Benjamin Vulliamy (1747 – 31 December 1811), was a British
clockmaker
A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and/or repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly t ...
responsible for building the Regulator Clock, which, between 1780 and 1884, was the main timekeeper of the
King's Observatory Kew and the official regulator of time in London.
In 1773 Vulliamy had received a
Royal Appointment as the King's Clockmaker.
Biography
![TransitOfVenus1769](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/TransitOfVenus1769.png)
Benjamin Vulliamy was born in London, the son of
Justin Vulliamy and his wife Mary. A clockmaker from
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, the father had immigrated to London around 1730. Justin became an associate of Benjamin Gray, a watchmaker established in
Pall Mall. He married Gray's daughter Mary in London.
Justin succeeded his father-in-law in taking over the business.
![VulliamyMantelClock (1)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/VulliamyMantelClock_%281%29.jpg)
From an early age, the younger Vulliamy showed interest in pursuing his father's career. As an adult, he began to earn a reputation as a builder of
mantel clock
Mantel clocks—or shelf clocks—are relatively small house clocks traditionally placed on the shelf, or mantel, above the fireplace. The form, first developed in France in the 1750s, can be distinguished from earlier chamber clocks of simila ...
s, decorative timepieces that adorned the halls of high society. (In the 21st century, some of his works can be found at the
Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Derby Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery in Derby, England. It was established in 1879, along with Derby Central Library, in a new building designed by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. The collect ...
). His talent earned him a
Royal Appointment in 1773, through which he came to receive an endowment of £150 a year as
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
's ''King's Clockmaker'' (the similar distinction, ''Royal Watchmaker'', was then held by George Lindsay). The king, an enthusiast for watches and mechanical devices, was patron of Justin Vulliamy, but Benjamin was the only one of the pair to receive this significant honour.
Benjamin went into business with his father in 1780 (''Vulliamy & Son''). Father and son worked together until Justin died on 1 December 1797.
Around 1780, Vulliamy was commissioned to build the Regulator Clock, the main timekeeper of the
King's Observatory Kew, which served as an unofficial
Prime Meridian
A prime meridian is an arbitrary meridian (a line of longitude) in a geographic coordinate system at which longitude is defined to be 0°. Together, a prime meridian and its anti-meridian (the 180th meridian in a 360°-system) form a great c ...
. It also kept official London time until 1884, when the
Greenwich Royal Observatory
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich (ROG; known as the Old Royal Observatory from 1957 to 1998, when the working Royal Greenwich Observatory, RGO, temporarily moved south from Greenwich to Herstmonceux) is an observatory situated on a hill in G ...
assumed both roles.
The Regulator Clock is now in the
Science Museum
A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in mu ...
in London.
Vulliamy had married and in 1780 his son
Benjamin Lewis was born. This son was the last Vulliamy to devote himself to
the family clockmaking business. None of his descendants took up the art of clockmaking. His grandson,
George John Vulliamy
George John Vulliamy (19 May 1817 – 1886) was a British architect who designed some buildings in Victoria Street London, several fire-brigade stations, the pedestal and sphinxes for Cleopatra's Needle on the Thames Embankment, and the sturg ...
, did achieve notability as an architect.
The Vulliamy clocks
Vulliamy clocks were of considerable value and represented the climax of technology at the time. A Vulliamy clock was presented to the
Chinese emperor
''Huangdi'' (), translated into English as Emperor, was the superlative title held by monarchs of China who ruled various imperial regimes in Chinese history. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was considered the Son of Heave ...
by the diplomatic mission of
George Macartney to Beijing in 1793.
[William Proudfoot]
''Biographical Memoir of James Dinwiddie: Embracing Some Account of His Travels in China and Residence in India''
(Liverpool: Edward Howell, 1868), 45. Vulliamy clocks were combined with fine
porcelain
Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...
figures to create artefacts that combined both science and art. The overall design was made by Vulliamy, but he employed prize-winning sculptors such as
John Deare,
[ John Bacon and Charles Rossi] to create the figures, which were influenced by contemporary French designs.
The Vulliamy family used Crown Derby to produce the figures from porcelain designs. One of Vulliamy's assistants, Jacques Planche, was a brother of Andrew Planche, who had been involved in the early Derby Porcelain
The production of Derby porcelain dates from the second half of the 18th century, although the authorship and the exact start of the production remains today as a matter of conjecture. The oldest remaining pieces in the late 19th century bore onl ...
business.[Tessa Murdoch]
« La contribution des Huguenots au goût pour la porcelaine et à sa fabrication en Angleterre »
dans ''Sèvres'' (revue de la Société des Amis du musée national de Céramique), n° 15, 2006, p. 45-46.
The Vulliamy business also subcontracted much of the clocks' manufacture to other skilled artisans. Vulliamy oversaw and created the final adjustments before sale.
Antique Marks.com. Retrieved May 2011
Portraits
* Painting by an anonymous artist, bequeathed by B. L. Vulliamy, 1854 (Clockmakers' Museum, London).
* Wax portrait by R. C. Lucas, 1851 (Clockmakers' Museum, London).
See also
* Vulliamy family The Vulliamy family originated in Switzerland, they were notable as clockmakers in 18th and 19th century Britain, and as architects in the 19th and 20th century.
*(François) Justin Vulliamy (1712–1797), born in Switzerland, moved to London to st ...
* Halifax Town Clock
The Town Clock, also sometimes called the Old Town Clock or Citadel Clock Tower, is a clock tower located at Fort George in the urban core of Halifax, the capital city of Nova Scotia.
History
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, the commander-in-c ...
, Nova Scotia
References
External links
Benjamin Vulliamy's regulator clock, c.1780
Parliamentary Archives, Vulliamy Clock Designs 1846
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vulliamy, Benjamin
1747 births
1811 deaths
English inventors
Engineers from London
English watchmakers (people)
British scientific instrument makers
Turret clock makers of the United Kingdom
Benjamin
Benjamin ( he, ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the last of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's thir ...
English people of Swiss descent