A 19th century two day mahogany marine chronometerSigned 'Eleve de' Parkinson & Frodsham London #537The three part case with blank brass cartouche to the top lid, the centre section with brass flower button above a later ivory signature plaque, the lower section with inlaid brass escutcheon with an ivory number plaque below and folding handles to the sides. The 3.25 inch silvered Roman dial enclosed by an Arabic minute band, subsidiary power reserve from 0-48 at XII and observatory style seconds dial at VI, signed eleve de Parkinson & Frodsham London No. 537 below the gold spade hands. The spotted movement with four ringed pillars and maintaining power to the chain fusee, free sprung blued steel helical balance spring with diamond endstone and Earnshaw type escapement, cut and compensated bimetallic balance with circular timing weights, with typical bayonet-fitting sprung dust cap in a weighted, scratch-numbered gimballed bowl. Ticking with two winding keys and a case key. 16cm (6 in) highFootnotes:Purchased 16 August 2002 from Gerald Marsh Antique Clocks, Winchester.There are three people associated with Parkinson & Frodsham that are known to have used the 'eleve' signature. The first is William Edward Frodsham who was the second eldest son of William James, born in 1814. He entered into his apprenticeship with his father in 1823, but tragically drowned in 1825, at the age of 20. Despite this, two marine chronometers are known to exist by him, numbered 1 and 2, and both signed on the dial Eléve of Parkinson & Frodsham. No. 2 accompanied Charles Darwin aboard H.M.S Beagle, and was sold in these rooms in 2014.The second person to use the 'eleve' name was Thomas Cotterell. Thomas Cotterell (also spelled Cottrell) was based at 163 Oxford street as Cotterell & Co. throughout the 1820's-1830's. Cotterell is known to have signed some marine chronometers as Elevé de Parkinson & Frodsham, despite not being listed as an official apprentice. One chronometer is known to be signed as Cotterell and Co., London and Parkinson & Frodsham, meaning it is possible that Cotterell made movements for Parkinson & Frodsham, rather then having been apprenticed to the firm. Further evidence of his association with Parkinson & Frodsham is that several chronometers were entered in the Greenwich trials by T. Cotterell, yet Parkinson & Frodsham literature took credit for the favourable results received. A chronometer made by Cotterell, No. 368, was bought for 80 guineas in 1829 by the government, to be used on the HMS Rainbow 1823, a 28-gun warship. He had several correspondences between 1822-1835 with Greenwich observatory, regarding the Trials and various parties interested in buying his chronometers. Beyond this, very little is known about his life, including when he stopped trading.The third person to consider is Henry Herbert Frodsham, William Edward Frodsham's nephew. Henry Herbert Frodsham was born in 1850 to Henry Frodsham, a Liverpool watch and chronometer maker and brother of the above-mentioned William Edward Frodsham. Henry Herbert served his seven-year apprenticeship with Thomas Robert Russell, completing it in 1871. After his apprenticeship, he was made a manager of Thomas Robert Russell and sent to manage their branch locations in Chile, then Germany, and finally London, where he seems to have established his own shop at 33 Picidilly, staying there between 1881-1884. A deck watch is known by him from this date, and it is signed on the dial Henry Frodsham élève of Parkinson & Frodsham, Change Alley, London. By 1886 Henry Herbert had moved to Bedford, again establishing himself as a watchmaker. In 1897, he went in to business with his wife Catherine, who was an optician, and formed H & C Frodsham, specialising in optics, whilst still offering watch repairs. Henry Herbert Frodsham died in 1915, but H & C Frodsham continued as an opticians under his daughter, Dorothy Frodsham, until her retirement in 1961.It seems likely that this particular chronometer was made by Thomas Cotterell. Cotterell outlived William Edward Frodsham and spent longer working in London then Henry Herbert Frodsham. Cotterell also used a grammatically correct French signature, eleve de, rather then William Edward and Henry Herbert, both of whom used eleve of. Why Cotterell didn't include his name, as he had done on previous examples remains unknown.The trade sticker in the chronometer box is from Liverpool nautical instrument and chronometer maker Alexander Cairns. He is recorded as working at 12-13 Waterloo Road between 1859-1872, having previously worked at 32 Waterloo Road, just up from Waterloo Dock. There is no record of interaction between Cairns and Parkinson & Frodsham. However, the latter had two branches in Liverpool, four wards east, also just up from the docks. It is possible that this chronometer may have been sent from the London workshop to be sold in Liverpool, though this cannot be confirmed.University of Cambridge (2015) Cambridge Digital Library: Papers of John Pond. Available at: https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/search?keyword=Cotterell%2C%20Thomas%20(fl%201822-1835)%20chronometer%20maker&page=1Davidson, S., Linstead-Smith, P. (2016) 'W. E. Frodsham No.1. Another chronometer identified from HMS Beagle's second voyage', Antiquarian Horology, Vol. 37 (3), pgs. 70-80E. C. V. Blyth (1957) 'Trade Offers Under £50', Antiquarian Horology, Vol. 2 (5), p. 94.Harvard University Hilliar's Guide for Strangers and Visitors Through Liverpool 1854. Available at:https://iiif.lib.harvard.edu/manifests/view/ids:10327532Historic Liverpool (2022) 1860: Weekly Dispatch Atlas. Available at: https://historic-liverpool.co.uk/old-maps-of-liverpool/weekly-dispatch-atlas-1860/#2/-87.8/-61.9This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: Y ФY Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the EU, see clause 13.Ф This lot contains or is made of ivory and cannot be imported into the USA or any country within the EU.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
