clock
Province of New Brunswick, Heritage Branch
Tous droits réservés.
| Nom de l'objet : | clock |
| Artiste ou artisan : | Rankin, John |
| Type de l'objet : | tall case |
| Catégorie de l'objet : | tools and equipment for science and technology |
| Sous-catégorie de l'objet : | timekeeping tools and equipment |
| Matériaux : | wood, mahogany metal, brass wood, pine |
| Technique de fabrication : | stained |
| Numéro d'accession : | NB 982.7.1363 |
| Nom de la collection : | Doak Collection |
| Culture : | Scottish |
| Date de début de production : | 1780 circa |
| Date de fin de production : | 1800 c |
| Période : | Georgian |
| Description : | Case has brass hinges on doors. Brass keyholes. Wrought nails. Plain rectangular base, bracket feet. Plain door on front to weights and pendulum. Twisted three quarter columns on either side of door. Stylized leaves at top of columns. Dentil molding over door and over face. Slender twisted columns on either side of glassed door covering the face and works. Small windows on side of face case. Decorative molding around glass door. Pediment like top. Brass ball finials on top. Face is square at bottom. Rounded very decorative metal hands. |
| Commentaires : | This piece is original to the Doak Historic Site. Robert Doak was born in Ochiltree parish, Ayrshire, Scotland on April 4, 1785, the son of Robert Doak Senior and Agnes Duncan. Doak and his wife Jean Kirkland were married in 1808, and together they had six children (three sons and three daughters). They were Margaret (b. 1810), Agnes (b.1812), Jean (b.1816), Robert Kirkland (b. 1818), William (b. 1822), and James Andrew (b.1824). In 1815 Doak left Scotland with his family. The family had set sail from Scotland with the intention of settling in Kentucky, yet inclement weather forced the ship they were traveling on into port at Miramichi, where it discharged its passengers. Soon after arriving in Miramichi, Doak established himself as an innkeeper in Derby (then Nelson) parish. In 1818 his older brother James Doak also came to New Brunswick, and together the two formed a partnership with Alexander MacLaggan to operate a sawmill at Blackville. In July 1822 the Doak brothers sold out the sawmill to MacLaggan and moved twenty miles up the Miramichi River to what is now Doaktown, where they joined their father Robert Doak, Sr., who had recently emigrated from Scotland. It was here in the early 1820s that Doak purchased land for a farm and constructed a water-powered carding mill and grist mill, and eventually added a sawmill and an oat mill. After moving to the southwest Miramichi, Doak quickly began to involve himself in local government. In 1822 he was appointed Overseer of the Poor, as well as Town Clerk and Clerk of the Market. The following year he became Overseer of Highways for the district and thus assumed the responsibility of supervising the construction of the "Great Road of Communication" between Fredericton and Newcastle. In 1825 he acquired the position of school trustee for Blissfield (then Ludlow) and was also appointed as Justice of the Peace for Northumberland County. By virtue of holding the position of Justice of the Peace, Doak became known as "Squire Doak" among the citizens of Northumberland County. Before the end of the 1820s, Doak also became acting coroner. Doaks time in southwest Miramichi was not without blemish however. At a special session of the Northumberland County Council in 1819, he was accused of running a gambling house, while a few years later he was fined for the unlawful selling of spirituous liquors (a common offense at the time). Between 1837 and 1840 he was a key figure in a lawsuit against his son-in-law, William Robinson, while at the same time was serving as a magistrate at the trial. However, despite such occurrences, Doaks various positions of power were never threatened. The important status held by Doak in his adopted southwest Miramichi community eventually warranted the naming of the community after him. The community had no name in particular when the New Brunswick government set about naming and recording each settlement, so they insisted upon naming the community after its most prominent citizen, and thus the settlement became known as "Doakton" in 1854.13 Soon the community's name switched to "Doaktown", the result of usage on the part of locals. Doak lived out the remaining years of his life in Doaktown, and died on April 5, 1857, one day after his 72nd birthday. The grandfather clock located in the Doak House collection was owned by Doaks wife. The clock was inherited from an ancestor and was Mrs. Doaks prized possession. When the Doaks decided to journey across the Atlantic, Mrs. Doak was warned about the low ceilings common in most North American homes at that time. Thus, Mrs. Doak was confronted with the possibility that the clock would have to remain in Scotland. This was out of the question, and to remedy the situation a craftsman was brought in. The craftsman removed a bit from the top and replaced the brass balls at the lower level, allowing the clock to fit in a low ceiling house. Certain features of this particular longcase clock indicate that it is from the Mid-to-Late Georgian