Joseph Smith Clockmaker of Barthomley and Chester

Joseph Smith of Barthomley and Chester

Joseph Smith of Barthomley and Chester 

Joseph Smith table clock made at Barthomley 

Joseph Smith was a son of the well known and highly regarded 

clockmaker Gabriel Smith (of Barthomley and Nantwich). 

Joseph was born c. 1688 and learned his trade from his father. Having 

lived and worked in the village of Barthomley for many years, Gabriel 

Smith left around 1722 and relocated his business in the nearby market 

town of Nantwich. Joseph remained at the family home until 1725 

when he too left and settled in Chester. 

Joseph chose the Gloverstone area where he could trade as a 

clockmaker without the requirement to be a freeman. Gloverstone was 

within the old city walls, but was not subject to the city Assembly’s 

jurisdiction. Hence it attracted many free-spirited artisans and 

professionals. Clockmakers were especially attracted to the area. Soon 

after his arrival in the city, Joseph made a three train turret clock for 

the cathedral which he went on to wind and maintain until infirmity in 

old age prevented him doing so. His wife and sons then took over.

Joseph Smith of Barthomley and Chester 

This thirty hour longcase clock, made by Joseph 

Smith while still living and working at Barthomley, 

is one of very few of this duration made by this 

clockmaker. 

It is housed in a country style oak case which may 

be of earlier manufacture than the clock. 

The clock dial and mechanism are thought to have 

been made around 1720.

Joseph Smith three train turret clock for Chester Cathedral 

Chester Cathedral Clock 

There was already a clock in the cathedral, which was wound 

and maintained by Charles Whitehead, smith and mason of the 

city. In September 1724, the cathedral accounts book lists 

£0 5s 0d spent ‘at Bargaining for a new Church clock’. This may 

well have been a meeting between Joseph Smith and the 

cathedral authorities, at which the clock was offered as a 

‘master piece’. No records of any monies spent on acquiring the 

clock have yet been found, which could indicate that it was 

made as a gift. Towards the end of the following year James 

Comberbach, timber merchant, was paid £2 11s 0d ‘for timber 

for ye clock case’ and two months later Charles Whitehead 

received his final payment of £0 8s 0d for ‘tending ye old clock’. 

Even though religious communities relied on their clocks to 

timetable their lives and services, clocks were not highly 

valued. They are rarely mentioned in church histories, whereas 

bells are described in detail. The cathedral archives have been 

only partially indexed. The four account books contain the only 

known records relating to Joseph Smith’s clock that were 

written during his lifetime. All the available indexes have been 

searched for other references to the clock. It was customary for 

a clockmaker to commit to maintain a turret clock during his 

lifetime. This was certainly the case with the cathedral clock. 

Joseph Smith was paid annually, usually at Michaelmas, for 

maintenance of the clock. The annual salary for the job was 

£0 16s 0d and remained unchanged from 1727 until 1766.

Joseph Smith three train turret clock for Chester Cathedral, continued 

The payment was increased occasionally if repairs were required, for example 

one of the bells was sent to London for re-casting during the 1730s; on 18 th 

December 1738-9, after the bell’s return this entry was put in the accounts 

book: ‘To Mr Smith for cleaning and regulating the clock after the Great Bell 

was put up - £0 9s 0d.’ 

Joseph Smith’s connection with the cathedral was made even closer when he 

sent his boys to the King’s School. The school was founded by King Henry VIII 

in 1541 following the dissolution of St Werburgh's Abbey, which became 

Chester Cathedral. It was housed in the former monastic refectory for most 

of the next 400 years. It was to have twenty-four poor and friendless boys 

aged between nine and fifteen. The boys, usually termed King's Scholars, 

were elected by competitive examination and received a free education and 

an allowance. The ‘poor and friendless’ requirement must have been less 

stringently enforced as the years passed. Joseph’s eldest son, John was first 

listed as a King’s Scholar in the account book in 1733, followed by Gabriel(2) 

in 1735, Thomas in 1737 and Samuel in 1742. It is not known how long the 

boys attended the school, but Samuel was still there in 1745. 

In October 1744 Thomas was paid the year’s salary for taking care of the 

clock and the following year, Mrs Smith collected her husband’s salary. 

