sounds a bit silly but, Can anyone explain pricicely what a Clockwinders job was in the 18th century?

Question

It was my 3x great grandads trade in 1796.

Just winding clocks is too obvious. I got his occupation from census records.

Answer 1

Clock winders of this period would have been employed to go to the houses of the very rich on a regular basis to set the clocks to right time and keep them ticking until his next visit.

You have to remember in those days it was only the gentry that could afford such clocks and therefore a clockwider was held in high regard. Many of these clockwinders were apprentice clock makers.

My late husband use to be employed by Frodshams of London as a clockmaker. And part of his duties were go to Kensington Palace and BP to ensure that the clocks were kept in good working order and wound up regularly on the same day and same time each week.

Answer 2

Clocks were articles of great value as well as great usefulness. There was no British Standard Time or Greenwich meantime until the railways brought in time tables and time was set to be the same all over the UK.

Even today there are clock winders in the great houses of Britain, where there can be hundred of antique clocks. Some clocks are twentyfour hour clocks other can be 7 day clocks etc. It is the duty of the clockwinder to check, wind and adjust all the clocks in the house, which these days are set at GMT. It is still a jobs that takes a lot of someones time! Your ancestor must have been a skilled and trusted servant to have the care of such precious objects. The horological society will have more information on clocks and their keepers.

Answer 3

There were two types of clockwinder. One was just as it sounded and was to wind up all the public clocks in a borough. This job usually involved a horse (one of the first company cars) as nearly every clock had to be wound every 24 hours, so in villiges miles apart transport was required. The second clockwinder was a maker of commode's so if there was a pottery near where he lived this is more probable

Answer 4

He would have been a clock-winder.
There were lamplighters and other such jobs in those days.
Go take a look at the workings of some of the old clocks, there is a fair bit that needs doing to keep them ticking and they were much more important back then. You couldn't get the time off the radio or your mobile phone.

Answer 5

It had to be winding the town hall clocks. Else he was a door to door winder up of clocks!

I think its like Hammerite, 'do'es what it says on the tin'.

Answer 6

Are you winding us up? Its exactly as it sounds. He went around winding up clocks.

Answer 7

It is that simple--he wound up clocks for a living

Answer 8

They wound the clock in the church tower.

Answer 9

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2021193,00.html

Answer 10

He wound clocks....surprisingly.