Litherland's Unusual Rack Lever Pocket Watch

Unusual 15 second rack lever silver pair case pocket watch,…
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Unusual 15 second rack lever silver pair case pocket watch, signed Litherland, Liverpool, number 4137, 56 mm, outer and inner cases both hallmarked Chester 1805/6 by Ebenezer Irwin. Bell shaped balance cock with engraved Crown and marked below 'Patent', diamond endstone. White dial, Roman numerals, railtrack minutes, subsidiary 15 seconds dial at VI. Peter Litherland was issued a patent in 1792 for 'The Rack-Lever Escapement' which granted Litherland control of use for 14 years. So this would mean that no other watchmakers could produce a rack lever until 1806 without an agreement with Litherland. One of the most famous and prolific rack lever watchmakers was Robert Roskell whose shop was next door to Litherland.

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  • Hunt & Roskell - Hunt & Roskell, were a firm of manufacturing and retail jewellers and silversmiths, founded in 1843 by Robert Roskell a famous pocket watch maker from Liverpool, and John Samuel Hunt who had previously been in partnership with silversmith Paul Storr, trading Storr & Co. (1819-22), Storr & Mortimer (1822-38), Mortimer & Hunt (1838-43) and then Hunt & Roskell (1843-97).

    Hunt & Roskell had retail premises at 156 New Bond Street and a manufacturing workshops at 26 Harrison Street, near Clerkenwell.

    They were among the finest of the Victorian silversmith, manufacturing in the high Victorian style, and their craftsmanship was recognised by their appointment as silversmiths and jewellers to Queen Victoria.

    John Samuel Hunt continued as a partner until his death in 1865, when he was succeeded by his son, John Hunt (d.1879). Robert Roskell remained in the firm until his death in 1888. In 1889 the firm was taken over by J.W. Benson and continued in business as Hunt & Roskell Ltd until c.1965.

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