Joseph Johnson of

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, England, was a highly respected and successful

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

master

clock A clock or a timepiece is a device used to measure and indicate time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month and the ...

, watch and

chronometer A clock or a timepiece is a device used to measure and indicate time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month and the ...

maker. He was a

nonconformist Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...

who was married to Mary Bryers and who worked in Liverpool from 1795 to about 1827. The earliest specific date (from the hallmark in the silver case) known for a watch of his is 1811. He is known to have worked from a factory at 25 Church Street, although census records indicate that his residence was elsewhere in the same street (No. 26 and later (1841 census) No. 49); only No. 25 is named on the movements of his watches.Brass Goggles
Accessed 2014-02-06 After his death, on 2 March 1827, his wife Mary, son Joseph Johnson and grandsons Joseph Johnson Cashen and Joseph Johnson Norris continued his work until at least 1857.http://www.horologia.me.uk/johnson_database_20203103.pdf page 14, no. 32487 His watches are of high quality and were usually provided with precious metal cases, often in gold; these have often been lost in the course of time, so that many Johnson watches now survive only as uncased movements. Joseph Johnson had a preference for using fully jewelled watch movements. He is credited with inventing several design improvements to the

pocket watch A pocket watch (or pocketwatch) is a watch that is made to be carried in a pocket, as opposed to a watch, wristwatch, which is strapped to the wrist. They were the most common type of watch from their development in the 16th century until wr ...

and watch movement. His watches were commonly used on U.S.

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

s, before the establishment of the U.S. watch industry. In 1816 the United States government chose a

signed by Johnson, No. 508, for a presentation to Commodore Oliver H. Perry in recognition of his action against the British on

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...

Gallery

Image:Josephjohnson1.jpg, A massive gold pocket watch by Joseph Johnson of Liverpool. Image:Josephjohnson2.jpg, A watch movement by Joseph Johnson of Liverpool. Numbered 5687. Signed with "Josh Johnson". Image:Jospephjohnson3.jpg, Gold pocket watch by Joseph Johnson of Liverpool. Image:Josephjohnson4.jpg, A silver case bearing a Chester Hallmark for 1828. Watch number 10811.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* G. H. Baillie, ''Watchmakers And Clockmakers Of The World'' 2nd Edition, Pub Nag Press 1947 * Brian Loomes, ''Lancashire Clocks and Clockmakers'', Pub David & Charles 1975 * Brian Loomes, ''Watchmakers & Clockmakers Of The World Vol 2'' (2nd Edition), Pub NAG Press 1989 * Martha Shugart, ''Complete price guide to watches 2001'', Pub Cooksey Shugart Publications 2001 * ''NAWCC Bulletin'', Pub National Association Watch & Clock Collectors {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Joseph 1780 births 1851 deaths English watchmakers (people) English clockmakers English inventors People from Everton