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A 30 hour longcase clock by John Barraclough (1st) of Haworth C1832

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This oak and mahogany longcase clock was made by John Barraclough
(1st) of Haworth C1832, and is of particular interest due to its provenance and
associated history. There's been a lot written about the Barraclough clockmaking
family, and that of a sister clock in the Parsonage made for the Bronte Family.

The clock was made for The Royal Forresters Arms [sic] in Oakworth - a
village aside the Worth Valley, near Keighley in West Yorkshire, and about
a mile away from Barraclough's clock workshop in Haworth.

John Barraclough had long been associated with the freemasons in Haworth
(Three Graces Lodge 408). The painting in arch of the dial shows several
masonic symbols such as the all seeing eye, skull & crossbone, the cross
keys, and most unusually the name of the public house on a scroll, where
it's believed to have been a regular meeting place for the Lodge. The spandrels
feature a Four Seasons theme which was quite popular during this period.

The oak and mahogany case with quality features is most likely to have been
made by local carpenter John Wood, who also produced coffins and carried
out property repairs in the area. Although the case is in very good condition,
some sympathetic repairs have been carried out in recent years to the plinth
and the replacement of loose veneers. It stands 90 inches high to the top of
the 'swan necks', and has at some point been fitted with 3 brass finials.

Location of the former Barraclough clock workshop in Main Street,
Haworth. John Barraclough's sons (and their sons) continued
in the clockmaking business, namely John (2nd), Thomas
& Zerubbabel, who spread afar as Thornton, Bradford & Leeds.
Click here to visit this location on Google street view.

The building in Bridge Street, Oakworth, formerly
'The Royal Forresters Arms' public house.

A close up image of the carved stone tablet, dating the construction of
the building to 1832. Click here to visit this location on Google street view.

I'll finish off this page with some recent history of this clock, which starts
around the time of The Great War (1914-1918). It was sold to Annie Wharton
of the Keighley district, possibly when the public house closed down (?).

My Great Grandfather George Liddemore had the clock from around 1919,
and my Father writes: The clock would probably not have been moved very far
up until the 1920s. My first recollection of the clock would be 1938, and
it stood at the top of the stairs on the first floor of my maternal
Grandfathers house. It never worked whilst at Stanley Road, Ingrow,
which is only just over a mile away from Oakworth.

In 1946 my Grandfather - Jack Hardy inherited it whilst living in
Hainworth, Keighley. The clock then went a short distance to Morton,
and then on to Clayton, Bradford in about 1961. My Grandfather went on
to live many more years after the clock was given to my Father - Keith Hardy,
at a time when they were less desireable. During the next 40 years, house
moves around the country associated with work, saw the clock witnessing
the passing of many moons in locations such as Newark, Cheshunt,
Pembroke, Potters Bar, Gloucester, Cheltenham and Trowbridge.
The clock was given to me - Kier Hardy, Hereford in 2008.

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