Mindless Motives

Information on Ellis Exeter - Exeter Watchmaker:

Offers to email address at bottom.

The Ellis family were well known maker’s in Exeter, being the father Henry and two sons, Henry Samuel and William Horton. Henry Ellis was born in 1790 and died in 1871. He worked alone up until circa 1850 when his son Henry Samuel joined him, a partnership that lasted until 1854 when the two sons joined together to form the partnership of Ellis Brothers. The three of them exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851 held in the Crystal Palace, Hyde Park, London.

Henry Ellis left us with a wonderful autobiography which gives details of his working life, mentioning he became an apprentice clockmaker due to his friendship at school with the son of the well known clockmaker John Tucker who was looking for an apprentice. When he left to leave his home and move in with Tucker his mother and sister observed the time-honoured custom of throwing an old shoe after him for luck! After finishing his apprenticeship he spent a time working with William Upjohn in Clerkenwell, London, Upjohn having moved from Exeter himself.

 

Ellis finally opened his first shop at 263, High Street, Exeter in May 1814 before moving a number of times including to 246, High Street directly opposite his great rival John Skinner! As he became more important within the city, he was a churchwarden and collector of parish taxes amongst other things, he persuaded Charles Cross (the maker of this movement) to join him in April 1818 and with whom he worked closely. In 1821 he states ‘I am now busily employed with my workman Cross in the construction of a new regulator..’ being the one he used in his shop. By 1828 clockmaking was becoming secondary to watchmaking & the retail side of the business and Charles Cross left to set up at his own home in Guinea Street where he continued to do clock jobbing work for Ellis. Henry Ellis’ wife died in 1844 and he took a less active role in the business leaving that to his son Henry who was known to make items of jewellery for Queen Victoria thus allowing Ellis to have the Royal Coat of Arms placed above the shop in 1848. Henry Ellis remarried at Shaldon, Devon in 1850 and finally gave up his business to his sons in 1854. He died on the 18^th of July, 1871.

 

* Ellis’ memoirs were started in the late 1840’s and consisted of eight hand written volumes, each 400 pages long and were the basis of his fascinating autobiography which can be read in Clive Ponsford’s ‘Devon Clocks and Clockmakers’, published by David & Charles, but at present out of print. (source)

By the Silver Hallmarks on the Case: I can accurately pinpoint the case age at 1870 - made by a “James Oliver” of Clerkenwell London. 

The Movement:

• “Ellis” engraved lower left (apologies for the poor image)
• “Exeter” engraved top
• Any information on the movement - please feel free to contact me tibtib123@googlemail.com