Lantern clocks, named such for their shape like a lantern, were at one time the most popular clocks available in England and on the Continent. They were the Seth Thomas of wall clocks. Prior to the invention of the pendulum by Christiaan Huygens in 1656, lantern clocks were driven by weights that dropped to the floor. Following Huygens's invention, lantern clocks ceased to exist solely on the wall and soon found themselves on mantels and practically any flat surface. Take t