This handsome Scottish clock known affectionately as “James the Clock” stands proudly in the foyer of our home. How and why did this old timepiece make its way across the seas?

The Gowans clock in Jill’s foyer. Image by Author.

James Gowans (1806-1886), the clock’s maker is my husband’s 3rd great-grandfather. The son of John Gowans and Janet Sibbald he was born in North Berwick. James had nine children with Joan Neilson whom he married in 1830. Their descendants can now be found in Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and the United States.

James was a clockmaker in East Linton until the 1840s and Galashiels from the 1840s to the 1870s where he carried out his business at 47 High Street. He subsequently retired to live with family in Stirling.

His son John (1832-1882) became a prizewinning chronometer maker and jeweller in New York, son James (1836-1917) was a watch and clock maker in Hawick, and son William (1846-1923), who did not complete his clockmaking apprenticeship, became a doctor.

Since learning of James’ trade, we were anxious to find a Gowans clock. Having an object crafted by James or his son would add a tangible dimension to our family history and be a constant reminder to our descendants of their heritage.

We started searching the internet for a Gowans clock around 2002 and discovered one on the “UK and Irish Watch and Clockmakers” (now dead) website. We paid the 99p subscription to view and download the photos of our first located “Gowans” clock but were unable to contact the owner.

A detailed look of the pretty face of Jill’s Gowans clock. Image by Author.

Prior to a 2006 excursion to the UK a Gowans ancestor contacted us through the “Genes Reunited” site. After a flurry of emails, in which we discovered he had inherited a Gowans clock, we arranged a visit to share documents and view “James the Clock” and the Gowans family bible. We had a wonderful visit with the new cousin in his charming cottage in Wiltshire. Once my husband realised that we may be able to buy a Gowans’ clock the hunt was on.

We regularly scoured auction sites in the UK whilst our cousin kept a lookout for us and placed an advertisement in an English clock magazine. It took us eight years to find a Gowans clock, have it transported to Australia and set it up in our home. A serendipitous result of a Google search around that time was discovering the existence of a Gowans longcase clock in “The Scienceworks Museum” in Melbourne, Australia.

We continue our hunt for more clocks and have procured and brought four clocks, one for each of our children, to Australia. Our Wiltshire cousin, who has no offspring, has kindly passed on ownership of “James the Clock”, the only Gowans clock we have with a solid provenance, it will remain in our family of James’ descendants.

James Gowans 1806-1886. Image in Authors collection.

To date we have identified ten clocks listed below bearing the name James Gowans and from either Galashiels or East Linton.

1. Viewed in 2002. Images from “UK and Irish Watch and Clockmakers”, https://www.clockswatches.co.uk/. 
2. “James the Clock”- sighted at cousin’s house in Wiltshire in 2006, brought to Australia in 2016.
3. Clock in collection of Scienceworks Museum Melbourne, Australia. Visited November 2010.
4. First purchase from Scotland. Arrived November 2010, now with our younger son.
5. Second purchase from England in 2014 is with our elder son. It had been previously owned by the Brunton family of Galashiels.
6. Drew in Omaha, Nebraska wrote in 2014 that he bought his Gowans clock at an estate sale and restored it himself.
7. In 2017 my husband bid for a Gowans regulator clock at an online auction in England but it was too expensive for us to buy.
8. Georg in Germany wrote about his clock in 2017, “My father bought it in 1975 in an antiques store in Nordhorn, in northern Germany.” 
9. Our Wiltshire cousin’s new Gowans clock was purchased at auction in England around 2016.
10. Our latest Gowans clock was bought from a restorer in Virginia, USA in 2019. It is with our elder daughter.

Each time “James the Clock” announces the hour and half hour with his magnificent dongs we are reminded of our personal heritage and history and links with our Gowans kin.

The Gowan family bible. Image in Authors collection.