Scottish longcase clock

A finely made flame mahogany drum head Scottish Longcase clock signed "Whitelaw - Edinburgh" with 8 day anchor mechanism striking the hours upon a single bell.  The silvered brass dial is engraved with roman numerals and sub dials showing seconds and calendar.  The mechanism is of extremely robust design  and incorporates a wooden rod compensation pendulum with large lead filled bob.

The case is comprised of rich mahogany veneer with a top locking trunk door

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Arts  for  Scotland held  on  June  1829,  Prize  awarded  to  mr  David Whitelaw,  watchmaker,  Princes  Street,  Edinburgh,  of the  Society's  Silver  Medal,  value  £5,  55.,  for  his description  and  drawings  of  a  clock  pendulum  without the  crutch,  and  in  which  the  pendulum  receives  the impulse  directly  from  the  swing  wheel.  This  communi- cation, although  only  read  in  the  beginning  of  the current  year,  was  notified  to  the  Society  in  1828  and is  so  intimately  connected  with  the  one  by  Mr  Alexander Doig,  Musselburgh,  that  in  justice  to  neither  of  these individuals  can  they  be  separated,  and  the  committee recommend  to  the  Society  the  donation  of  a  prize  to each  without  entering  into  any  inquiry  as  to  the  priority of  invention."

Paper  read  at  a  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Arts  for Scotland  5th  June  1830. — ''Description  of  a  pendulum chronometer  in  which  the  arbors  of  the  wheels  move  on friction  rollers,  and  the  pinion  leaves  are  made  so  as  to revolve  by  the  impulse  of  the  wheel  teeth,  which  are  of a  peculiar  form  made  by  mr  David  Whitelaw,  watch and  clock  maker,  No.  16  Princes  Street,  Edinburgh,  for the  late  Andrew  Waddell,  Esq.,  Hermitage  Hill,  Leith."

Paper  read  by  John  Robinson,  Esq.,  Secretary  of  the Royal  Society,  Edinburgh,  7th  February  1831,  regarding a  time-keeper  in  the  hall  of  the  Royal  Society  of Edinburgh.1 — "  The  principal  circumstances  in  which  this time-keeper  differs  from  the  usual  construction  are these :—

"  1st.  In  having  an  escapement  which  requires  no  oil.

"2nd.  In  having  the  pendulum  and  ball  formed  of  a material  not  hitherto  used  for  this  purpose.

"3rd.  In  having  the  mechanism  entirely  secured against  the  effects  of  dust,  and  in  a  great  degree  against those  of  hygrometric  changes  in  the  atmosphere.

"  The  escapement  is  the  invention  of  Mr  Whitelaw, a  very  ingenious  artist  in  this  city,  who  has  been employed  to  make  the  clock.  The  next  peculiarity  in this  clock  is  the  material  of  which  the  pendulum  rod  and ball  have  been  made.  Marble  has  been  adopted  for  this purpose  in  consequence  of  a  suggestion  made  to  me  by Dr  Brewster.  Case  was  made  air-tight,  excepting  in one  place  where  a  short  tube  is  fixed  in  an  opening  from which  projects  externally  about  two  inches,  on  which a  half-distended  air-bag  is  made  fast"

 The Whitelaw family are referenced in the book by John Smith ""Old Scottish clockmakers 1453 - 1850" :

 ---- references: "Old Scottish clockmakers 1453 - 1850" by John Smith page 391 ----