Item GPP/1/5 - Journal of the going of my Clock, begun July 1782'

1 item

Notebook, with flyleaf signed J. Goodricke. Columns for Date, Stars names, Star vanishes, Clock gains + loses – per day, and Remarks ; several notes written across the columns. Observations from 30th July 1782 to 11th February 1784.

SUMMARY AND EXTRACTS:
August 17th 1782, ‘In the morning before this observation the Clock stop’t. I made it run again but whilst I was in London it stopped again and Mr. Hartley set it right’. Note from November 1782, ‘On the 17th whilst I was winding up the Clock the second hand did not go on as usual – I spoke [‘with’ deleted] to Mr. Hartley about it and he said it was caused by my not pulling down the spring hard enough. Having now a mind to make my Clock run sidereal time, because I can then compare it better with Mr. P’s Clock which also runs sidereal time, I altered the Pendulum’. Note from December 1782, ‘Whilst I was winding up the Clock on the 15th the second hand did not go on as usual. As this is now ye 3d time it did so; I remonstrated with Mr. Hartley about it and asked him ye reason its doing so. He gave me the same answer as on the 17th of Nov. last but I did not credit him. However after several trials I have since hit upon the true cause and found that it was owing to a fault of my own in not pulling the spring down hard enough accordg. to Hartley’s directions which I did not rightly understand or he was not very particular in explaining them to me because he thought I understood him very well. I now know how to pull down ye spring but am afraid that I may sometimes fail on act. of my not being able to hear the spring’. In March 1783 the clock was temporarily moved into another room in order to observe the eclipse. May 1783, ‘From the rate of the going of the Clock it does not appear that the Clock has run uniformly well enough […] The Clock is in my bedchamber and consequently must be exposed to the negligence of the servants. It also touches a little of the floor and is not strongly fastened.’

2 loose sheets inserted contain notes comparing gains and losses of Goodricke’s clock and Pigott’s clock compared to sidereal time, covering November 1782 to November 1784 ; times usually compared at 23 hours (11 p.m.).

Many pages at the back of the notebook have been cut out.

Summary and extracts have been provided by a volunteer.

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