Maintenance agreement: Crewkerne, Somerset, 1701

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Introduction

This is an agreement made by the churchwardens of Crewkerne with Wallis Walter, a local clockmaker, with detailed specification of how the clock was to display the time both visually and aurally. The clock clearly replaced a predecessor, for there are a number of references to an earlier one, since the two “horologies and dyall plates” were to be “in the usuall places one in the church & the other in the outside of the tower.”

The parish required an array of signals. The clock dials were to be marked with hours, half-hours and quarter-hours, which suggests that they carried a single hand. The clock was to strike the number of the hour for every hour, day and night, and also the quarter-hours. Every third hour, at three, six, nine and twelve oclock, was to be signalled by a chime mechanism

“affix two horologies and dyall plates in the usuall places one in the church & the other in the outside of the tower which shall exactly describe the c[er]taine and true time and hower of the day the howers half howers and quarters to be plainly and duly markt out and distinguisht and the dyall plates figures and hands to be fairly painted and adorned in a hansome and decent manner”

A little later, in 1704-05, Wallis Walter was employed by the churchwardens at North Perrott to build them a new clock and chimes for which they paid him twelve pounds and ten shillings. Walter may well have made or repaired clocks for other parishes in the area, but this cannot be conclusively demonstrated. Many parishes’ accounts from the period have been lost, and those that survive only sometimes name the men employed, especially on repairs.

Small parts of one edge of the document are lost, indicated by ........ in the tramscript.

Transcript

(Somerset Record Office, Taunton: D/U/cr. 15/3/1)

Articles of Agreement Indented had (sic) made Concluded and Agreed upon this third day of February Ano. Dom. 1701 betweene William Merefield of Woolmiston within the Parish of Crewkerne in the County of Som'set Gent: Churchwarden of the said parish of the one parte & Wallis Walter of Crewkerne aforesaid Clockmaker of the other parte as followeth (vizt.)

...... (Wall)is Walter in Consideracon of (th)e severall sumes of money agreed to be paid to him by the said ...... (Mere)field at such dayes and times & in (s)uch manner and forme as is hereinafter particularly ...... expressed doth covenant promi(s)e and agree to and with the said William Merefield his ex.... ...... ignes by these presents That he (th)e said Wallis Walter shall and will on or before the ...... now next at his own proper .... and charges and in good workmanlike manner make a ...... ade one good and substantia(ll) Town Clock which shall strike howerly the true and exac(t) ...... (d)ay and night and give warnin(g) quarterly betweene eny hower And alsoe a good sett of ...... (s)ubstantiall Chimes to go on e(v)ery three howers (vizt.) att three six nine and twelve both ...... (nig)ht which said Clock and Chimes he the said Wallis Walter doth hereby covenant and ...... e substantiall manner to set u(p) affix and drest in the usuall place of the steeple or beth ...... parish church of Crewkerne aforesaid with all the Implements & materialls thereunto ...... or before the ninth day of May before mentioned. And further that he the said Wallis ........ shall in like manner and at his own cost and charges on or before the time aforesaid make be..... (a)nd affix two horologies and dyall plates in the usuall places one in the church & the other in the outside of the tower which shall exactly describe the c[er]taine and true time and hower of the day the howers half howers and quarters to be plainly and duly markt out and distinguisht and the dyall plates figures and hands to be fairly painted and adorned in a hansome and decent manner. And further that the said Wallis Walters shall at his own proper cost and charges find and provide all necessary and convenient Iron timber work leaden weights pulleys ropes lines wires and other materialls and useful things whatsoev[er] needfull and necessary in or about the p[re]misses aforesaid any or either of them. And further that the said Wallis Walter his executors Admino'rs and Assigness shall and will at his and their own proper Cost and Charges keep the said Clock horologies and Chimes in true order & find and provide the same and all materialls therof in by and with all manner of neccessary and needfull reparacons and amendments whatsoev[er] from the said ninth day of May

from time to time for and during the terme of seaven yeares & the ..... d.. next ensuing and fully to be compleat and ended for the true and sufficient doing whereof he the said Wallis Walter shall and will at or upon the said ninth day of May Enter into a Bond .........ually of Fifty pounds to the said William Merefield or his successors togeather with such sufficient security as the said William Merefield or his successors shall accept and approve And the said William Merefield for himself, his executors & Admin'ors doth in Consideracon of the of the pr[o]misse & covenant promise and agree to and with the said Wallis Walter his Executors Admin'ors & assignes by these p(re)sents. {he and they well and truly performing and fullfilling the Agreements and Covenants before mentioned on his and their partes to be performed and kept} that he the said William Merefield or his successors ChirchWardens of the said parish of Crewkerne shall well and truly pay or cause to be paid unto the said Wallis Walter his executors admin'ors or Assignes the sume of Twenty six pounds of Lawfull Money in manner and form following (vizt) Eight pounds Thirteene shillings and fower pence parte thereof within one Moneth after the time of the executing of these pr[e]sents for which he is to give William Merefield a bill payable upon demand. Eight pounds thirteene shillings and fower pence other parte thereof when the said Wallis Walter hath fully finished the making, setting up and affixing the said Clock, Chimes and horologies pursuant to this agreement and the other Eight pounds Thirteene shillings and fower pence residue thereof upon the said Wallis Walter giving and Entring into such security as is before herein mentioned and expressed in in full payment of the siad sume of Twenty Six pounds without any abatement or deduction whatsoev[er] and alsoe shall and will yearly and ev[er]y yeare upon the five and twentyeth day of March during the siad terme of seven yeares well and truly pay or cause to be paid unto the sam[e] Wallis Walter his Executors Admin'ors and assignes the sume of two shillings and six pence in full satisfaction to the said Wallis Walter for keeping and maintaining the said pr[e]misses in g(ood) order and repair according to the Agreement aforesaid And also shall and will quietly permit and suffer the said Wallis Walter to have and take to his own use and behoofe all manner of old Iron materialls now being in the school house chamber formerly belonging to the old Clock and Chimes only in the parish church aforesaid without any disturbance or interruption ........ said William Merefield his Executors or Admin'ors any or either of them.

. In Witness whe(reo)f the partyes to these presents have Interchangeably set their hands and seales the day (and) year above written

. Wallis Walter {SEAL}

John Clark

....ell Mallett

......... Prisse