Payments to Joseph then continued until 1763, when Gabriel(2) was paid ‘his 

year’s salary’. After that time, Joseph was paid for three more years, the final 

payment to him being on 4 th April 1766. John Smith continued the 

maintenance of the clock until his last salary was paid on 9 th November 1781. 

The Smith clock continued in service until 1872/3 when it was replaced by a 

flatbed Westminster chiming clock made by JB Joyce & Co. of Whitchurch. 

Like its predecessor, the Joyce clock had no dial, but simply told the time by 

full quarter chiming and striking the hours. At the time of the clock’s 

installation, the 1867 carillon was re-sited. It lessened the job of the 

bellringers, by playing the first lead of Bob Triples. The Joyce clock and 

carillon were themselves superseded by an electric chiming mechanism 

which was installed in the new Addleshaw Bell Tower when it was completed 

in 1975.

Joseph Smith three train turret clock for Chester Cathedral, continued 

The Smith clock was auctioned by Christies in their sale of ’Important Clocks’ 

on 7th December 2005. 

The catalogue stated: 

A GEORGE 1 IRON AND BRASS THREE TRAIN POSTED FRAME TURRET 

CLOCK JOSEPH SMITH DATED 1725. 

With in-line trains having rectangular section posts with splayed feet 

and bolted frame, oak barrels, turned iron collets, the going train 

with recoil anchor escapement, the quarter strike train in the centre 

with brass countwheel and internal brass fly, square brass signature 

plaque applied to the centre post engraved Joseph Smith Chester 

1725, the hour strike train on the left side with iron countwheel and 

external fly with iron vanes. 

THE FRAME: 15½in x 14in x 25in (39.5cm x 36cm x 63.5cm) 

Three train turret clocks from this period are particularly rare. The 

present example has the added rarity of having the going train on 

the right side as opposed to the normal position between the 

quarter and hour trains. 

This clock has no ‘drive-off’, so has never driven a dial, indicating time 

by its strike and ting-tang quarters. Originally its pendulum was wall 

mounted. 

The clock has returned to Chester and is in a private collection.

Joseph Smith’s turret clocks 

Location Date Still working in original 

location? 

Chester Cathedral 1725 Now in a private 

collection 

St Michael’s Church, Shotwick 1726 Yes 

Features of interest 

Three train ting tang clock 

1¼ second pendulum 

St Peter’s Church, Little Budworth 1727 Yes Much of the original documentation 

survives. 

Fine small clock in good condition 

St Lawrence’s Church, Stoak 1732 Not working when we 

Single hander 

visited but appears to 

be complete 

St John’s Church, Chester 1746 Replaced Three train movement 

Now in a private collection 

The ‘Rescued clock’ - Not working. 

Three train ting tang clock 

In a private collection 

St Mary’s Church, Tilston 1750 Yes Fine small clock in good condition. 

St Nicholas’ Church, Burton 1751 Yes Single hander 

St Mary’s Church, Mucklestone - Yes Much altered 

St Alban’s Church, Tattenhall - Yes Maybe Joseph/Gabriel(1) Smith 

Poulton Hall 1755 Moved a short distance Still owned by the same family. 


Adlington Hall 1755 Replaced but safely 

All clock parts retained 

stored 

Pengwern Hall - Not working when we 

visited but apparently 

Requires some restoration 


complete 

Whitmore Hall - Rusted up Still in original location

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


This clock came on the market in the USA in October 2015. 

Joseph Smith made many bracket clocks but this one is the first we 

have seen with lacquer. It probably dates to the period after 1725 

when Joseph moved into Gloverstone, but not later than 1740. 

These photos and those on the next 

page are here courtesy of the vendor. 

George Ormerod’s History of the 

County Palatine and City of Chester, 

1819, has a clear image of a family 

crest which resembles that in the 

arch of this clock. See a photo and 

sketch of the crest on the next page. 

Lacquer finish table clock by Joseph Smith

The photos do not show it well, but a silver 

cartouche engraved with a coat of arms is in the 

arch. We believe these are the arms of the Egerton 

family whose presence in Cheshire dates back over 

a thousand years. (See sketch, right.) A branch of 

the family lived at Oulton Park where a baroque 

mansion was built for John Egerton in 1716. This 

was in the parish of Little Budworth, Cheshire, 

where the church of St Peter, has a clock by Joseph 

Smith, dated 1727, the agreement for which was 

signed by John Egerton and the clockmaker. The 

mansion burned down in 1926; the grounds now 

house a motor racing circuit. We believe the 

bracket clock was made for John Egerton.

