Why are grandfather clocks called that?

Since the beginning of civilization, humans have searched for a reliable way to keep track of the time. In the earliest days, months, seasons and years were tracked by careful monitoring of the phases of the moon. Later, the sun and stars were also used to help early people track the passing of time.

The Sumerians used the sundial to divide days into two-hour segments. The Egyptians created a device called Cleopatra’s needle to divide their days into two-hour segments while the ancient Romans devised a way of dividing time into night and day.

A pressing need for more precise measurements led to the invention of the water clock and then the hourglass. These inventions were limited as they relied on water and sand, respectively, to function. The search continued to search for a way of tracking time independent of the seasons or nature.

In 1582, Galileo discovered that a pendulum could be used to track time. He drew the first designs for a grandfather clock, though he did not build it. Finally, in 1656, Christiaan Huygens built the first known grandfather clock, putting Galileo’s discovery to use. Though the clock did not keep accurate time, it was a major breakthrough in timekeeping technology. Through the years, various inventors tried to improve on the design, but with little luck.

Finally, in 1670, William Clement discovered that the clocks worked better with a longer pendulum. Of course, this required a taller clock. Clement named his newly designed clocks long-case clocks. This was the predecessor of the grandfather clocks that we know today.

In 1875, Henry Work wrote the song “My Grandfather’s Clock” and the name stuck and finally, after many years in the making, grandfather clocks were born.

Today’s grandfather clocks rely on a pendulum attached to an anchor. The swinging pendulum causes the anchor to turn a gear, which in turn causes the clock to tick. A pair of weights further helps power the clock and keeps it from losing time. Although the technology has evolved over the years, the grandfather clocks of today still reflect the ingenuity of human’s earliest ancestors.

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Contemporary Grandfather Clocks

Naming of grandfather clocks

Original names for grandfather clocks

In 1670 William Clement made the pendulum on his clocks longer in an effort to make the clocks keep better time. The new taller clocks had very long cases, and became known as long case clocks. However, those early grandfather clocks came in simple long wooden boxes with wooden doors that opened to the front. Most people started calling the early grandfather clocks, coffin clocks instead of long case clocks.

But why do we call them grandfather clocks

In 1876 Henry Clay Work stayed at the George Hotel. The George Hotel had an old grandfather clock that no longer worked. When Henry asked about the clock he was told that it had always kept perfect time until the Jenkins brothers (who used to own the hotel) died. At the moment the last brother died the grandfather clock stopped and it was never repaired. Henry decided to write a song about the clock which became very popular. In the song he referred to the long case clock as "my grandfather's clock." After that most people started calling all long case clocks, grandfather clocks.

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A longcase clock, also grandfather clock or floor clock, is a freestanding pendulum clock with the pendulum held inside its own tower, commonly around 1.8-2.4m (6-8 feet) tall. The tower often features elaborately carved wood at the head, surrounding the clock face. The English clockmaker William Clement is credited with the development of this form in 1670. Most longcase clocks are striking clocks. The terms "grandfather", "grandmother", and "granddaughter" have been applied to longcase clocks. Although there is no specifically defined difference between these, the general perception seems to be that a clock smaller than 1.5m (5 feet) is a granddaughter; over 1.5m (5 feet) is a grandmother; over 1.8m (6 feet) is a grandfather. Traditionally, the clocks were made in two types: eight-day clocks and 30-hour clocks. An eight-day clock was designed to be wound once a week, while the generally lower priced 30-hour clock had to be wound every day. Eight-day clocks are often driven by two weights - one driving the pendulum and the other the chimes - and they have two keyholes on either side of the face to wind each one (as can be seen in the Thomas Ross clock illustrated to the right). By contrast, 30-hour clocks often had a single weight to drive both the pendulum and the chimes. Some 30-hour clocks were made with false keyholes, for customers who wished that guests to their home would think that the household was able to afford the more expensive kind of clock. During the 19th century two brothers named Jenkins worked as managers at the George Hotel in Piercebridge, County Durham, England. One of the brothers died, and according to the story told to Henry Clay Work in 1875, the clock (made by James Thompson) began to lose time. Repair attempts were made, but failed. When the other brother died at the age of 90, the clock stopped running altogether, and was never repaired in remembrance of the brothers. Work decided to write a song about the story of this clock, which he called "My Grandfather's Clock". The song became popular, and it is from this song that the current usage derives.

Grandfather clocks have been around a long time now. They evolved from wall clocks. The astronomers need more accurate clocks, so they made the pendulums longer and longer. Eventually, the became less specialized and the new makers put them into into long cases so they could be placed on the floor, and thus turned into long case clocks. Many more improvements occurred over time and refined them into the modern clocks you see today. They still all tend to have similar characteristics and styles. Tall, wooden, usually with ornate carvings and one of about a half dozen songs. There are a number of places you can get them, but there are also a number of things you should think about before you do.

Classification

They are pendulum driven clocks in a tall wooden cases. These clocks stand on the floor and are six to eight feet tall. They usually has a classic architecture but over time different styles have come into and out of favor.

Where did the name come from

They were first called long case clocks due to the long case they came in. Some people called them coffin clocks because the long cases looked liked coffins. For more information on the history of their name see the page on the history of their name.

Who invented them

The idea for the first pendulum clock came into being in the 1500s. It was the astronomers that first came up with the idea of making the pendulums longer to improve accuracy. They needed the improvements to perform better calculations about the movements of the heavens. Many changes have occurred to their design since then to improve their ability to keep time. For more information on their history see the page on their history.

I think it just became an adopted saying, I'm assuming at first it was just a clock that older people liked, and people needed a general term for that type of clock, so they called it a grandfather clock. That is my best guess at least.

The terms "grandfather", "grandmother", and "granddaughter" have all been applied to longcase clocks. Although there is no specifically defined difference among these terms, the general perception seems to be that a clock smaller than 1.5 m (5 ft) is a granddaughter; over 1.5 m (5 ft) is a grandmother; and over 1.8 m (6 ft) is a grandfather.

They were the biggest clocks for a house. They stood on the floor and were as tall as grandfather [Big Daddy]

it's just based on size. Grandfather is the largest (there are also grandmother, granddaughter...)

since grandfather is the oldest male in the family and since men are (stereotypically) larger, the term grandfather signifies the largest, tallest standing pendulum clock (I think the min. height is 6 ft)

Grandmother clocks just sounds silly!