A Village
Clockmaker

In these days of intensive industrialisation, it is sometimes difficult to realise that the Norfolk country village of 100 years or more ago was almost self-supporting. Each village boasted its fair quota of skilled men, such as thatchers, wainwrights, wheelwrights, farriers, blacksmiths and in some villages even a clockmaker or two. Labour was cheap and plentiful. Many farms employing 50 or more persons. The market system ensured prompt distribution of all perishable goods, to the immediate locality. Meat and dairy produce were likewise locally produced.

It was in this background that George Braddock was born on 23rd January 1807. His parents were of the farming community. His father was actually a Thatcher. George was their first child and it would appear that there was some fear for his well-being, as he was baptised the same day. However, we know that George survived the perils of infancy in early 19th century England. Later, in 1809, his mother gave birth to another son whom they called James. In 1811 a further son was born named Charles. There may have been more children, although preliminary searches of the Parish records do not show any.

The three boys grew up in the peaceful village of Martham. Whilst the boys played, eight miles away in Great Yarmouth the King’s navy was kept on constant alert to repel the Napoleonic fleet.

130 miles away in London, William Wilberforce continued with his fight to abolish slavery.

However, to the three brothers, these momentous events probably went unheeded. They would have had far too much to do in the way of exploring the marshes and streams that abounded the vicinity of the village at this time.

Eventually, James followed in his father’s footsteps and became a thatcher. Charles chose to be a cooper, but George, for reasons unknown, chose to become a watch and clockmaker, something that was quite different from his family’s way of life.

Parish records can be very frustrating. Much information can be gleaned from them, but there is much that cannot. For example, we know that George married Elizabeth Hall, a spinster, aged 22 years, in Martham Church, by licence, on 7th November 1833. From other records we know that he opened business as a clockmaker in 1835, probably in the house now owned by Mr Jeary, the butcher, in White Street. But as of yet we are unable to account for the years prior to his marriage. In all probability he spent seven of them as an apprentice to an established clockmaker in Yarmouth or Norwich.

In any event, we know that George & Elizabeth were married for 42 years, until Elizabeth’s death in 1875, aged 65. This was the same year that records state that he ceased trading. The business must have been relatively successful for it had remained in operation for nearly 40 years.

George’s marriage did not produce any children, so like many small family businesses in the same situation, the retirement or death of the founder could only lead to closure. Consequently in 1875, George closed the business and retired. He eventually died on 7th May 1890, aged 83.

We know of several longcase clocks that were sold by George Braddock. It must be remembered that the longcase clock had a long run of popularity from 1670 to Edwardian times. However, the English longcase clock, like the Verge watches, had their death knell sounded by the mass production of high-quality German clocks, from 1880 to 1914.

George’s existing clocks are all the same type. They are eight-day, painted arch dials with rocking ship automata in the arch, in cases of mahogany. The movements are all of Birmingham manufacture, likewise the dials. The cases, however, were probably made locally.

It is well known that in the main, the Victorians ruined the longcase clock, by making large cumbersome cases, usually in heavily figured mahogany. However, George’s cases are slim, elegant and pleasing to the eye. It would therefore appear that they were probably made early in his career, perhaps before 1840.

The clocks produced and sold by such men as George Braddock are today sought after as valuable antiques. Apart from their obvious function as a timepiece, they are in the main beautiful examples of workmanship from a bygone age.