Daily AncestorClockmaker
A clockmaker made and repaired clocks, at first building them by hand as a master craftsman; once clocks came from factories, the trade turned mostly to repair.
Originally clockmakers designed and built clocks themselves, and a good one could still make a missing part by hand. The word clockmaker dates from about 1390.
Clockmaking and watchmaking need different skills and tools, so a watchmaker is a separate specialist. Today most clocks are factory-made, and clockmakers mostly repair them, often working for jewelers or antique shops.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1850 to 1900 census
Lyman Bunce, 43, Clockmaker
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Clockmaker." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/clockmaker. Last checked 2026-10-10.