TITLE Devonshire Clockmakers
AUTHOR J. K. Bellchambers
DATE 1962
Printed in England by
The Devonshire Press Limited, Torquay
(from CONTENTS page)
ILLUSTRATIONS
Plate No By permission of
1. The Powderham Stumbels c. 1740 The Earl and Countess of Devon
2. The Kingsbridge Stumbels c. 1735 Miss M. Ilbert
..
5. Bracket Clock by Stumbels' apprentice,
Paddon of Kingsbridge c. 1755 Dr Best
..
ACKNOWLEGEMENTS
The author gratefully acknowledges help given in various ways by thhe owners
of so many clocks not illustrated in this book, and wishes to thank in
particular the Earl and Countess of Devon and Miss Ilbert for their help on
the two Stumbels clocks, to the dsescendants of the Mudge family, also to
Colonel Quill and Mr Cecil Clutton for help on the Mudge watch.
...
CHAPTER 1
AN INTRODUCTION TO CLOCKMAKING
...
(p5) ... Other known makers are Stumbels of Totnes, who made a turret clock in
a house near Kingsbridge about 1728, ....
(p7) ... Totnes whose William Stumbels was probably the most brilliant English
maker of his time outside London.
CHAPTER V
TOTNES
...
(p26) ...
Clement leads us on to Stumbels. It is not known to whom he was apprenticed
but, since no other outstanding clockmaker existed in Totnes at that time and
his name does not appear in the London list of apprentices, it can be assumed
that Clement was his master.
The late Mr. Edward Windeatt gave it as his opinion that Stumbel's
(sic) workshop was in what is now No. 4 Castle Street, Totnes, just
within the town walls. A perusal of the title deeds of this property
indicates that, in the late 18th century and 19th century, a small foundry
existed there and the owner was described as a brazier. It would be quite
possible that, after the death of clockmaking, the ancillary trade of brass
founding would carry on.
It was thought at one time that the name Stumbels might be foreign but there
are still people bearing the name in South Devon, and the first record in
Totnes Church records was on 15th May, 1636, when Joane Stumbells married a
Mark Ferris.
As was customary in those times most of Stumbels' children died young; in
May, 1737, he buried his son Abraham and in August of thhe same year his son
William and Jane followed them in July, 1740. His wife Sarah, however, died
two years before him in 1767.
Our earliest record of Stumbels is of his marriage on 4th June, 1723, at
Aveton Gifford to Jane Moor of North Tawton. Domestic clocks are very rarely
dated, but a turret clock near Kingsbridge has the inscription "William
Stumbels Aveton Gifford fecit 1728". The birth records for Aveton Gifford
show nothing for Stumbels and it is believed he was probably born in West
Alvington about 1700. (After further searching in the Totnes and Kingsbridge
district registers , it has not been possible to find Stumbels' birth-place,
so it would seem possible thhat he was born outside the county.) In Stumbels'
will dated 1768, his son "Bezaleel of London Clock and Watchmaker" has a
bequest of one guinea. "A messuage and garden in Aveton Gifford, purchased of
Thomas MArtin, and the residue of his personal goods, chattels, tools,
personal and testamentary estate and effects" he left to his daughter
Elizabeth, who was named executrix.
It must have been about 1728 that Stumbels made the first of his exceptional
longcase clocks, which shows him to have been a maker equal to the finest
London makers and certainly put him in the top ten of early provincial makers.
The longcase clock, in a very fine walnut case, plays quarters or chimes on
nine bells, at the whim of the owner. In the arch-dial there is a beautiful
tidal dial, with a rotating motion set in a blue sky showing the stars.
Underneath this top dial, on either side of thhe aperture showing the month of
the year, are the words "Stumbels Totnes". To top right and left of thhe main
dial there are two further dials, showing the date and time of rising and
setting of the sun. The main dial, which has beautiful hands, has only two
winding holes for the three trains. In the cente circle there is one aperture
showing the difference between the sun time and time of the clock. It is not
in fact a true equation clock, thhe difference being indicated by a disc
geared into the annual calendar, rather than the better and more complicated
equation kidney assiciated with true equation clocks. Underneath the equation
dial is another showing the day of the week. Summing it up, we might read off
on the dials:
"Wednesday, the third of June, sun setting 9 o'clock, rising 4 o'clock, thhe
high tide at such and such a time and the clock five minutes different from
the sun".
Another remarkable thing about this clock is thhat thhe gearing gives
compensation for leap-year, so thhere is no need to worry about the 29th day
of February. Also the fine pendulum rod is chamferred (sic) for ease
of swing.
Some ten years after making the above extraordinary clock, Stumbels
proceeded to make the thirteen-foot masterpiece which must now be known to
many visitors to the home of the Earl and Countess of Devon at Powderham
Castle, near Exeter. It is basically the same as his earlier clock, but in
addition it has maintianing power on the going train and the layout of the
dial is somewhat different; instead of having the equation disc, thhere is a
full equation kidney and mechanism, and the case is slightly bulbous in the
Dutch style. This clock has been at Powderham since it was first made and,
with due respect, it would appear that thhe Courtenay family had seen his
earlier clock and asked for something a little better and more imposing.
On the inside of the door of thhe Powderham clock case are the following
hand-written instructions.
