Sir John Bennett - London - 61874 - 1850-1900

Beautiful antique Edwardian pocket watch by Sir John Bennett from the late 19th century.
Hand-wound, works perfectly, that's how they don’t make them anymore.

Material: case is solid sterling silver, hallmark present and tested.
Fully original with light signs of use, as expected for the age.
Inside are several engravings from the watchmakers who serviced the movement.
Case diameter: 50 mm
Case length and crown: 70 mm

Acquired from an inheritance, sale due to other projects

Very nice collector's item for collectors, antiquities enthusiasts, watchmakers, or precious metals lovers.



Sir John Bennett (15 October 1814 – 3 July 1897) FRAS was a clock and watchmaker. A biographer described him as a "flamboyant personality who elicited mixed reactions from his contemporaries, ranging from ridicule and hostility to admiration".[1]
Life
Caricature by "Spy", published in Vanity Fair in 1883[2]

As the eldest son of John Bennett, clockmaker of Greenwich, he was educated at Colfe's Grammar School in Lewisham. In 1846 he started his own watchmaking business at 65 Cheapside in the City of London.[1] His younger brother, the poet William Cox Bennett, was also a watchmaker at Cheapside.

Although trained as a practical watchmaker, Bennett's Cheapside business operated as a showroom for watches from English and Swiss manufacturers.[3]

Bennett married Agnes Willson in 1843; the couple had three children: Alice, John, and Juliet.[4] After his retirement Bennett lived with widow Aimée Guilbert. She was effectively his long-time mistress and bore seven children by him: Lillie, Lionel, Violet, Rose, Horace, Gerald Munro, and Douglas Thurlow. They all bore their mother's surname.[5]

In 1889 he withdrew from business and the Common Council. He first moved to Rotherfield (Sussex) and later to St. Leonards-on-Sea on the Sussex coast, where he died in 1897 at the age of 82.[5] In an obituary he was described as "a man of strong character, very eccentric and one of the best-known figures in London".[6]

The fate of Bennett’s estate is unclear, as two documents regarding the settlement of the estate were prepared. The first document, dated 1 February 1898, granted the right to settle to Henry Hewitt Bridgman; the value of the estate was £463 19s. 6d. A second document from 1899 granted this right to Edward Jones Trustram, solicitor and authorized agent of Aimée Guilbert, who was listed as a single woman. By the time of this second settlement the estate had diminished to only £88 9s. 6d.[7] A note in the London Gazette of 29 September 1899, calling all creditors of the estate to contact Trustram, indicates that Aimée Guilbert was named as executrix in the will.[5]

Bennett was a flamboyant man, both in his dress and public appearances. It was noted that he appeared on horseback during the Lord Mayor's Show—sitting on a white horse—dressed in a black velveteen jacket and wearing a broad-brimmed hat. His daughter Alice’s family described him as "horrible" and "a kind of monster".
Social career

Bennett was a member of the livery companies of the Spectaclemakers, Clockmakers and Loriners, and served in 1877–1878 as Master (chairman) of the Loriners' Guild.[1]

From 1862 to 1889 Bennett was a member of the Common Council of the City of London Corporation, representing the Cheap ward. In October 1872 he was elected to the London School Board to fill a casual vacancy in the representation of the City of London. Although he withdrew from the board in the 1873 elections, he returned for a three-year term (1876–1879) and served another term from 1885 to 1889.[6]

He was Sheriff of London and Middlesex in 1871 and again in 1872 after the death of Richard Young, and also Lord Lieutenant of the City of London. In the same year he was knighted (Knight Bachelor) on the occasion of the Prince of Wales’s recovery from typhus.[1]

In 1877 he was elected alderman for the Cheap ward, winning by only one vote. It was claimed that eight men who voted for him had rented property solely to vote; one of them even admitted this. The Recorder ruled, however, that this did not invalidate the votes. His opponent then withdrew and Bennett was declared the winner.[1] The Court of Aldermen nevertheless refused to confirm his appointment, stating that he did not possess the "proper character" to hold the office. Nevertheless, he was re-elected by the wardmote twice more. On his third election the Court of Aldermen declared his opponent the winner, despite having fewer votes than Bennett. After this third rejection Bennett withdrew from the elections.[1]

He stood for Parliament three times without success: Greenwich (1873), Maldon (1874) and Wiltshire (1886).[1]
Honours

- Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Knight Bachelor
- Légion d'honneur[6]

Source biography: Wikipedia