
Pitt’s Act of 1797, which taxed clocks and watches, increased demand for Act of Parliament clocks, which were displayed in public spaces and had large faces with easy-to-read numerals and striking mechanisms.
Act of Parliament clock. A British-made mural clock that dates to the early eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Pitt’s Act of 1797, which taxed clocks and watches, is responsible for its name. The Act was repealed the following year, but in the interim, it helped increase demand for Act of Parliament clocks, typically displayed in public spaces like taverns, inns, and coffee shops. This kind of clock has a small trunk-like case, a large unglazed dial, and a weight-driven movement. Tavern clocks typically had large faces with easy-to-read numerals, often made of wood or metal. Some tavern clocks also had striking mechanisms that sounded the hour or half-hour.
Sources
Studio Dictionary of Design & Decoration : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://archive.org/details/studiodictionary0000unse
Antique British Tavern Clock / Act of Parliament Clock – Price Guide and Values. (n.d.). Antique British tavern clock / Act of Parliament clock – price guide and values. Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://www.carters.com.au/index.cfm/index/11307-clocks-type-tavern-clock-act-of-parliament-clock/
Victoria & Albert Museum, V. A. (n.d.). Act of Parliament Clock | V&a Explore the Collections. Victoria and Albert Museum: Explore the Collections. Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https:///item/O322068/