George Catchpole of Market Place, Atherstone, Warwickshire, (from where this clock would have been made). Born c1838, in Grendon, Warwickshire, Catchpole served his apprenticeship under R.B. Tomkies, in Atherstone, who was a respected watchmaker in the town. Having served his time, Catchpole remained with Tomkies until c1860, when he set-up his own watchmaking business in the town in Market Place, where he remained throughout his working life until at least 1901, after which time, little is known about him.
Catchpole never appeared to marry, although he did reside with Elizabeth Bonny (a widower 8 years his senior). He was also quite a prolific watchmaker, and only tended to produce clocks on commission from local town councils, associations and schools, along with other similar business and Govt. funded establishments.
Today, this means that Catchpole made clocks are exceedingly rare to find, and as way of recent provenance, it is known that this clock formed part of the renowned and important antiquities collection of former London Barrister, (the late), Baron John Mauger Langin of Oxon, between c1978-2024.