Ripon's Clockmakers: Clockmaking in a Former West Riding Market Town

Authors: David F. Severs

Dr. David Severs is the author of four books on clockmakers who worked in North Yorkshire - two books on the clockmakers of Northallerton were followed by books on the clockmakers of Stokesley and Bedale. His books have been well-reviewed in horological journals and elsewhere and they were said to make clocks and clockmaking understandable to readers new to the subject.

Ripon’s Clockmakers is also written both for clock enthusiasts and readers new to the subject. The book covers seventy-five men who made or sold clocks at Ripon between the 1690s and 1900. Using many examples of their handiwork the development of long-case clocks is described from their origins in the seventeenth century to their decline late in the nineteenth century when they were replaced by clocks imported from Europe and the United States.

Although the book concentrates on the clockmakers and their clocks it contains much else about the history of Ripon and should be of interest not only to readers interested in clocks but also to readers interested in social history.