A GEORGE II WALNUT QUARTER CHIMING EIGHT-DAY LONGCASE CLOCKWILLIAM THELKELD, LONDON, CIRCA 1740The five pillar triple train movement with anchor escapement regulated by seconds pendulum, chiming the quarters on a graduated nest of six bells and sounding the hour on a single larger bell, the 12 inch gilt brass break-arch dial with subsidiary seconds dial over arched nameplate engraved William Thelkeld, London to the matted centre within applied silvered Roman numeral chapter ring with Arabic five minutes beyond the outer minute track, with scroll pierced steel hands and 'twin bird and urn' cast spandrels to angles beneath arch centred with subsidiary Strike/Silent selection dial flanked by dolphin cast mounts, the case with break-arch cavetto cornice over hinged glazed dial aperture flanked by free-standing fluted columns with gilt caps and bases, the sides with rectangular glazed apertures and conforming quarter columns set against bargeboards at the rear, the trunk with break-arch door fronted with book-matched figured walnut veneers incorporating triple-line strung border withinplex crossgrain edge mouldings, the plinth base with concave top moulding over conforming line-edged panel to front and a moulded skirt.203cm (80ins) high, 51.5cm (20.25ins) wide, 25cm (10ins) deep.William Threlkeld (II) is recorded in Loomes, Brian Clockmakers of Britain 1286-1700 as born in Brancepath, County Durham in 1674. He was a trained watchmaker and goldsmith who by 1695 had moved to London and had set up biness in the Parish of St. Michael, Cornhill. By 1726 Threkeld had moved to St. Martin in the Fields where he took Thomas Hudson as an apprentice. In 1728 he is listed as working 'In ye Strand near ye new Exchange', and is believed to have died in around 1750.