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Brentford Families - Jullion

John Jullion (senior) was born in 1701. It is not known whether this was Brentford, however he lived in Old Brentford on the marriage record for 9th January 1731/2 to Rebecca Hughes under the 'Fleet Prison and Rules of Fleet Marriages'. A daughter Sarah was baptised at New Brentford on 31 January 1731/2 (John Jullion recorded as 'watchmaker'). His son, also John, was born in 1734 but was not baptised at New Brentford; however the record of his first marriage to Martha KIRK in 1758 states that he lived in New Brentford. He married a second time (Martha Kirk died?) to Christian DANVERS, his cousin, probably at Fulham on 2nd September 1779 (West Middlesex Marriage Index Transcription).

The British Horological Institute has a record that the firm John Jullion & Son was in business around 1762 in New Brentford and several examples of their clocks and watches still come up for auction today. Of their more notable works, they made the clock that was originally in the Brentford market. It was almost certainly the father due to the date. Here is an article extract -

In 1755 the Brentford clockmaker, John Jullion, built a clock for the tower of the Brentford Market House. The House was demolished in 1849 and the clock was transferred to the new Town Hall that was built on the site. When this building was reconstructed in 1930 (it was by then the Magistrates' Court) the clock was retained, and it can still be seen from the High Street.

The trouble was - someone had to climb up and wind it, so in recent years it was only accurate twice a day! The Brentford Chamber of Commerce investigated the cost of having it adapted with an automatic winding mechanism by an antique clock restorer, Mr V W ADAMS, and then organised the raising of the £1,000 that was needed. So from 1.00 pm on Thursday 15 July 1982 the Jullion clock has been accurate all day. The members of the Brentford Chamber of Commerce deserve our thanks for their initiative
Brentford & Chiswick Local History Journal 3 (1982)

Another example is the Cronulla clock in Australia. Here is an extract from the website plus a link -

The clock tower in Cronulla Plaza was a Bicentennial gift to the people of the Sutherland Shire from Caltex Refinery Co. Pty Ltd. The tower houses the oldest public clock in Australia, built by John Jullion of England in 1770 - the year Captain James Cook landed at Kurnell. The clock's original home was Stanwell Place, near Heathrow in England. It is a turret clock with large time and starter weight mechanisms. The weights require re-winding weekly, which is achieved automatically by electric power.

The clock was fully restored and installed in the tower by Douglas Minty, who has been contracted to maintain it by Sutherland Shire Council. The Lions Club of Australia contributes to the cost of the maintenance.

National Parks and Wildlife Services said no to Caltex's offer to erect the clock at Captain Cook's Landing Place but the council agreed to to make the Clock Tower the main feature at the northern end of the Cronulla Bicentennial Plaza which was then under construction. After restoration by horologist Doug Minty, the clock was officially handed over to the people of Sutherland Shire on November 19, 1988.
http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/landscape/settlement/display/97799-cronulla-clock-tower

See also the report commissioned by English Heritage in 2000 'Report on the Waterside Area at Brentford, Hounslow' by Susie Barson.http://www.coactivate.org/projects/brentfordhighstreet/resources-and-tools/research-on-waterside-area-at-brentford-susie-barie-english-heritage-2000.pdf

Using this description of where John Jullion (junior as the father died in 1774) was located in conjuction with your site, I have concluded that the location on New Brentford High Street was probably No. 58 on your 1838 Tithe map which is No. 102 in modern terms (left hand side of the present Post Office). It is interesting that a watchmaker/jeweller James Upjohn & Sons was located here between 1839 to 1851 and then Edwin Gaydon, watchmakers from 1861 to 1920.

John Jullion junior died in 1796 leaving a will which was proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in 1797. The 'Morning Post' of 19th April 1816 includes a death notice for Mrs. Jullion, wife of the late John Jullion Esquire of Brentford, at her son's house in Holborn.

Links

There are photos on this website of the Town Hall, for example this postcard view from 1910. A search on the home page for "town hall" will bring up more.

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Page published May 2014