Watchmaking in Coventry

Thanks Midland Red. So it was 1750 on it! Anne, yes I read that pamphlet, but here is the exact example you quote. 1747 it's 1750 on the blue plate. It’s very doubtful it is 1747 because he was (Samuel) apprentice to a Coleshill clockmaker from 1743-1750. This guy wouldn't be able to start a business halfway through his apprenticeship, he also wouldn't have any money. Also he couldn't access any TW Charity money enabling him to set up a business in Coventry, because his apprenticeship was Coleshill. His father Benjamin borrowed £30 around this time which was never paid back, and also in the council minute book there's a mystery Samuel Vale, weaver, which takes another £30. This I guess is how he paid Richard Holland, but hey ho,I did this research 20 years ago. Nobody was that interested then, so I moved on to other things. It’s all from memory, I just couldn't find all the proof easily.

Thanks MR, yes that's the photo of the plaque Afraid there's egg over my face - abject apologies for the typo, of course it was 1750 not 1850 Anyway whatever, it turned out to be a very interesting tale of Coventry history With watchmakers in our family, I obviously heard a lot about them as a child, but unfortunately very little lodged in my brain (mind you I always knew I didn't have many)

Thank you, Heathite, Mick, for your interesting responses. Obviously, Bottrill is a much more common name than I thought, therefore there is little likelihood that part of our extended family was/is related to John!

I thought I had better show you a couple of watches that I had been banging on about in previous posts. You don't have to be the sharpest tool in the box to realise there's something missing off them - well they are 260 years old. Unfortunately some dispicable lowlife in a fraction of a second has wrenched the silver cases off the movements, something that is common to 75% of these old watches, and in the process destroyed beautiful Coventry paircases, the date, maker, etc gone forever. Just so he can make a couple of bob on the scrap silver. However, this worked to my advantage as I could not have afforded to buy a complete watch of this date. The first photo is of a Samuel Vale movement - as he worked alone only from 1752-1760 it must be quite rare. The second photo shows a Richard Holland movement. I bought this from a dealer and you can see it's been tinkered with but he wouldn't haggle and it was a high price. Richard seems to have stayed around Earl Street for a while after he sold the firm, but he had married a Northampton lass and I think he went over there. It's possible that maybe in an old Coventry house attic or cellar (there must be one remaining that the council haven't pulled down) an even earlier Gabriel Holland or Ebenezer or John watch might be found? I have only ever seen a grandfather clock by John.

Proper craftsmanship - nice Moriarty

N.Y. Coventry was at the cutting edge of development in the 18th century. I had written a bit more on the history, but I had such a problem downloading the photo's (they are in the wrong order at the moment) and kept losing the text, so this will have to do.

I shall keep trolling the internet and any antique shops I come across looking for a timepiece with Coventry etched into it.

I'm pretty sure thats the court/row of buildings left where the Watch Museum is today on the right. Edited by member, 14th Jan 2021 11:48 am

This is the south side of Spon Street with Crow Lane/Ring Road off to the left of the picture. The Windmill from this direction was directly to the right of Rotherham's. The museum is too far east. I think that this is the likely front block on the map. View of the street front today. Edited by member, 14th Jan 2021 12:40 pm

Here is the museum, Helen

Hi Neil, see changes to my previous post. But essentially they aren't the same place. Rotherham's, bottom left of this BFS pic. The sketch is very idealised.

I seem to remember that my dad worked at Rotherham’s, maybe in the 50's. Were they making something else at this time? He worked at several factories, ending up at the Alvis on the Holyhead Road.