Beschreibung:

John & William Blaylock, Longtown, an oak longcase clock the eight-day duration movement striking the hours on a bell, the thirteen-inch painted break-arch dial having black Roman hour numerals and five-minute Arabic outer numerals, with early style fan and floral on a gilt ground painted decoration to each corner, the arch painted with floral decoration within an oval with gilded swags either side, the dial centre indistinctly signed J & W Blaylock, Longtown, and having subsidiary date and seconds dials, with blued steel hands, the false-plate to the dial embossed with the dial-maker's name William Shreeve, Halifax, the oak case with canted corners to the base and trunk, a shaped top to the trunk door, the hood having turned columns with cast-brass capitals and a swan-neck pediment, height 230cm *Biography the first John Blaylock is recorded as working in Longtown, Cumberland from circa 1768 and died in 1803. He was succeeded by his sons, John and William, who continued the business in Longtown before moving to Carlisle in 1818; John died in 1821 and William a few years later. William's two sons, John and William, continued working as clockmakers until the late 19th century. *Biography William Shreeve was a longcase clock dial-maker and painter in Halifax, Yorkshire, the second most important town for painted dial making after Birmingham at this time. He was in partnership with William Whitaker from 1815 until his untimely death, aged 43, in 1817 when he was recorded as having '…died in tragic circumstances, Mr Shreeve used to prepare his own varnish, and he was manipulating the mixture when by some accident it was thrown over him and he was burned to death'. It can be assumed therefore that this dial, and therefore the clock, was made prior to his partnership with Whitaker in 1815.