The Restoration & History of the Clock of St Andrews Church Soham.
Click images to enlarge
An
entry in the oldest of the Parish Registers speaks of a clock in the
church (apparently in the tower ) in the year 1601. In 1664 '' Gadge
the knacker '' was paid 6/6 for '' lines '' for the clock, this being
the 1st reference met with in the church wardens account book. From
1667 to 1689 various charges are entered for '' keeping, '' ''
scouring, '' and mending the clock, and for '' wyer '' and '' lines.''
In 1700 a new clock and dial were purchased of '' Joseph Filleps '' (
Phillips ) at a cost of £19/10/0 ; and there were other expenses
attending the erection of scaffolding, &c. Some dispute appears
to have arisen respecting the way in which the work was carried out,
for 5/- was spent at Newmarket about ye too Arbetraters concerning ye
clock, '' 2/- for an arbetration bond ; '' and 3/- to '' a man judging
the clock and condemning ; '' the precaution having been taken
beforehand of ''' drawing artickels when ye clock was bargined for. ''
On May 9th 1701 it was agreed by the inhabitants that Robert Crow ''
shall have twenty shillings a yeare for keeping the clock , if he doe
it well : '' but this arrangement did not continue force very long, for
in 1704 an arrangement was made with Isaac Hurst to look after the
clock for five shillings a year. Some different plan appears to have
been adopted in 1711, 2/6 being then expended with the Ely clock maker
'' and severall of ye townspeople about putting out Church clock, '' in
1717 Robert Crow was again placed in charge, and seems to have
continued to look after the clock untill 1723, when Augustin Holland
received £1/2/6 for half a years salary for tending to it. Various
necessary repairs were carried out in the following years, Robert
Bemmington received 15/- per annum for the clock. ''
In 1752 the clock was taken to Cambridge for repairs, cost being
£6/8/0, and 2/- worth of beer was consumed at the same time.
In 1758 a formal agreement was made with William Burroughs, whitesmith
( ? ) , of Chippenham, that '' he should maintain and keep going the
parish clock of Soham in good and sufficient repair for the term of ten
years at the yearly sum of 10/6 . '' A similar agreement was entered
into with Edward Burroughs, of Fordham, in 1771, for ten years at the
same rate. In 1773 a new dial plate was procured from London, the
plate, with painting and guilding, cost £36 ; various other expenses
are incurred in the removal of the clock for the purpose of fixing it
to the new plate, &c. In 1814 the plate was regilded at an
expense of £8 or £9 .
Restoration July / August 1937
There is an entry in the oldest parish register which speaks of a clock
in the year 1601, apparently situe in the Tower. Another reference in
the Church Wardens account book speaks of a Gadge the Knacker in 1664
was paid 6s. 6d for lines for the clock. The present clock is said to
have been procured from one of the Colleges of Cambridge. In bygone
times the clock required to be wound once in 8 days, but when the west
gallery was removed there was less space for the weights of the clock
hence it had to be wound every 3 days. The clock struck the hour only.
The clock bell bears the inscription T. Mears of London Fecit 1826. The
following photographs show the clock undergoing restoration work in
1937. Note the restorer being hoisted up in the crate.
