A new John Linnard longcase reported from the USA

Over the years, several clocks by Charles Vaughan of Pontypool and by Henry Williams of Llancarfan have been reported to our website, in response to our standing request for information on these makers. Recently an American reader reported a John Linnard of Swansea longcase clock now in California – see photos.

This is the first John Linnard clock that has been reported to us via the website, and it is the only one known to be in the USA. The clock is a conventional mid-nineteenth century eight-day longcase with painted dial showing a rural scene, with a man and dog by a tree in the arch and squirrels on logs in the corners; it has a seconds dial and date aperture. This clock is similar to the other Victorian longcase clocks known by John Linnard and previously described (see article in Antiquarian Horology December 2009), and brings the total number of surviving clocks known by this maker to 15.

The clock has been in the USA for at least two generations, but nothing is known of its early history or when or how it came to cross the Atlantic. Although there is no family connection, the current owner is very proud of the clock, and we are most grateful to her for bringing it to our attention.