A QUEEN ANNE WALNUT EIGHT-DAY LONGCASE CLOCKCHARLES GRETTON, LONDON, CIRCA 1705The five finned pillar inside countweel bell-striking movement with anchor escapement regulated by seconds pendulum, the 12 inch square brass dial with subsidiary seconds dial, ringed winding holes and border-engraved calendar aperture to the matted centre within applied Roman numeral chapter ring with foliate half hour markers, Arabic five minutes beyond the minute track and signed Cha: Gretton, London to lower margin, with fine sculpted steel scroll hands and twin cherub and crown cast spandrels to angles within a continuous wheatear engraved outer border, the walnut veneered case with ogee moulded cornice and line-bordered frieze over hinged glazed front applied with Solomonic twist three-quarter columns to the front angles, the sides with rectangular windows and conforming quarter columns set against bargeboards at the rear, the trunk with cavetto throat moulding over door with re-worked break-arch top and inlaid with floral sprays above and below the central lenticle, with triple-line inlaid crossbanded border and cross grain half-round edge mouldings, the base with ogee top moulding and conforming triple-line inlay to front, on moulded skirt base incorporating shaped apron and integral bracket feet.126cm (85ins) high, 50cm (19.75ins) wide, 25.5cm (10ins) deep.The life and work of Charles Gretton is thoroughly documented in Radage, Dennis; Warner, Meinen and Radage, Laila CHARLES GRETTON, THROUGH THE GOLDEN AGE. Charles Gretton was born in Clayplole, Lincolnshire in 1648 and by 1662 he had moved to London entering into an eight year apprenticeship under Humphrey Downing on the 30th June of that year (turned over from Lionell Wythe). Humphrey Downing died in 1666 but it is thought that Gretton continued his apprenticeship under his widow, Cordelia, gaining his freedom of the Clockmakers Company in 1672 and se-up business in Fleet Street. In 1677 Charles Gretton married Mary Phillips and established himself at the sign of the 'The Ship' in Fleet Street (either number 174 or 175 next to Fetter Lane). Gretton was appointed an Assistant of the Clockmaker's Company in 1889 and then Warden in 1697; the same year he signed the 'oath of allegiance'. In 1700 Charles Gretton served as Master as well marrying his second wife Lucy Uffman (his first wife Mary died in 1694). In 1701 he put £50 forward to the Clockmakers' Company in order to establish a trust to assist the orphans of deceased members and was nominated to serve again as Master in 1705/06. Lucy, his second wife died before 1711 as this is the year that Charles Gretton married his third wife, Dorethea Wilson shortly after which he moved to his newly acquired second premises at two Chancery Lane. At this time his premises at 'The Ship', Fleet Street was passed onto the management of his nephew, Thomas Moore who paid taxes on the building until 1723. In 1716 Charles and Dorothea moved again to Chancery Lane where they remained until Dorothea's death in 1727. By this time Charles Gretton had retired from active clockmaking and went to go and live with his daughter, Ann, in Milk Street where he remained until his death in 1731.During his carreer Charles Gretton He took on many apprentices including Henry Sully (Freed April 1705) and Joseph Antram (Freed October 1706) both of whom went on to become famous clockmakers in their own right. By the time of his death and internment at St. Dunstan's in the West Gretton had become a wealthy and highly respected figure within the City of London as well as the clockmaking community. His Will mentions no less than nine properties as well as £1,300 deposited in the Bank of England contributing the £2,600 monetary component of his legacy.Despite the best efforts of the authors to track-down known examples of his work the current lot is not recorded in CHARLES GRETTON, THROUGH THE GOLDEN AGE however the dial can be closely compared to that of clock 'LC63' illustrated on pages 214-5.