The clock of Thonne-la-Long, cradle of the Lepaute family
Jean-André Lepaute est le premier horloger de la famille Lepaute.
Jean-André Lepaute is the first watchmaker in the Lepaute family. Born in 1720 in Thonne-la-Long, he left his small village at a very young age to do his apprenticeship in Paris. In 1755 he became a Master Watchmaker, with the position of Watchmaker to the King, and his business flourished. He called out from Thonne-la-Long his brother Jean-Baptiste Lepaute, then his nephews one after the other. They embraced the watchmaking profession, with the success we know, and passed it down to their own children.
In 1876, Augustin Henry-Lepaute, who we have already introduced, and his cousin Gabriel Lepaute (both great-nephews of Jean-André and Jean-Baptiste, are you following?) decided to offer their ancestors' native village a gorgeous tower clock built in Paris by Augustin's sons, Léon and Paul Henry-Lepaute, watchmakers for the City of Paris.
Listed historical monument, this exceptional clock has recently ceased to be working and is awaiting a restoration that will allow it to function again, to give the right time again to the inhabitants of Thonne-la-Long and to be preserved for generations to come.
Lepaute or Henry-Lepaute ?
La famille Lepaute compte plus de 15 horlogers sur 6 générations. Beaucoup d’entre eux s’appellent Jean-quelque chose, ou portent des surnoms… il n’est pas toujours simple de s’y retrouver, de savoir "qui est qui" et qui a fait quoi. Qui plus est, le nom même ne semble pas certain : Lepaute ou Henry-Lepaute ? Even on the labels of the Louvre, on peut lire une erreur assez répandue : prénom Henry, nom Lepaute. Or cette personne n'a tout simplement jamais existée. Je vais vous expliquer.
The first two watchmakers of the family, Jacques Lepaute (knickname Bellefontaine) and his cousin Jean-André Lepaute, left their native Ardennes province to become watchmakers in Paris circa 1740. Their parents' names were Paute, and it must have been out of elegance that they slightly adjusted their last name by adding a short "le" in front of it. They must have thought it was more stylish, more suited to their new lifestyle in Paris.
Jean-André, who had become watchmaker officially appointed to King Louis XV, brought his brother Jean-Baptiste and several of his nephews to Paris to work with him. One of his nephews was named Pierre Henry.
Augustin Henry, son of Pierre, born in 1800, a watchmaker by trade like his father, uncles and cousins, genuinely Lepaute by his grandmother and by his wife (he married his cousin Anaïs Lepaute) would probably have preferred to be called Lepaute than Henry, since the name was prestigious and thus more marketable when being a watchmaker at the beginning of the XIX century, but in those remote times, patriarchy, the inheritance of the father's name, all that fuss and whatever, was complicated. At the beginning of his career, he signed his clocks "Henry neveu Lepaute". In 1854, Augustin - being Napoleon III's official watchmaker - was authorised by the Emperor to officially add "Lepaute" to his surname. Thereon, the signature "Henry-Lepaute" appeared on the dials of the company's clocks.
However, it happened that a few Augustin's creations were signed "Lepaute" only, such as this small travel clock qui a appartenu à Napoléon III et qui appartient aujourd’hui à la collection royale d’Angleterre. Au XXème siècle, la plupart des horloges qui sortent des usines Henry-Lepaute portent également simplement le nom « Lepaute » sur le cadran.
Augustin Henry-Lepaute a fait entrer la petite entreprise artisanale dans l’ère de la modernité, équipant de régulateurs les gares des toutes nouvelles voies de chemins de fer en France. Il s’associe également avec Augustin Fresnel pour mettre au point et fabriquer les lentilles de phares que l’on construisait alors sur toutes les côtes du globe, mais ceci est une autre histoire…