London, England · 1706 – 1772
John Ellicott
VerifiedCompensation pendulums, precision clocks, and scientific instruments
Life & work
John Ellicott was a prominent London clock- and instrument-maker, Fellow of the Royal Society, and holder of the position of Clockmaker to King George III, whose workshop produced precision domestic and scientific clocks during the mid-eighteenth century alongside barometers and other scientific instruments, situating him within the same milieu of Royal Society-connected instrument makers as contemporaries pursuing improved timekeeping for astronomy and navigation.
Ellicott is credited with an important improvement to the compensation pendulum, devising a compensating pendulum mechanism (distinct from John Harrison's gridiron design) using differential expansion of brass and steel to keep the pendulum's effective length, and therefore its rate, more constant across temperature changes, a refinement described in his own published paper to the Royal Society and generally regarded as a genuine and well-documented eighteenth-century contribution to precision pendulum clockmaking.
His business also engaged in the export trade to European courts and colonial markets, and the Ellicott family workshop continued under his son Edward Ellicott after John's death, maintaining the firm's reputation for high-quality precision and decorative clockwork into the later eighteenth century.
Timeline
John Ellicott's recorded dates, dated events from this profile and its sources, and dated pieces and sales from the object catalogue. Dates are as each record gives them.
1706 · Career
Born
circa 1725-1750 · Catalogued piece
1740-1750 · Catalogued piece
circa 1760 · Catalogued piece
1772 · Career
Died
Training, contributions & innovations
- Devised an alternative compensation pendulum mechanism using differential brass-and-steel expansion
- Served as Clockmaker to King George III and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
- Produced precision clocks and scientific instruments exported to European and colonial markets
Inventions & patents
- Ellicott's compensation pendulum design is documented in his own Royal Society paper; it is a verified eighteenth-century mechanical contribution distinct from Harrison's gridiron pendulum.
Signatures & markings on surviving work
- Clocks and instruments signed 'John Ellicott, London' or 'Ellicott, London' with Royal Society-era serial conventions
Collecting significance
Signed Ellicott precision clocks and compensation-pendulum examples are notable museum and specialist collector pieces; because the firm continued under Edward Ellicott, later 'Ellicott' signed pieces should be checked against period to distinguish John Ellicott's own work from his son's later production.
Firms, key models & movements
Firms
- Ellicott · 1720s
In the object catalogue
8 catalogued objects are recorded under John Ellicott. Attributions are as given by each source and are not independent authentication.
- A George III mahogany hooded wall clock, John EllicottWall clock · circa 1760
- English Porphyry Clock by EllicottBracket clock · circa 1760-1772
- George II burr walnut table clock by John EllicottBracket clock · c. 1745
- John Ellicott bracket clockBracket clock · 18th century
- John Ellicott Longcase ClockLongcase clock · mid 18th century
- John Ellicott pocket watchOpen-face watch · ca. 1760
- Longcase clock with integrated barometerLongcase clock · circa 1725-1750
- Table clock by John EllicottBracket clock · 1740-1750
Provenance
Where the 8 catalogued pieces by John Ellicott were recorded, with the collectors, owners and sales their records name.
Provenance map
Each piece is linked to the museum, auction house or dealer whose record it comes from, and to any other house or collection its own provenance names. Select a name to see its pieces.
Museums · 3 pieces
Auction houses · 4 pieces
Dealers & other listings · 1 piece
Victoria and Albert Museum
Museum · 2 pieces · Directory entry
Longcase clock with integrated barometerLongcase clock · circa 1725-1750 · Record source
The record names no sale, lot or earlier owner.
Table clock by John EllicottBracket clock · 1740-1750 · Record source
Provenance: Percy Webster
Collectors, owners and donors
- Anthony Woodburn, 1999Provenance · A George III mahogany hooded wall clock, John Ellicott
- Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917Credit Line · John Ellicott pocket watch
- Percy WebsterProvenance · Table clock by John Ellicott
Auction history
| House | Sale & lot | Object |
|---|---|---|
| Sotheby's | lot 94 | A George III mahogany hooded wall clock, John Ellicott |
| Dreweatts 1759 Fine Sales | — | George II burr walnut table clock by John Ellicott |
| New England Auctions - Fred Giampietro | lot 0242 | John Ellicott bracket clock |
| Bonhams | lot 280 | John Ellicott Longcase Clock |
Each line is copied from the object's source record and is not independently verified. Holders are as recorded when the piece was catalogued: museum objects may not be on display, and sold lots have since changed hands.
Photographs
Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.
Sources & references
- Britten, F. J., Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers
- Baillie, G. H., Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.