act of Longitude offering a payment of up to £20,000 to
anyone who could solve the problem. When the Commissioners of
the Board of Longitude were appointed under the terms of the Act,
they did not meet for twenty three years until 1737, a full year after
the trial to Lisbon of Harrison's first sea clock, H1. From then until
1760 during which time Harrison completed his series of marine time
keepers, H2 and H3 and finally the famous watch, H4, the
Commissioners were very supportive, providing Harrison with
frequent funds over the twenty three years totalling £3,250 making
it clear that the sum would be deducted from any future prize money.
With the completion of H4 a plan was drawn up for a trial to the
West Indies as required under the terms of the Act. Eventually
Harrison's son, William Harrison (1728-1815), embarked on the trial
to the selected destination of Jamaica in November 1761, returning
in March 1762. The results were an outstanding success because
according to the Harrisons’ calculation the watch lost only 1 minute
54 seconds, less than a second a day during the 147 days of the
voyage. But there was a problem. No time keeper will ever keep
perfect time, it will always gain or lose by some extent. With marine
time keepers it was necessary to apply a “rate” of loss or gain of so
many seconds a day. This matter was never discussed before the
trial but a “rate” was applied to H4 by the Harrisons which
contributed to its remarkable performance. The Board of Longitude
took exception to this and ordered independent reports to be made
of all the calculations. Despite this, in August 1762 at a meeting of the Board, the Commissioners declared that “the Experiments
already made of the Watch have not been Sufficient to determine the Longitude at Sea,” but were clearly sufficiently impressed with
the potential that it was decided that a second trial to the West Indies should proceed. Harrison was also awarded £1,500 immediately
and a further £1,000 to be paid after the second trial, once again making it clear that the sum would be deducted from any final award.
In February 1763 a further requirement was that Harrison should disclose full details of the watch. Harrison agreed to this with the
proviso that an application should be made to Parliament to provide a legal assurance that no other claimant would be considered until
full judgement of his watch had been decided. There was unanimous agreement from the Board. From here matters would proceed
rapidly. Harrison himself submitted a Petition (see lots 125 & 126) to Parliament after the February meeting. It outlines the success of the
trial to Jamaica, at the same time welcoming a second trial with much emphasis of the payment of the reward. Harrison also stated his
agreement to disclose full details of the watch but only with security against any other claimant as discussed with the Board. At the
same time Harrison published pamphlets to increase public awareness of his claim. Parliament agreed to this and a separate Act was
passed (Act 3 George III c 14) safeguarding Harrison's interests and also offering the sum of a further £5,000 after Harrison had disclosed
the design and construction of the watch. A committee was set up to formalise the “discovery” of the watch. One stipulation set by the
committee but not mentioned in the new Act was the requirement of the manufacture of more watches under Harrison's supervision.
Eventually in 1764 there was a second trial, this time to Barbados, the watch H4 given an agreed rate of a gain of 1 second a day. This time
the result was even more impressive. With the figures checked by four “computers” the watch gained 54 seconds in 156 days, less than half
a second a day, an error under 10 miles and an accuracy well within the margin of error required to win the full £20,000 by the Act of Queen
Anne. However the Commissioners insisted on enforcing the 1763 Act which remained in law. Harrison still had to reveal the construction
of the watch and then he would be entitled to a sum to make up the first £10,000. Further, Harrison would have to provide “proof” that his
watch would provide “a Method of common and general Utility in finding the Longitude at Sea”. This was a pedantic, hard and even in some
respects, a questionable decision. The “proof” was soon revealed, predictably it was a demand for the construction of two further watches.
The discovery of the watch took place in August 1765 and Harrison duly received the balance of £7,500 to make up the first half of the
ultimate reward. The Board then demanded Harrison to hand over the watch so that another appointed watchmaker, Larcum Kendall
could make a copy, first emphasising that Harrison himself should make more watches for any more reward. This was enforced in Act
5 George III c 20. Harrison had to submit. Kendall completed a copy of the watch, K1 by 1769 at a total cost of £500 and Harrison too
completed another watch, H5, in the following year.
Now in his 80th year and in failing health there was no possibility of Harrison being able to make any more watches. Instead of any further
approach to the Board of Longitude Harrison was eventually able to arrange for the new watch to be tested at George III's private observatory
at Kew. George III had taken an interest in the Harrisons from as early as 1761 and was now fully supportive. However, despite a successful
ten week trial which the watch completed with a gaining rate of only four and a half seconds, the Board of Longitude refused to acknowledge
the trial as it had been held without their jurisdiction. With nowhere else to go Harrison appealed directly to Parliament. Eventually a petition
was submitted and read in the House in April 1773. At the same time the last published pamphlet appeared, The Case of John Harrison
(see lot 126). Some time later a further pamphlet was prepared but never published. The only evidence of this pamphlet, entitled The Further
Case (see lot 127) is the survival of the manuscript copy in this collection. Finally, Parliament passed yet another Act 13 George III c 77,
granting Harrison the sum of £8,750 in recognition of his life long achievement. In total, from 1737-1773 Harrison received £23,0065 but the
final payment was not in recognition of the terms of the original 1714 Act, a grievance Harrison took to the grave.
Andrew King.
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DONNINGTON PRIORY
JOHN “LONGITUDE” HARRISON (1693-1776)
www.dnfa.com tel. +44 (0) 1635 553 553