A REGENCY EIGHT-DAY MARINE CHRONOMETER AWARDED SECOND PRIZE AT THE GREENWICH TRIALS

A REGENCY EIGHT-DAY MARINE CHRONOMETER AWARDED SECOND PRIZE AT THEGREENWICH TRIALSJAMESMOORE FRENCH, LONDON, N0. 975, 1825Thecircular three-quarter plate single chain fusee movement with Harrison’s maintainpower and Earnshaw type spring detent escapement set within a sub plate, regulatedby helical sprung split bimetallic balance now fitted with Airy’s compensationarm and cylindrical timing weights, the backplate engraved with governmentarrow device and signed French, Royal Exchange, LONDON. 975, the 4.5inch circular silvered Roman numeral dial with subsidiary power reserve and secondsdials to the similarly signed centre now also inscribed with Airy’scompensation arm, set beneath a screw-down convex glazed bezel into a brassbowl, supported via gimbal mounts into a brass bound mahogany three-tier boxinset with a large brass plate engraved J.M. FRENCH, ROYAL EXCHANGE LONDON,No. 975, THIS CHRONOMETER GAINED, THE SECOND PRIZE. 1ST MAY 1826, ITHAVING VARIED LESS THAN A SECOND IN TWELVE MONTHS to lid over brass sidehandlesThebox 18.5cm (7.25ins) high, 19cm (7.5ins) squareProvenance:CommanderDuncan Grant C.B.E., RN, by 1927; MessrsGarrards, by 1980; acquired at the Grosvenor House Antiques FairSantiagoJames Moore French (sometimes James Moore French) was a watch, clock andchronometer maker who gained his freedom of the Clockmakers’ Company byredemption in 1810. He was trading at 15 Sweetings Alley from 1808 until about1838. A London trade directory dated 1829 has a listing for J.M. Mooreadvertising as a chronometer maker at 14 and 15 East side of Royal Exchange(i.e. Sweetings Alley). By 1839 he had moved to 18 Cornhill and was there until1842. In 1839-40 he was also at 86 Cornhill as well as 80 Cornhill 1841-42; heis believed to have died in 1844.Chronometerno. 975 was one of only two awarded an annual premium of £200 by The RoyalObservatory on 12th May 1826 (it is also referred to in a document recordingthe libel cases in the Cornell), and accompanied by the full history of servicebetween 1826-1927, supplied by Kew, including the inaugural voyage aftertesting at the Cape of Good Hope (1826), HMS Curlew (1829), HMS President(1837), HMS Prince Albert (1850), HMS Firefly (1860), HMS Empress of India(1897), etc.References:Blunt vs. Greenwood and Blunt vs. Patten,Cornell Library.Journalof the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania, 1826, vol. II, pp. 251-52.TheMean Daily Rates and Extreme Variations of Two Chronometers, by Mr J.M. French,of the Royal Exchange, during their Trial at the Royal Observatory, from May 1,1825, to May 1, 1826, Royal Observatory Trials, 1825-1826.

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