Can Anyone Read Victorian French Handwriting ?

[frank rabbets]

These are makers marks on barrels of a French clock I'm restoring. Last half of the spellings look the same. I can't read them though. Someone who speaks French may recognise the words.

 

[clivehorridge]

I've got 2 French translators in the office I can try Frank, but no promises 'cos I can't even make out the letters, but they're younger and prettier than me, maybe their eyesight is better too.

 

[Chris]

Frank, I believe it says


Made in Hong Kong.

 

[joinerman]

Looks like

Jacob Eagwerk

 

[frank rabbets]

Chris I must admit my blood ran cold when I saw those words. I had to run to the dictionary to make sure they didn't translate "Milners".

Thanks everyone.

 

[Philip A]

That's not French...

Gebwerk

Geblagwerk

Could be old Dutch or Flemish

 

[frank rabbets]

Thanks Philip.

Definitely a French clock but could well be a foreign craftsman then.

 

[clivehorridge]

That's not French...

Gebwerk

Geblagwerk

Could be old Dutch or Flemish

That could be a worse scenario than the Milner one, at least some of their parts can be genuine, I'm told.

 

[Firewout]

Could it be 'hebwerk' for the first and 'schlagwerk' for the second?
Hebwerk is german for 'lifting mechanism'
Schlagwerk is german for 'bells' or 'percussion'.
Is it a clock with weigts on chains and a bell? Does it make sense when you look at the mechanism?

 

[clivehorridge]

My French girls couldn't make sense of anything...

 

[Philip A]

Could it be 'hebwerk' for the first and 'schlagwerk' for the second?
Hebwerk is german for 'lifting mechanism'
Schlagwerk is german for 'bells' or 'percussion'.
Is it a clock with weigts on chains and a bell? Does it make sense when you look at the mechanism?

That would make perfect sense, someone scribbled this on the drums while disassembling the clock so as to avoid confusion later.

The spelling difference, two hundred years later, is down to regional dialects, and similarities across languages of the same family.

 

[frank rabbets]

Those are pictures of barrels enclosing springs which are wound up. One is to drive the pendulum and hands, thus keeping the time, called the "going train". The going train incorporates a lifting mechanism to set off the striking. The other is for sounding the half hours and full hours on a bell called the " striking train". Although almost identical it is best practice to keep the barrels in their original positions, from new.

On other clock barrels I've noticed just different marks on barrels. It could be initials for their uses. They were most likely put on during manufacture as I've never seen a blank barrel.

The area of Franche-Comte is in France but close to the Swiss and German border. There was a huge clock making industry there in the 19 century so I would think this is where my movement was made.

Very helpful and conclusive I would think.