"Mr. Stumbel's (sic) Directions to the Person who has the Care of
this Clock.
"If the Clock be stop'd by neglect to wind it up or at any Time too slow
correct it by turning the Minute-Hand gently forwards.
"The chimes cannot be safely repeated but the Hours of I, II, III, V, VI,
VII, IX, X and XI at which Hours it may be done by pulling the white string.
"But the Hours and Quarters may, by pulling the black string, be repeated at
any time."
There are othher musical longcase clock by Stumbels, but none quite so fine
as the two mentioned above. In the Totnes area, there is a fine late timepiece
by him, with a German dead-beat escapement and maintianing power, in a
mahogany case. His clocks are also found in walnut, lacquer and plain oak
cases.
A bracket clock is described by Mr. Rodney Law as a Spring Timepiece with
alarm with all over silvered broken arch dial signed in the arch Willm
Stumbels Totness (sic). The chapter circle has minute fingers but the
spandrel corners are not engraved. The alarm disc has arabic numerals. Day
of month aperture above VI and ring moved by a 24 hour wheel. Two winding
holes, the alarm square smaller of the two.
The case is of ebonised pearwood on an oak carcase of good quality and faded
to a dark brown. The case has a bell top, total height about 13 in. The
sides of the clock have arched topped blind frets.
The back plate of the movement is engraved in rococco scrolls in typical
London style with no border. The movement is of ordinary quality but
unmistakable signs of being made by Stumbels with its typical five pillars
with large central bulb and very long great wheel teeth and hemispherical
collets. The verge is of late 18th century type and the pendulum bob is
knurled only at the top.
The alarm mainspring is in a barrel outside the front plate and is wound
from its square by a train of three brass wheels. The alarm has a crown wheel
and vertical verge.
The clock appears to have been made about 1765 not long before Stumbels'
death and is a nice example of provincial clockmaking.
Stumbels does not appear to have made any outstanding watches, only two
being known at present, one in the Glasgow museum and one in the Ilbert
collection in the British Museum. The latter is hall-marked London 1754.
There are, however, two 18th century advertisements of watches made by him:
Birmingham Arts Gazette dated Monday, 29th September, 1777:
"Early on Saturday morning the 27th instant, the Bristol Diligence was
robbed within half a mile of Birmingham, by two men on horseback who besides
cash and other valuables took from me a silver watch Makers' (sic) Name
Wm. Stumbels, Totnes, No 3300 and some off number forget, with an enamelled
Dial Plate, with a plan in it. If the said watch is offered for sale or pwan
pray stop it and give notice to me in Teignmouth, in Devon or to Mr. Ed.
Ruston in Birmingham, and thhey shall be well rewarded by me W. Mortimor">
The Ilbert collection watch is numbered 733, but many watchmakers used the
initial figure as an indication of a type of watch, so we cannot assume that
watches numbered 734 to 3300 were made as well.
Public Advertiser, 1779, Public Office, Bow Street, 8th October.
A metal watch:
"Stopped on Thursday night supposed to have been stolen a plain double cased
metal watch name William Stumbels Totnes without any number with a Steel chain
and a Taffies composition Seal in Metal. Impression Hope supported by an
anchor. The Owner is desired to apply immediately to the above office".
Stumbelsmay have taken other apprentices, but thhe only record is of Paddon
of Kingsbridge of Kingsbridge in 1737. There exist some quite nice clocks by
this maker, including a very fine bracket clock with the rise and fall
adjustment dial for the pendulum. Paddon died in 1771, two years after his
master, but it appears that the many clocks signed Paddon, Modbury, including
the Modbury Parish clock, must have been made by a son or near relative.
Apart from the clock near Kingsbridge dated 1728, there are no other turret
clocks known to have been made by Stumbels, but it is possible that the
movement retained by the Dartington Hall trustees may be by him, for the
windvane over the tower at Dartington has thhe date 1741. This movement was
replaced by an electric one in the 1920's. Unfortunately there is nothing on
thhe old movement to connect it with Stumbels.
There were one or two other good makers contemporary with Stumbels. An
illustration exists of a nice, silver watch by John Roucklieffe dated 1745.
Another maker of nice clocks at this time was Richard Luscombe. Two clocks by
him are known to the author. One is a very pretty, small 30-hour, grandmother
type and is possibly a converted lantern clock. It is dated about 1730. An
eight-day clock by him, withh arch dial in an oak case is dated about 1740.
After Stumbels' death, the standard of makers seems to have fallen off.
Whilst Friend and Pike seem to have made their own clocks, it is doubtful
whether the later makers, such as Even Evans, Bradford, Brockedon, etc., made
many of their own. There is, however, a record of Brockedon the younger
helping his father cutr the fly wheel for the new clock of St. Mary's Totnes
about 1805.
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CHAPTER VII
CLOCKMAKERS BY TOWNS
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KINGSBRIDGE
1717--71 Paddon, George Very fine bracket clock. Apprenticed to
Wm. Stumbels of Totnes. 1737.
....
c. 1760 Bentley, Samuel Watch with painting under horn. South
Kensington Museum. Many longcase clocks
late 18th century.
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TOTNES
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c. 1700--69 Stumbels, William See Chapter on Totnes.
....