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Domestic Clocks

The domestic clock evolved from the scientific pursuits of medieval churchmen and mechanics, initially serving practical purposes in religious communities. The first domestic clocks were weight-driven, later transitioning to spring-driven designs in the 1400s, which allowed for portability and smaller personal clocks. However, the shift to spring mechanisms posed challenges in timekeeping accuracy due to the inconsistent power output of coiled springs.

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13 views

Domestic Clocks

The domestic clock evolved from the scientific pursuits of medieval churchmen and mechanics, initially serving practical purposes in religious communities. The first domestic clocks were weight-driven, later transitioning to spring-driven designs in the 1400s, which allowed for portability and smaller personal clocks. However, the shift to spring mechanisms posed challenges in timekeeping accuracy due to the inconsistent power output of coiled springs.

Uploaded by

czharmandeepkaur
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Domestic Clocks

The domestic clock was not exactly invented, it was probably a spin-off from the
Scientific activities of churchmen, astrologers and mechanics of the Middle Ages
interested in increasing their knowledge of the stars or improving discipline in
religious communities Perhaps some 13th-century king or bishop first had a clock in
his house as a symbol of prestige or wealth or perhaps from interest, or to call him to
prayer Certainly, the church assistant needed to know when to warn the watchman
to ring the bolt in the watchtower to warn the local people about some communal
activity such as digging a ditch preparing to defend themselves against raiders, or
gathering to help put a fire out.

So possibly it was the watchman’s clock on the wall that became the domestic iron
clock of the medieval household. It was a valuable possession, and when the family
moved, it went with them, just as did any glass windows they had Iron clocks and
lantern clocks, hanging on the wall from a hook, were the first general domestic
clocks The weight that powered them hung below them and generally had to be
pulled up twice a day in some countries, it became fashionable to fit ornate wooden
cases around them and mount these clocks on wooden brackets.

Although the weight-driven clock was not originally designed for domestic use, the
spring-driven one undoubtedly was The use of a coiled spring instead of a weight to
provide power made possible first the portable clock and subsequently the smaller
personal clock, which was later called a watch Spring clocks were first made in
France in the 1400s. It seems, but little is known of their origin. The earliest spring-
driven clock known is dated about 1450 it is like the weight-driven clock of the time
but with the weights replaced by coiled springs.

The changeover from weight-driven to spring-driven clocks did not prove so simple,
however, because, unlike the falling weight the coiled spring did not provide a
constant source of power. When wound up, the spring gave a force that was very
strong, but only for a short time. The force then decreased unevenly for some hours
before slowing rapidly The middle of the range was most useful for driving the clock,
but the reducing force was a problem Early coiled springs also suffered from the fact
that they could not be made very evenly or smoothly and did not coil accurately.
When this happened the power was released in uneven bursts. The means adopted
to overcome these disadvantages, which directly affected timekeeping accuracy,
were twofold.

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