During autumn 2014, we heard from a 

collector who had bought a bracket 

clock made by Joseph Smith. It is a 

timepiece, with Knibb-type repeat. 

When a cord is pulled, the last hour is 

struck, followed by the last quarter 

(ting tang). It was probably made 

during the period between 1725 and 

1740. 


The image far right shows the clock 

after restoration; the other three 

images were taken before any work 

was done. 

Thanks to the generosity of the owner, 

we are able to include these images. 

Joseph Smith 

table clock


Longcase clock with rolling moon made c 1725 

This longcase has several features on its dial 

which are seen on clocks by Gabriel Smith, ie 

1. Wheatear engraving around the dial square 

2. Wheatear around the dial centre, seconds 

dial and calendar aperture 

3. Engraving around the arch and winding 

holes, on the moon humps and in the 

seconds dial centre 

4. Birds 

5. A sun 

6. Narrow minute band 

7. Early style silvered moon with stars 

8. Fleur de lys 

9. Two narrow, finely marked minute rings 

Unlike Gabriel’s cases which were mostly made of 

oak, this is made of American red walnut. This 

timber was used on many Chester longcases of 

the period as it was shipped into Liverpool as 

ballast on vessels returning from the Americas.

Longcase clock with penny moon made 1725-35 

held by Grosvenor Museum, Chester 

Joseph Smith ‘s Domestic Clocks made in Chester 5 and 6 

Detail of penny moon made 1725-35 

from another dial.


Three train longcase clock 

Another of Joseph Smith's clocks was discovered in 

late 2014. It is a three train, full quarter chiming 

longcase clock with a very fine movement and 

beautiful walnut case. The plain matted centre of the 

dial is finely engraved with two flying birds. 

This clock was probably made during the 1740s. This 

is the only three train longcase by Joseph Smith we 

know of, despite having been interested in his clocks 

for at least the last twenty years.


Joseph Smith two train table clock with alarm and five minute repeat 

From the Bonhams’ catalogue ‘Fine Clocks’ auction, 11 July 2018. 

Lot 59 A FINE AND RARE MID 18TH CENTURY FIVE-MINUTE REPEATING MAHOG- 

ANY TABLE CLOCK WITH ALARM, MOON PHASE INDICATION AND EXHIBITION 

PROVENANCE 

Joseph Smith, Chester. 

The bold handle over a stepped moulded caddy with gadrooned border over outset 

corners with reeded and carved Corinthian columns raised on carved ogee bases, 

each side with a hinged and lockable glazed door to access the movement, the 9.75 

inch arched brass dial with flowing foliate scroll engraved border framing the 

painted rolling moonphase, the rococo spandrels enclosing the silvered Roman and 

Arabic chapter ring with finely matted centre with alarm setting disc and chamfered 

date aperture, signed ‘Jos: Smith, CHESTER’ between V and VII, a lever visible in the 

mask by IX which sets the alarm (and in doing so, silences the hourly strike), the 

twin gut fusee movement with five turned finned pillars screwed through the backplate 

and pinned to the front, now converted to anchor escapement, with 

countwheel strike acting on a single bell, the alarm and repeat using three further 

hammers and two smaller bells, 58cms (23ins) high. 

Exhibited: ‘Time & Place: English Country Clocks, 1600-1840’, an exhibition by The 

Antiquarian Horological Society at The Museum of the History of Science, University 

of Oxford, 25 November 2006 - 15 April 2007. Exhibit number 43. 

This imposing and innovative provincial clock was one of 68 exhibits selected to 

show the best of provincial horology over nearly two and a half centuries. Illustrated 

over four pages, the clock is described in the exhibition catalogue. The alarm 

does not have a separate power source and so when it sounds, it strikes the number 

of ‘lost hours’ i.e., those that would have struck since the alarm was set. This action 

ingeniously brings the countwheel back into synchronization. Quarter repeating 

clocks were not uncommon in the mid 18th century, but five-minute repeating examples 

are extremely rare.

More to follow

Joseph Smith Clockmaker of Barthomley and Chester

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