period, spanning from 1727 to 1820. It appears to be from the last half of the 18th century in particular. This is based upon the fact that it obviously was built before 1815 (when the Doaks arrived in North America with it), that it is made of mahogany (which was popular during this time) and because it has the architectural pillars along the sides of the hood, which were phased out among longcase clocks by the end of the 18th century, yet it features the brass balls on top that were introduced at the same time. Soon after the introduction of the longcase clock, small glazed windows appeared in the sides of the hood in order that the movement and the gut lines on the going and striking train barrels could be examined without removing the hood. Such small windows are present on the hood of the Doak House clock. It was believed for the longest time that these little side windows were a special feature of London-made clocks. However, it has since been realized that hood windows have appeared on many provincial made clocks of the early Georgian period. This clock is made of mahogany, which began to appear in Europe at the beginning of the Georgian Period, and which soon became a common wood for longcase clocks. Up until that time most longcase clocks were made of first pine and fruitwood and then oak and walnut. The first shipments of mahogany to arrive in Britain came from Cuba, granting it the title of "Cuban mahogany". An import duty levied in Britain prevented its general use at first, but when the tax was lifted in 1721, mahogany was brought to Britain in ever-increasing quantities, so much so that by the mid-18th century the supplies from Cuba had almost become exhausted. To make up for the decline in the availability of Cuba mahogany, a slightly different variety of mahogany from Honduras was brought into the United Kingdom. This different variety of mahogany was lighter in weight and colour but provided wider boards as the trees were larger. Mahogany was cherished by clock makers because it was capable of being carved to a pleasing effect and its ability to not be easily worn. The new possibilities of mahogany commanded the attention of many British furniture designers by the mid-18th century. The new ideas circulating among the British furniture design community culminated in 1754 with the publishing of Thomas Chippendale's The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, which featured a number of designs for longcase clocks. By the beginning of the Sheraton period at the end of the 18th century, longcase clock designs began to change. The architectural pillars at the sides of the hood door were discarded in order to accentuate the slim appearances of the new designs. In addition, polished brass balls with spires began to appear on the steps formed by broken arches to add a touch of brightness to the dark colour of the mahogany. At the time of the Industrial Revolution in Britain the new bourgeoisie that was emerging in provincial regions of the country often purchased longcase clocks as a sign of wealth and "good taste". As the demand for longcase clocks grew during the late 18th century, the majority of clock manufacture in Britain shifted from artisan workshops to mass production factories. Those clock makers who chose to remain in their workshops could now order prefabricated parts from factories, and eventually complete movements that only had to be put together. The Doak House clock dates from this era and is an artifact of the shift from artisan craftsmanship to mass-production that epitomized the Industrial Revolution. While longcase clocks are more commonly referred to as "grandfather clocks", the term has only been in use since the 1870s, two hundred years after longcase clocks first appeared. The term was adopted by the Victorians from Henry C. Work's popular sentimental song about the grandfather clock which was never to go again after its owner died. A more specific date for this clock would be 1760 to 1800. While mahogany began to appear in Britain during the 1720s as mentioned above, softwood such as pine (of which a lesser degree of the case is made of) only began to become a material common in longcase clocks after 1760. Apart from being an artifact of the transformation from artisan construction methods to mass-production, this clock is also a relic of a geographical shift in longcase clock construction. From the 1660s until 1750, most longcase clocks were produced in London. After 1750, with the exception of special cases, most longcase clock manufacturing in Britain took place outside of London, in various cities and towns throughout the country. This clock was built by John Rankin of Catrine, Ayrshire, Scotland. He was working in the town in 1780, which is most likely the date of this clock's production. |
| Hauteur : | 206 |
| Largeur : | 52.5 |
| Profondeur : | 27.5 |
| Unité de mesure linéaire : | cm |
| Étiquette ou poinçon : | Engraved on top of face in script in "Rankin Latvin". |
| Établissement : | Province of New Brunswick, Heritage Branch |
| Ville de l'établissement : | Fredericton |
| Province de l'établissement : | New Brunswick |
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