![]() Simon and Aaron Willard each developed an industrial zone, throughout a quarter- mile radius around their shops. Simon and Aaron Willard both combined 18th century knowledge of horology with then-contemporary industrial methods (pre-cast parts, template usage, labor division, standardized production, efficient management). Louisa May, 1793.” Dial signed “Simon Willard.” A brass plaque reads “Given by John Goddard as a wedding gift to his son Benjamin Goddard, M. Nonetheless, from the 1790s onward, Willard's workshop also built tall clocks in great numbers while also performing general clock repair. ![]() ![]() There, Simon Willard carries on the clockmaking business, in all its branches." Like Aaron, Simon was still interested in perfecting the mechanism of compact clocks. In 1784, Willard advertised: "Simon Willard opened a shop in Roxbury Street, nearly facing the road which turns off to Plymouth. Soon thereafter, his brother Aaron settled in the same neighborhood, a quarter mile away. In about 1780, Simon Willard moved to 2196 Roxbury Street in Boston (later known as Washington Street), and set up a four-room workshop on his own. His next creation was the shelf clock, which was based on his gallery clock. The smallest clock of the time was the bracket clock, which influenced Simon's gallery clock, which he patented in 1802. He extensively experimented, seeking to improve the efficiency of the driving and the regulation parts of those timepieces' parts. Simon Willard managed his own business in Grafton some clocks survive bearing the maker's mark "Simon Willard, Grafton."Īt his workshop in Grafton, Willard studied the clocks by other makers which were brought to him to be repaired. As the latter became profitable, Benjamin set up a workshop in Lexington, Massachusetts, in 1767. Like some other contemporary horologists, the Willards divided their lives between farm chores and the clock business. After one more year, Simon built his first tall clock. Years afterward, Simon revealed that Morris did not actually know much on the matter and that his brother Benjamin had been his actual mentor. A year later, Benjamin hired an Englishman named Morris to teach horology-particularly to Simon. It is presumed that the other Willard brothers were taught horology by Benjamin.Īt the age of eleven, Simon began to study horology, showing some inherent aptitude for it. The elder brother, Benjamin, who was 10 years older than Simon, learned horology and opened a workshop adjacent to the house in 1766. When Simon Willard was born, the house had just one room. ![]() The farm, now operated as the Willard House and Clock Museum, had been built in 1718 by the Willards' third American generation. Main article: Descendants of Simon Willard Like all the Willard brothers, Simon was born on the family farm in Grafton, April 3, 1753. Simon Willard's parents were Benjamin Willard (1716–1775) and Sarah Brooks (1717–1775), who were Grafton natives. The original Willard family had arrived in 1634 from Horsmonden, Kent ( England), and they were among the founders of Concord, Massachusetts. Simon Willard – a 2nd great-grandson of the Massachusetts colonist Simon Willard (1605–1676) – was of the fifth Willard generation in America. Among his many innovations and timekeeping improvements, Simon Willard is best known for inventing the eight-day patent timepiece that came to be known as the gallery or banjo clock. Simon Willard clocks were produced in Massachusetts in the towns of Grafton and Roxbury, near Boston. ![]() Simon Willard (Ap– August 30, 1848) was a celebrated American clockmaker. ![]()
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