Thomas Tompion (1639–1713) was an English master clockmaker and watchmaker known today as the father of English watchmaking . His work includes some of the most important clocks and watches in the world and his work commands huge prices whenever it appears at auction. His apprentices included George Allett, Edward Banger, Henry Carlowe, Daniel Delander, Ricard Ems, Ambrose Gardner, Obadiah Gardner, William Graham (nephew of George Graham), George Harrison, Whitestone Littlemore, Jerimiah Martin, Charles Molins, William Mourlay, Charles Murray, Robert Pattison, William Sherwood, Richard Street, Charles Sypson, William Thompson, James Tunn and Thomas White many of whom became important clockmakers in their own right.

Biography

Thomas Tompion was born around 1639 and was baptized on 25 July 1639 in Northill, Bedfordshire, England. He was the eldest son of a blacksmith, also named Thomas Tompion, and probably worked as a blacksmith until 1664 when he became an apprentice of a London clockmaker. Very little of his earlier years is known. The first reference to Tompion in London is recorded around the end of 1670 in Water Lane (now Whitefriars Street) off Fleet Street.

Clockmaking in London

Tompion was an early member of the Clockmakers' Company of London--he joined in 1671 and became a master in 1704. He was also one of the few watchmakers to become a member of the Royal Society. He joined in partnership with Edward Banger in 1701 until about 1707 or 1708.

When the Royal Observatory was established in 1676, King Charles II selected Tompion to create two clocks based on an escapement designed by Richard Towneley, that would be wound only once a year. They proved to be very accurate and were instrumental in the accurate calculations for astronomers.

Due to his relationship with the scientist Robert Hooke he made some of the first watches with balance springs. These were much more accurate than earlier watches. He invented the first widely used balance spring regulator, used in pocketwatches until the late 1800s. He also invented the cylinder escapement that allowed him to create flat watches. He also worked on the spring escapement.

As England's most prominent watchmaker, Tompion built about 5,500 watches and 650 clocks during his career. Tompion's clocks are known for their ingenuity of design and robust construction. His three-train grande sonnerie bracket clocks are masterpieces. Another of his innovations was to create a numbering system for his spring and long-case clocks which is thought to be the first time that a serial numbering system was applied to manufactured goods.

Later life

In 1711 Tompion joined in partnership with George Graham, who later developed the spring escapement further after Tompion's death. He also continued Tompion's scheme to number his watches in three series: plain, repeating and special.

Thomas Tompion died on 20 November 1713 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Many of his clocks are still operational today, including two of his one-year clocks in Buckingham Palace.

Examples of his work

• An eight day double pull repeating table clock in ebonised case. London. c 1700. Moyse's Hall Museum Bury St Edmunds UK

Cultural references

In the 1986 film Clockwise, the school of which John Cleese's character is headmaster was named for Thomas Tompion, appropriate given the headmaster's attention to punctuality.

Footnotes