John Harrison and the Quest for Longitude

by Jonathan Betts

The quest to accurately determine longitude at sea was one of the most remarkable endeavors of the eighteenth century. This is the story of John Harrison (1693–1776), the self-taught English clockmaker who dedicated his life to solving the ocean’s longitude problem.

From the end of the fifteenth century, merchants, explorers, and adventurers took to the open seas in unprecedented numbers as worldwide trade increased. These journeys were hazardous not only because of the inherent dangers of the ocean but also because, once out of sight of land, sailors had no accurate means of knowing their exact position. Long-distance sea travel was so dangerous that, in 1714, the British Parliament offered a prize to anyone who could solve the problem. Inspired, Harrison designed and built the marine the first device to calculate longitude at sea. The chronometer quickly became a vital tool of maritime trade, revolutionizing sea travel and saving countless lives.

John Harrison and the Quest for Longitude is the fascinating account of one man’s quest to solve one of the greatest practical problems of his time. With sixty full-color images and technical drawings throughout, it sheds important new light on a fundamental piece of British maritime and horological history.

120 pages, Hardcover

Published January 9, 2020

About the author

Jonathan Betts MBE is Senior Specialist in horology at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, a horological scholar and author, and an expert on the first marine timekeepers created by John Harrison in the middle of the 18th century. From a family of retail watchmakers and jewellers, he took the British Horological Institute finals in technical horology in 1975 he was awarded the Tremayne National Prize for Practical Watchmaking. For the following five years, he practised as a self-employed horology conservator. In 1980 he was appointed Senior Horology Conservator at the National Maritime Museum and in 1989 was presented the museum's Callender Award for his contribution to horological conservation. He was appointed Curator of Horology in 1990 and became Senior Specialist in 2001. He is the biographer of Rupert Gould, the restorer of the Harrison timekeepers. The biography was published in 2006 by Oxford University Press under the title Time Restored: The Harrison Timekeepers and RT Gould, the Man Who Knew Everything. In 2002 he was awarded the Clockmakers' Company's Harrison Gold Medal and the British Horological Institute's Barett Medal in 2008, and is a Huntington Fellow at the Mariners Museum, Newport News, Virginia. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, of the British Horological Institute, and of the International Institute of Conservation.

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book at the souvenir shop of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. It tells the twist-filled journey of John Harrison, a very skillful clockmaker who invented exceptionally precise marine chronometers, in his pursuit of the Longitude Rewards offered by the British Government. The book includes photos and diagrams of Harrison’s clock designs, along with brief explanations of how clocks work and the breakthrough innovations he made. Great story and information.

[Andrew Hickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice synopsis of the longitude challenge and an amazing technology evolution

[Curtis Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Thanks Mitch!