Clock Mills

Clock Mills was originally called Clock Mills – Clock being an archaic word for a bend in the stream, and in about 1766 clock maker John Baddeley (1727-1804) of Tong began to work there. The area had been known as Clock Mills since 1623. A “Clack” Mill was built by John Talbot, the “clack” was the device that fed the corn from the hopper to the mill wheel. “Clack” was changed to “clock” by the local dialect modification of “a” to “o” as in apple to opple.

Several clock makers worked in Albrighton, but Baddeley was the most prolific and has the distinction of installing the first clock at St Mary’s in about 1790 – the clock faced south and east.

In 1872, Mr John Briscoe of St Cuthbert’s Grange gave the church a new clock made by Joyce of Whitchurch with faces of Bilston Blue Enamel. In 1969 these clock faces were removed and replaced by a new one on the south side only.

The bell for the church clock is the tenor bell (lowest) of the six bells that are rung for church services. The clock striker has to be disengaged before ringing the bells. The first four bells were installed in 1549 when the tower was raised to accommodate them. The in 1740, a Sanctus bell (one that can be rung from the church floor level) was added, and in 1760 after recasting these five bells, a sixth was added.

When the church had two clock faces, it was often said, “One for the villagers and one for the Vicar”.

Words: Ernest Howells