John Snow. A fine and early silver key wind pair case 'puritan' pocket watch Circa 1640Offered from the T P Camerer Cuss CollectionJohn Snow. A fine and early silver key wind pair case 'puritan' pocket watchDate: Circa 1640 Movement: Gilt full plate gut fusee verge, pierced and engraved elongated pinned-on balance cock, worm and wheel set up, silver regulation, tapered and engraved square section pillarsDial: Silver, black Roman numerals, black inner minute markers with fleur-de-lys half hour marks, blued steel single handCase: Polished inner and outer, narrow rope effect engraving to inner bezel, Signed: Movement signed 'John Snow me Fecit'Size: 43.5mm Accompaniments: Transcript of Nicholas Snows willThis style of watch was fashionable between circa 1630-60 and it was in the nineteenth century that the name 'Puritan' was applied to this type. An exceptional feature of the case of this watch is the early method of fitting the crystal 'glass' which is held in place by tags around the underside of the bezel.There appears to be no proper record of a John Snow working at this period other than John Snow of Salisbury. F. J. Britten records a John Snow of London but his evidence is a lantern clock at Simpsons in the Poultry signed 'John Snow Ao dmi 1630' - a signature style typical of the Salisbury maker. Britten also records an advertisement in the London Gazette, April 1680 for a lost watch signed 'John Snow Sarum' (Sarum being the Latin name for Salisbury). Baillie just has 'Snow, John, London 1630 lantern clock' while Loomes repeats this but, wisely, has a question mark after London. Baillie fails to list John Snow of Salisbury but Loomes does. George White states that there were two members of the Snow family working in Salisbury in the early Seventeenth century, Nicholas and John. He records some of their background and illustrates a lantern clock signed 'Jo Snow. Ano. Do. 1630' and refers to another with the same signature illustrated by Edwardes. That John and Nicholas Snow were brothers is confirmed by Nicholas's will dated 20th February 1644 which refers to 'John Snowe my brother' who he appointed overseer. Provenance:Christies 25 October 1960, lot 65T P Camerer Cuss CollectionLiterature:F J Britten, Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers (2nd Edition, 1904, onwards)G H Baillie, Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World, NAG Press 3rd EditionBrian Loomes, The Early Clockmakers of Great Britain, NAG Press 1981George White, English Lantern Clocks, ACC 1989, see Chapter V, pages 212-218 and footnotesEarnest Edwardes, The Story of the Pendulum Clock, John Sherratt, 1977Illustrated:Clutton and Daniels, Watches, 1st Edition Batsford, 1965, plate 122-3, 2nd Edition Sotheby Parke Bernet (Philip Wilson) 1979, plate 76a-bT P Camerer Cuss, Country Life Book of Watches, Country Life, 1967, plate 16T P & T A Camerer Cuss, The Camerer Cuss Book of Antique Watches, AC C 1976, plate 16