Leigh Extence 
Fine Antique Clocks

Holingue frères for Leroy of Paris

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The eight-day duration movement strikes the hours and half-hours on a bell with a repeat button to the top sounding the last hour at will and with an alarm.

The backplate is engraved with the retailer’s details and serial number Repassée par Leroy & Fils, Palais Royal 13 & 15, Paris, 7964 and is stamped to the lower left-hand corner with the clock serial number 5232. The front of the front-plate is stamped with the initials H.L. for the maker of the blanc roulant, Holingue frères of Saint Nicolas d’Aliermont and is further stamped within the plates with the blanc roulant serial number 12068. 

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The white enamel dial has black Roman hour numerals, Arabic outer five-minute numerals, a subsidiary alarm dial and is signed with the retailer’s details Leroy & Fils Hgrs, Palais Royal 13 & 15, Paris. 211 Regent Street, London. With blued steel moon ‘Breguet’ hands.

The gilded gorge case has a typical five-bail handle with a sound fret set within the base.

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The serial number would indicate a clock made in circa 1873-75.

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Basile-Charles Le Roy was born in Paris in 1765, the son of the clockmaker Bazile Le Roy (1731-1804) and became a maître in 1788 having founded la Maison de Le Roy at 60, Galerie de Pierre, Palais-Royal in circa 1785. This followed the opening of the Palais-Royal gardens to the public and its buildings to the trade by Philippe Egalité, the duc d'Orléans, allowing a number of other clockmakers to set up shop in the arcade galleries. Following the French Revolution, during which Le Roy worked for the Republic signing his clocks Elroy, Le Roy moved his business to Galerie Montpensier, 13-15 Palais-Royal, where they were to remain for nearly a hundred years. Le Roy was appointed a clockmaker to the Emperor Napoleon and to the latter's mother Madame Mère, as well as being clockmaker to Princess Pauline and Jérôme Bonaparte, King of Westphalia and then in 1829 he was appointed Royal Clockmaker to the duc de Bourbon and duc de Chartres. He exhibited clocks at the Paris Exposition of l'an VI (1797/8) and then 1819, 1823 and 1827.

Basile-Charles's son Charles-Louis, born 1794, joined his father as a partner in 1828 after which the business became known as Le Roy et Fils and he was appointed both Horloger du Roi and Horloger du Ministère de la Marine in 1835. Basile-Charles died in 1839 and Charles-Louis in 1865, after which the business continued at the same address.