Biographical Sketch of Mr. George Murgeis. tl 



navigation, is exceedingly carious, a? it exhibits the diurnal 

 motion of the earth, tlie progress ot" the zodiac, the sprinc^ 

 and neap tides, with the rcvohition of the seasons. Tiiere 

 is an anecdote connected with the historv of this clock that 

 deserves to be recorded. A gentleman one day had occa- 

 sion to speak with Margets, and not being pleased with 

 his answer to a question, exclaimed peevishly, You are a 

 fool. ' No, sir,' was the retort ; ' that T am not a fool I 

 can easily convince you.' The peculiarity of the reply sur- 

 prised the gentleman, wlio inmtiediately asked an explana- 

 tion ; and was conducted to the apartment where the clock 

 hung;, and several other little finished and incomplete piece? 

 of mechanism lay scattered. On this incident hinged tlie 

 success of his future life. The gentleman, sm'priscd by the 

 unexpected display of mechanical genius, ^ipoke of it among 

 his acquaintance, by whom a knowledge of Margets reached 

 the duke of Marlborough, who afterv>-ards, as shall be re- 

 lated, became his patron. About this time, to supplv the 

 want of money, that he might obtain materials for prose- 

 cuting his favourite pursuits, he painted, during his leisure 

 hours, the names of the pnjprietors on the waggons and 

 carts of the neighbourhood, — the act which imposed tliat 

 regulation being then executing. It deserves to be noticed, 

 that although so earnestly attached to the higher mechanical 

 works, such was his general ability, that he excelled all the 

 common wheelwrights at their sole employment, and could, 

 in any given time, perform more work than the best of his 

 brother's journeymen. 



After finisliing his apprenticeship he remained two years 

 with his brother: his proficiency by this time in the know- 

 ledge of clocks and watches had become so well known, 

 that all the intervals of his regular business were employed 

 in repairing the clocks and watches in the vicinity of Wood- 

 stock. At the age of twenty-three he went to London, for 

 the purpose of obtaining a regular knowledge of watch- 

 making ; ai^d the duke of Marlborough paid the fee that 

 was demanded before he could be admitted into the shop 

 of an arti«t. It can easily be conceived, and the sequel 

 will show how justly, that a man so assiduous, and so de- 

 voted to that profession, which Margets was now allowed 

 to cultivate, would soon excel all common coinpelitors^ 

 and improve and extend the boundaries of his art. 



In 1776 he married the eldest daughter of Mr. Bdlamy, 

 of Charles-street, Long Acre, by wliom he had only one 

 cbild, that died in infancy. Mrs. Marget/- is .*'ill living. 



Alter 



