Tompion, Thomas

People > Tompion, Thomas

Thomas Tompion was born at Ickwell Green, near Northill in 1639. His father was a blacksmith. For some reason (unknown) he left Northill and was apprenticed to a London clockmaker becoming a brother in the Clockmakers' Company in 1671. Tompion rapidly became known as one of the finest watch and clock makers in London receiving notice from Charles II. His achievements include making the first clocks for the Greenwich Observatory in 1676 and making one of the first English watches to be regulated by a balance spring. Tompion worked with a number of collaborators to improve his designs, including Dr. Robert Hooke, the famous physicist and mathematician. Tompion died on the 20th November 1713 and is buried in Westminster Abbey.

Bedfordshire Libraries, 2006

Famous one handed clock designed by Thomas Tompion for St. Mary's Church, Northill.

Thomas Tompion, clockmaker by Bedfordshire Libraries, 2006

Page last updated: 3rd February 2014