Clock & Watchmakers and Jewellers
by SLHS on
Tuesday 19 July 2016
Clock and watchmaking was a skilled and important trade. As factories developed and the railways began to affect trade, it became critical to know the time. In the early years it was only the wealthy who could afford a clock or watch, but by the time this trade came to Somercotes, they were becoming more affordable. By the early 20th century, many men would use a pocket watch, and later, a wristwatch.
As time went on and disposal income increased, watchmakers in Somercotes, as elsewhere, began to make and sell jewellery. Perhaps the most well-known jeweller in Somercotes during the 20th century was Edgar White, who established his business as a watchmaker and jeweller around 1928. He and his family continued to trade at the same premises until the early 1970s, when it changed hands and became Jenkinson’s Jewellers.
| CLOCK & WATCHMAKERS AND JEWELLERS LISTED IN 1828, 1831 & 1835: | |
| WILBRAHAM, Jonathan | Clock maker - Somercotes |
| CLOCK & WATCHMAKERS AND JEWELLERS LISTED IN 18362 & 1876: | |
| ARMSON, John Edward | Watch & Clock maker, Jeweller - Somercotes |
| CLOCK & WATCHMAKERS AND JEWELLERS LISTED IN 1888 | |
| NEWBERRY, Henry | Watch & Clock maker - Birchwood Lane, Somercotes |
| CLOCK & WATCHMAKERS AND JEWELLERS LISTED IN 1908 | |
| BATES, Charles Frazier | Watch Repairer - Somercotes |
| SHACKLETON, Frank | Watch Maker - Somercotes (Frank continued to trade in Somercotes to at least 1924) |
ADVERTISEMENT: An advert for Frank Shackleton from the Somercotes Parish Magazine, published in May 1924.
| CLOCK & WATCHMAKERS AND JEWELLERS LISTED IN 1928: | |
| WHITE, Edgar | Watchmaker and Jeweller, Nottingham Road, Somercotes (It is probable that Edgar was in business several years prior to this listing. The jewellers shop on Nottingham Road continued in business until the early 1970s) |
| CLOCK & WATCHMAKERS AND JEWELLERS LISTED IN 1932: | |
| SMITH, Thomas | Watchmaker - Lower Somercotes |
| WHITE, Edgar | Watchmaker and Jeweller, Nottingham Road, Somercotes (The jewellers shop on Nottingham Road continued in business until the early 1970s) |
| CLOCK & WATCHMAKERS AND JEWELLERS LISTED IN 1941: | |
| WOOTON, Frank A. | Watchmaker & Jeweller - Chapel Street, Leabrooks |
ADVERTISEMENT: An advert for Edgar White, Watch Maker & Jeweller. The date is not known but it is probably from the 1940s or 1950s.