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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 June 2012
On being elected to the honourable post of Director of the Society of Antiquaries, it became my duty to inspect the state and arrangement of its property; of which Mr. Albert Way, my worthy predecessor in that office, was then drawing up a detailed Catalogue. In the course of this occupation I could not but be greatly struck with the old Bohemian clock in our possession; and which appearing, on inquiry, to be the earliest one in pristine condition now remaining in England, I felt somewhat called upon to lodge a description of it in our archives. On mentioning this to your Lordship, it was gratifying to find that you were of the same opinion; I have therefore given this curious and unique machine a most careful scrutiny, and hope the account which I now have the honour to deliver may prove elucidatory, both of its construction and its history. Before, however, describing the clock itself, some preliminary matter, respecting various points of horological import, may conduce to a right understanding of the subject.
page 8 note a See the full statement in the Gentleman's Magazine for September, 1785, pp. 687–689.
page 15 note a Colonel Batty forwarded me a tolerable reduction of this excellent print, with the same engraver's name. Cratzer is enrolled by Bishop Tanner, voce Krach, in the Bibliotheca Britannico-Hibernica.
page 18 note a The verb clokke means to limp, or go on lamely. It has been quoted more than once in horological reminiscences by mistake.
page 19 note a The words of the statute run: “Nuls, de quelques état qu'ils soient, s'ils ne sont pas reçus maîtres, ne pourront faire ni faire faire horloges, réveille-matins, montres, grosses ni menues, ni autre ouvrage du dit métier d'horloger, dedans la dite ville, cité, et banlieue de Paris, sur peine de confiscation des dits ouvrages, et d'amende arbitraire.”
page 20 note a The weight thus flippantly sneered at by Walpole, had really nothing objectionable. Mr. Vulliamy, in whose possession it was for some time, thinks that the report must have originated in a prurient imagination.
page 21 note a This phraseology was common on dials, bells, and clocks. Indeed on a dial still remaining on the more than once rebuilt church of Edstone in Yorkshire, and first put up by Gamal—the antagonist of Earl Tosti—about 1060, we have a very early and indisputable instance in point. Over this relic appears the word ORLOGIATORY, and on the west side of the hour lines stands 
ME PROHTE (Lothan made me.) On the adjacent church of Kirkdale, built by the son of Gamal, is another “sun-marker” with 
ME PROHTE (Haward made me).
page 22 note a The blazon is— Poland, Gules, an Eagle displayed argent, crowned, beaked, and legged or; Lithuania, Gules, a knight armed cap-à-pié argent, having pendant from his neck a shield azure, mounted on a horse of the second, with trappings azure garnished or; Visconti, Argent, a serpent wavy in pale azure, crowned or, a child issuant gules.
page 23 note a Since this paper was read to the Society, a communication to the Gentleman's Magazine for July, 1845, has been shown me by Mr. J. G. Nichols. It is a very accurate description of the Missal I have quoted, from the pen of Sir F. Madden; and is well worthy of a reference by the inquiring antiquary.
page 27 note a The poor but clever artist A. Janvier, in his “Étrennes Chronométriques pour l'an 1811”, mentions that in his family was preserved a clock fitted with “la courbe appellée staak-freed,” which had been in use upwards of three centuries.
page 29 note a While on this inquiry, various rumours of old specimens reached me; my object, however, was not a collective account of old clocks, but a wish to discover one which is still in its pristine condition, that was made earlier than 1525.
page 33 note a The wheel D=82 teeth÷the pinion of 6 teeth=
revolutions of the pinion, and each of them occupying 48 hours, gives 27 days and 8 hours for one revolution of the lunar wheel.
page 33 note b The wheel G 81 teeth÷the pinion with 6 teeth of wheel F=13½ revolutions of the pinion, which revolving in 27 days and 8 hours, or 656 hours × 13½=8856 hours, or 369 days=solar wheel.
page 33 note c As 27d 8h: 82 teeth:; 29d 12h; 88·5 teeth, showing the right surplus to be 6·5 teeth.