Эдвард Джон Дент: Ағылшын сағатшы және оның компаниясының тарихы

Edward John Dent (1790–1853) was a famous English watchmaker noted for his highly accurate clocks and marine chronometers. He founded the Dent company.

Edward John Dent, son of John and Elizabeth Dent, was born in London on 19 August 1790. He was baptised on 18 October 1790, at St. Clement Danes Church in the Strand. Edward had a younger brother, William (born 11 February 1792). The boys' mother, Elizabeth, died while they were still young – she was buried on 16 May 1793.

At the age of 14, Dent became apprenticed to his grandfather, John Wright Dent, a tallow chandler. Under the terms of the indenture – dated 20 August 1804 – John Wright Dent was expected to find suitable lodgings for his apprentice. Fortunately, Edward John Dent's cousin, Richard Rippon, was willing to have him. Rippon was an expert watchmaker and Dent became fascinated by watchmaking and less interested in the business of making and selling candles. Indeed, Dent became so interested in the watchmaking craft that, on 13 February 1807, his grandfather agreed to transfer the remaining years of the seven year apprenticeship as a tallow chandler to Edward Gaudin, Watchmaker.

In 1814, when Dent was just 24 years old, he was becoming well known as a watchmaker and clockmaker of some distinction: in this year he supplied a Standard Astronomical Clock for the Admiralty, and at least one pocket chronometer for the Colonial Office African Expedition. As early as 1814, Dent was making clocks and chronometers on his own account, but not in sufficient quantities to earn him a satisfactory livelihood. During 1815–29, it is believed that Dent worked for a number of well known firms. One such firm was Callum Brothers of Castle Street, Long Acre in London. It is almost certain Richard Rippon had worked for them, and had introduced Dent to the firm. In 1826 Dent submitted two chronometers, Nos. 54 and 55, for trial at Greenwich. This must indicate that he had made at least 55 chronometers by 1826. His submitting chronometers for trial brought him to the notice of the authorities at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. In a letter to the Board of Ordnance, dated March, 1829, John Pond – at the time Astronomer Royal – described Dent as "among the best workmen of the present day."

In 1830, Dent learned of an opening available for a skilled craftsman in the firm of John Roger Arnold of 84 Strand. But instead of becoming an employee of the firm, Dent became a partner. The partnership was signed on 30 September 1830. The partnership suited both men. Arnold, who was 61 at the time, could still have a say in the running of the business, and could now have time to spend on his hobby, which was inventing new mechanisms of all kinds. Dent, aged 40, was in a position to advertise his ability as a technician and to use his great business sense to put his firm on to a really sound footing. To draw attention to the firm, now known as 'Arnold & Dent', Dent arranged advertisements in The Nautical Magazine. Dent also sent the results of their experiments to the editor so that they would be published in this magazine. One of the first notices – published in May, 1832 – read:

Messrs. Arnold and Dent have just completed another of those beautiful specimens of art, in the shape of a pocket chronometer, showing at once both mean time and sidereal time. This is the fourth of these machines that has been made. In an article entitled Hints on Chronometers appearing in Nautical Magazine and dated February 1833, Dent reveals that chronometer No. 633 was sent with 21 other chronometers to Captain FitzRoy on board in 1831. In fact, several of these chronometers were by Arnold and Dent. A naturalist on this, the second voyage of HMS Beagle, was Charles Darwin. Indeed, Darwin's observations on that voyage led to the publication of his ground breaking book On the Origin of Species. The last two years of the partnership between Arnold & Dent were unhappy ones. Dent's hopes of taking over the business were frustrated, and as a result, he became exasperated. Perhaps understandable when Dent possessed an almost fanatical determination to become the best chronometer maker in the world. And so on 30 September 1840, the partnership of Arnold and Dent came to an end.

Frederick Rippon Dent finished Big Ben in 1854. Dent's stepsons, Frederick and Richard, took his name and succeeded to his business and eventually became E. Dent & Co Ltd which ceased to trade in 1966.