Greenwich – Time thief

For more than a century, a member of the Belville family visited the Royal Observatory at Greenwich three times a week to set their watch, then travelled across London to sell this precise time to clients. Ruth Belville, the last of these time sellers, continued this tradition until she died in 1943 after more than fifty years of service.

The business was founded by John Henry Belville in 1836. A refugee from the French Revolution, he became an apprentice to John Pond, the Astronomer Royal. By the early 19th century, businesses needing accurate time—like clockmakers, banks, and City firms—often sent employees to the Royal Observatory. Pond’s successor, George Airy, restricted this access to once a week, frustrating many and opening a business opportunity for John Henry Belville, who used his access to the Observatory to set a pocket chronometer and deliver accurate time to subscribers.

When John Henry died in 1856, his widow Maria continued the service. Their daughter, Ruth, eventually took over and maintained the business. Using a watch made by John Arnold, the Belville family’s service became a reliable source of accurate time for many.

Competitor St. John Wynne attempted to undermine the Belvilles, criticizing their method as outdated and suggesting Ruth used her femininity to gain custom. His efforts, however, backfired, inadvertently boosting the Belville business by drawing public attention to it. Despite Wynne’s promotion of the Standard Time Company, which provided electric time pulses, the Belville method remained popular for its personal touch.

Ruth became known as the Greenwich Time Lady, featuring in publications like Tatler and the Evening News. Donald De Carle, a fellow of the British Horological Institute, interviewed Ruth in 1939. She described her routine of setting her watch at the Observatory and delivering the time to her clients.

Ruth continued her service until 1940 when World War II made it unsafe for her to walk the streets at age 86. She died three years later, leaving her watch to the Clockmakers' Company museum. Her passing marked the end of the Belville time-selling tradition, remembered fondly by those who valued her precise and personal service.