s Bracket Clock Sold by Barnby & Rust, Hull, 1911 - Hull Museums Collections

Bracket Clock Sold by Barnby & Rust, Hull, 1911

This beautifully carved clock was a special present. A plaque on the base says it was presented to Colonel C.H. Milburn by officers who served under his command. The officers were from the Second East Riding of Yorkshire Royal Garrison Artillery and Second Northumbrian Brigade Royal Field Artillery. Both of these were based in Hull. They were Volunteer brigades. Volunteers are part time soldiers who are only called up to fight in an emergency. This clock was sold by Barnby & Rust, clockmakers and jewellers of Hull. The firm was established by Bishop Barnby. He was a watchmaker and silversmith at 13 Marketplace in 1834. By 1851 the company was called Barnby & Son, and by 1858 it had become Barnby & Rust. It still existed in Silver Street in the 1980s. Clocks and watches were made in Hull from the early 1700s. Local demand for clocks supported several makers. In the 1700s there were around six clockmakers in Hull at any one time. By 1820 there were 30 clockmakers in Hull, but there were also new threats to local clock making. By 1800 clock and watch parts were being mass produced in Birmingham. By the 1830s entire clock mechanisms could be bought from Birmingham. This reduced the demand for local clockmakers’ skills. In the 1800s clocks and watches were imported from France, Germany and America. By 1855 Jacobs & Lucas of Hull were advertising ‘Geneva watches, solely by competent foreign workmen.’ Many local traders became clock sellers rather than clockmakers, although they could make basic parts and do repairs. We’ll never know which parts of this clock were made in Hull. There is a plate inscribed ‘Barnby & Rust Hull’ attached to the clock face, so the clock would have been assembled in Hull. Sometimes clockmakers marked their own name on ready made clock parts. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund.