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Thomas Fardon I & son J Fardon 4. Longcase

Peter has kindly provided the following provenance of the clock and himself.

"My maternal grandmother's family came from Deddington. The family name was Parish and I believe that her brother (Fred) was well-known in the area as a craftsman in wood, at least, the mention of my relationship to him, opened many doors when I was "evacuated" there in 1944 to avoid the flying bombs that were falling around my home in Surrey.

The cottage where we stayed had been unoccupied for some time and contained a good deal of antique furniture (not of much interest to anyone in those days!) as well as a couple of long-case clocks, one of which returned with my grandmother when we finally went back home.

When my grandmother died in 1951 at the age of 74 the clock found its way to my family and eventually to me. My wife and I emigrated to Australia in 1981 and the clock came with us.

Whilst poking about inside the clock, I came across an invoice for some work I had done back in 1975, whilst I was living in Surrey. The repairer was Roger A Davis (Antiquarian Horologist) of Great Bookham, Surrey. He seems to have done a fair amount of general tidying up of the movement and case as well as whatever repairs were necessary. The bill for the work was UK £26.

The details of my grandparents are:

Grandmother:

Elizabeth Ellen. Parish
Born: 4/8/1877 Deddington (Clifton?)
Died: ?/?/1952. Worcester Park Surrey.
Married: Robert James Smart 2/9/01 (1)
Ernest Newland 1952 (2)

Grandfather:
Robert James Smart
Born: 28/7/1870 Loughton, Essex.
Died: ?/7/1944 Deddington Oxon.

After their marriage, they moved to London (Stewarts Road, Battersea) where my mother, aunt and uncle were born in the early 20th Century."