Just got his one. Hopefully reading the marks correctly, lion = sterling, sheafs of hay = Chester, TPH = casemaker, also standing for Thomas Peter Hewitt managing director Lancaster Watch Co. 0 = 1887 ?
If this info is right than I have partially learned how to read the marks etc.
Any further info is appreciated. This watch also winds counter clockwise, is this normal ?
Thanks,
Bill

case marks

another sorry about all the scuz on the case, I have since wiped it off.

Nice watch! I am sure John can tell you more about it when he looks at this. I think most English watches wound counterclockwise, I remember reading something about that & how some people did not like American watches because they wound the wrong direction to theirs.

In Loomes it shows;
GRAVES, J.G. Sheffield Yorks) c. 1870-c. 1900 "The Express English Lever" watch.

Tom

Bill, the year hallmark is for 1897, and TPH do stands for T.P.Hewitt. It winds counterclockwise.
Graves opened his shop in 1888, in 1897 started making the English Express Lever, selling for 1 pound 4 shillings also via mail. It was a success, and he had movements done by Lancashire Watch Co to stand up to demand: that's your watch, with right markings and right timing. There's a funny story about Graves: in 1901 he was shipping over two million pieces a year by mail, and Royal Mail refused to come any longer at his premises to collect mail. He retailed sending each of his 1,100 employees to the central post office of Sheffield, each with one parcel, to queue up. In a few days Royal Mail surrendered and came back to Graves' place ... He has been Mayor of Sheffield and member of parliament. Died in 1945, at 79. The factory closed down in 1955.

Hi Mario

That is some interesting information, where did you come across that at, I am always looking for new sources.

Tom

in this case, http://www.clockswatches.com . Graves is also in Shenton's book, but he says that was just a reseller.

Thanks for the link Mario, I have never been to that site before.

Tom

Mario and Tom,
Thanks for all the info. I found somewhere that Hewitt was the managing director of Lancaster watch co. Hewitt must have also been a silversmith, and that JG Graves was Lancaster biggest client.
Mario, the year was just a typo on my part.
But better yet it appears that I finally found a site for marks etc. that even I could understand.
Thanks again.
Bill

Great information all, and on my 'home turf' too.
Before we moved to the East Coast, we lived in Sheffield, and is where I met my wife who was born and raised there.

J.G. Graves was a huge benefactor to the City of Sheffield, and many landmarks are to be found there to commemorate the family.

'Graves Park' is a huge area of open parkland near to 'Meadowhead' in Sheffield, with totally free and unobstucted access for the public, with small lakes and woodland, and in recent years, a 'rare breeds' animal sanctuary which is visited by many school parties.
My wife and I have enjoyed very many balmy summer evening walks after dinner in that park.
The city used to hold firework displays there too on bonfire night (Nov 5th).
May still do even!

Another facility, is 'The Graves' sports and recreation centre, which houses a swimming pool, tennis and badminton courts plus an open air sports ground.

There is also the 'Graves Trust' which supports many charities, and the 'Graves' arts centre.

I can't remember where they are just now, but there are also 'Almshouses' which were funded by J.G Graves.

I still subscribe to the 'Sheffield forum' and being an 'Ex Pat' still like to get my fix of the City, the following text is copied from the forum:

**
J.G. Graves fell foul of the General Post Office in 1900-01.
His mail order business posted vast quantities of small registered packets.
Graves contended that the G.P.O. (which was getting a good income from his business) should collect them from his premises, and they refused. So the ever-resourceful J.G.G. had an idea. He began to deliver vast numbers of packets to the main P.O. in Haymarket using a fleet of horse-drawn vehicles, just before the end of the day's business.
This overloaded the post office (whose clerks had to check each packet and issue receipts) and caused traffic chaos.
J.G. Graves had the public behind him, and the emerging popular press had a field day, depicting the local Head Postmaster, one G.E.E. Noble, in unflattering caricatures etc.
Mr Noble eventually backed down and arranged for his vehicles to collect the packets from Graves' warehouse, this practice being later endorsed by G.P.O. headquarters in London.
J.G.G. was in fact ahead of his time, as the free collection of bulk business mail by the G.P.O. (and later by Royal Mail) became a normal service which still continues.
***

JG.Graves was never Knighted for his services and is presumed to be because he did the unthinkable, and created a 'hire purchase' system to enable the general public to do what the rich did, and buy watches.
It's suggested he was the originator of hire purchase schemes in the UK.

Quite a phenominal legacy though for a watchmaker!

His workshop was on Surrey street, which is in the centre of Sheffield and close to the present location of the city library, and also the City Hall.
I've contacted one or two of my old Sheffield buddies to see if anyone has any photo's of his old workshops.

My own collecting interests are now aimed at timepieces made by Yorkshire watchmakers, and I have a few Graves examples here.
They bear the Graves name, but I don't believe Graves physically made any watches.

The following links give a bit more flavour of the man, sorry about the url's, I'll tidy them up when I crack the 'shorthand.

http://www.made-in-sheffield.com/People/johnGeorgeGraves.htm

http://fundingnews.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/j-g-graves-charitable-trust/


John