[ 
November, 
I 9 I 3 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
three of whom achieved distinction 
as clock-makers. They never made 
woodworks clocks. While Connec¬ 
ticut ran wild with the making of 
these, the Willards kept right on 
with their high-class brass clocks. 
They began to work about 1765 or 
somewhat earlier. In the Boston 
Evening Post of December, 1771, 
Benjamin Willard advertises his 
removal from Lexington to Rox- 
bury, and there the family re¬ 
mained. 
Of this famous family, Simon 
Willard, who died in Roxbury in 
1848, leaving a son of the same name 
still in the business, was the most 
celebrated. Simon did not believe 
much in the virtue of advertising, 
but relied on the merits of his work 
and his clock papers. One of these 
reads as follows: 
“CLOCK MANUFACTORY 
SIMON WILLARD. 
“At his Clock Dial in Roxbury 
Street, manufactures every kind of 
clock work, such as large Clocks 
for Steeples, made in the best man¬ 
ner and warranted, price with one 
dial, 500 dollars; with two dials, 
600; with three dials, 700; and with four dials, 900. Common 
eight-day Clocks, with very elegant faces and mahogany cases, 
prices from 50 to 60 dollars. Clocks 
that will run one year with one wind¬ 
ing up and with very elegant cases, 
price 100 dollars. Timepieces for as¬ 
tronomical purposes, price 70 dollars. 
Timepieces for Meeting Houses to 
place before the Gallery, with neat 
enamelled dials, price 55 dollars. 
Chime clocks that will play 6 tunes, 
price 120 dollars. Perambulators 
are also made and applied to any 
sort of wheel carriage, and will tell 
the miles and rods exact. 
“Gentlemen who wish to pur¬ 
chase any kind of clocks are invited 
to call at said Willard’s Clock Man¬ 
ufactory, where they will receive 
satisfactory evidence that it is much 
cheaper to purchase new than old 
and second-hand clocks. He war¬ 
rants all his work, and as he is 
anxious to give satisfaction he 
doubts not of receiving the public 
approbation and patronage.” 
Clocks by him in going order are 
by no means uncommon, both tall 
and of the style now dubbed “ban¬ 
jo,” a name never applied to them 
by the Willards, who called them 
“presentation” clocks, for they were 
the fashionable wedding gift of 
those days. The one shown in the 
upper left-hand cut on page 304 is 
an excellent example in several 
ways, and is owned in Salem, Mass. 
It is a “timepiece,” since it does not 
strike, the term clock being given to a striking instrument. The 
clock has all the characteristics of the original Willard’s, save 
one. He always used glasses with de¬ 
signs like this, never with scenes or 
portraits. His cases always showed 
the natural wood, and were never 
gilded. Simon Willard never used a 
spread eagle, like this one, on his 
Excellent work was turned out by the New Hampshire makers, of 
which this handsome Hutchins clock is an example 
An example of the “bronze looking-glass” clock, 
by Jerome 
A handsome clock by Gawen Brown, of London, probably 
made about 200 years ago 
A clock with brass works, made by Terry, and 
still in working order 
