A Queen Anne pine thirty-hour longcase clock with 10 inch dial James Delance, Downton, early 18th century The posted countwheel bell striking movement with thick plates and generous square section uprights enclosing anchor escapement for regulation by seconds pendulum, the 10 inch square brass dial with matted centre within applied silvered Roman numeral chapter ring with stylised sword hilt half hour markers and signed Jam's Delance, Downton to lower margin, with pierced steel hour hand and crested male mask centred foliate scroll cast gilt spandrels to angles, in a case with generous ogee cornice over vacant moulded-edge rectangular frieze panel and conforming fixed glazed dial aperture, the sides with further rectangular windows framing the movement, the trunk with lenticle-centred slender rectangular door over applied waist mouldings and continuing down to form the integral plinth base with moulded skirt, 205cm (81ins) high. James Delance is recorded in Loomes, Brian Clockmakers of Britain 1286-1700 as born in Downton, Wiltshire in 1655. He is believed to have learnt the clockmaking trade from Lawrence Debnam in Frome prior to moving to London in 1677 where he was admitted as a Free Brother to the Clockmakers' Company the following year. Delance remained in London until 1685 when he left the city and returned to Frome where he set up business in Cheap Street - probably succeeding Lawrence Debnam who died in 1683 at the age of 40. Delance is recorded as undertaking work on clocks for Lord Weymouth at Longleat from at least 1694 until 1703. By 1721 Delance had moved to Downton, Wiltshire and was still working in 1736. The well-made nature of the movement of the current lot extends to the use of substantial rectangular section corner uprights which appear to have been favoured by Delance as these can be seen on other clocks by him including a fine thirty-hour musical clock by him sold at Christies, King Street THE VITALE COLLECTION OF HIGHLY IMPORTANT EUROPEAN CLOCKS on Tuesday 26th November 1996 (lot 247).