Robert Pennington Sr.

Robert Pennington Sr. (1752 – 1813) was born in Kendal, he worked in London starting from 1777. Recruited by Thomas Mudge Jr. to make timekeepers on his fathers design (1). From 1794 to 1799 he, Richard Pendleton and others made 27 marine chronometers to Thomas Mudges Sr’s design. Pennington also drew the plates for the publication ‘A Description with Plates’, published 1799 by Mudge Jr. He worked also for other makers such as, Barraud and Barwise, but made also chronometers and verge watches in his own right which he signed ‘Pennington London’ (A).

Pennington was active during the late ‘heroic’ period of chronometer development (A). He improved upon the balance construction, by including a cross bar less subject to magnetism than Earnshaw’s and he replaced the weights for compensation with screws. Pennington used fractional numbering for his own watches which might be understood similarly as John Arnold’s system. His son, Robert Pennington Jr. (1780 – 1854) continued the work of his father, signing ‘Robert Pennington London’.

Robert Pennington Sr., is known to have worked for Thomas Mudge, also made his own chronometers and verge watches for clients wanting a more robust watch (horse riding)(A).