PETER FEARNLEY OF WIGAN (c.1749-1826)

24.00inch wide   100.50inch high   11.00inch deep (60.96 cm wide  255.27 cm high  27.94 cm deep)

The history of this clock is interesting. There were three outstanding clockmakers in Wigan during the second half of the 18th. century, Peter Fearnley, Robert Bolton and William Barker. There was very keen competition between these three, two of them, Fearnley and Barker made a wide range of clocks to suit various market prices but they were also anxious to demonstrate that they were able to produce timepieces to match any others in the land so each of them made a “masterpiece” to prove it.

Bolton on the other hand was already wealthy from making fine guns and as he also owned the main brass foundry in Wigan he made the brass dials for most of the clockmakers in that region. He was also Mayor of Wigan. The example he made for his own home has survived intact. William Barker’s “Astronomical Masterpiece” made during the 1780’s was highly acclaimed and was sold in London during the 1970’s. When Barker’s clock appeared it prompted Peter Fearnley to make his own “Masterpiece Clock” which he then placed in his own home for showing to the gentry and selected clients.

The clock stayed in his family’s possession until it was bought directly from his heirs by Ernest L. Edwardes’s father who was a noted antique clock connoisseur, his son later going on to write several of the definitive books on horology and illustrating this clock widely. It stayed in the Edwarde’s family until Ernest “Larry” sold it to his close friend Harry Furness who in turn sold it to David Harvey. David and Harry have known each other for over 20 years. It has never been on the market before.

“A very fine Mahogany case and unusual dial, with pierced scrollwork centre, are here combined with a movement having a dead beat escapement, centre seconds and calendar hands and a lunation indicator actuated by a train of wheels geared from the hour wheel. So as to accomodate this train we have another instance of the extended frontplate, as in Plates 53-56. The movement is illustrated by Plate 57.

The pallet-yoke has the customary elongated stem of its escapement type and the arrangement of the wheelwork in the “watch” part displays the usual variation from that of an ordinary eight-day design.

The main wheel drives a “centre” arbor displaced from its normal position, passing through the frontplate and carrying a minute whell on a pipe which is capable of being turned independently of the arbor, but driven from it by the usual arrangement of a bow-spring and friction. This wheel engages the teeth of a “standard” minute wheel which in turn drives a third in the ordinary central position, having a pipe carrying the minute hand, working through the usual bridge-pipe i.e. a cannon wheel. On the bridge-pipe is mounted the hour wheel with its snail. Passing almost through the pipe of the cannon wheel to a point about three quarters of an inch from its end is the ‘scape arbor. It will be realized that the latter assumes the position of the displaced centre arbor, which in an ordinary movement would occupy the situation. The forward end of the ‘scape arbor – hidden within the pipe – is tapered for attachment of the centre seconds hand via a slender pipe fitted to its boss. The pallets work over the ‘scape wheel in the usual way. It will be understood that there are three minute wheels including the cannon wheel, as against two in an ordinary eight-day movement.

The calendar hand is fitted outside the dial to the pipe of a seperate wheel which rides on the hour hand pipe and which is actuated by a pin in the twenty-four-hour calendar wheel. The latter, on a stud in the front plate is driven from the wheel between the snail and hour wheel.

Arrangement of the striking train follows general practice. The little curved extensions, nicely file cut, of the ratchet clicks provide “late” examples of the old decorative treatment of functional parts. One of these ornamental clicks is shown in the illustration, Plate 57.”
The above extracted from “The Grandfather Clock” by Ernest L Edwardes pp 150-151.

The exceptional Mahogany Case has so many notable features one scarcely knows where to begin when describing it. In essence it is typical of the very finest North Country “Chippendale” clock cases where the provincial makers sought to display their knowledge of “London” fashions by incorporating many more features of the Chippendale style than the Capital Makers who were rather more restrained. From the replaced finials through the blind fretwork and carved details to the free standing fluted columns and the canted corners of the base to the shaped bracket feet, this case exudes quality. The fluted pilasters to the sides of the hood door giving it the appearance of double columns is a typical feature of Wigan clocks, The quality of the workmanship is extraordinary and the choice of timbers exquisite. The flame figuring on the trunk door and ogee shaped base panel is magnificent and all the mouldings are exceptionally executed.

The dial is signed on a silvered semicircle around the lunar dial in the arch, “Peter Fearnley Wigan” with the two hemispheres above the XII bearing the phrase “Time is valuable” on engraved silvered scrolls, the dial centre is a sequence of skeletized rococo silvered scrolls bearing the engraved legend “ Tempes Fugit, The man is yet unborn who duly weighs an hour”. This was originally backed onto red velvet which has been removed and preserved with the clock. The silvered Chapter Ring has the calendar engraved on the inner ring.