Monday, December 02, 2013

An 1850s Massachussetts clock, via the Isle of Man, to the Ards

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Above: Peel Harbour, 1893 // An old clock which was owned by my grandparents, and previous generations, has surfaced. The sellers label is from Joseph Clucas, Clock & Watch Maker, Peel (in the Isle of Man). Some Googling shows that his shop existed from 1850-1860, in Crown Street just off the main seafront beside Peel Castle and St Patrick's Isle. Peel is on the west coast of the Isle of Man, with many connections to east County Down over the centuries. Nearby Clucas' shop was a building called Thompson's House (see here).

According to a huge label inside, it was made by Jerome & Co, New Haven. Massachussetts. Again some Googling shows that the company went bankrupt in 1856, from a peak production level of 440,000 clocks per year. Their clocks are easily available on etc.

So, the story probably is that, in the early 1850s, some fisherman from the Ards was over in Peel and came home with a posh imported American gift for the wife. Pics to follow.

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