The birth of a dynasty of blacksmiths and turret-clockmakers
This post was written by Xabier Álvarez Yeregui
Born in Leitza (Navarre) in 1760, the carpenter José Francisco Yeregui Zabaleta fell in love with the turret clock in the church belfry of his town. He was young and keen to learn new things and decided to make his own wooden clock inspired by the town’s public clock. According to the historian Garmendia Larrañaga, he proudly exhibited it at a fair in Pamplona, the capital of Navarre, where it was seen by many visitors. After being encouraged to learn blacksmithing, he moved to another village leaving his wife and two sons.
Two years later, the town of Betelu commissioned a turret clock from him, to be installed in their church belfry. The clock was to have a very special count wheel which would allow it to strike 33 times at 3pm, commemorating the age of Christ when he was crucified. Betelu offered him the local forge as well as food and accommodation for him and his family for five years.
Unfortunately, that clock was lost decades ago, but another one, probably also constructed by José Francisco Yeregui around 1805-1820, survives and features an unusual striking pattern. The count wheel rotates once a day and strikes 2x12 hours, but it also produces 20 extra strokes in both the morning and the afternoon to mark the beginning and end of daylight. The additional strokes can be shifted to different hours in order to match the sunrise and sunset, by moving two sets of pieces inserted into specific slots.
The Yeregui family continued delivering turret clocks into the 20th century, including one for the San Lorenzo parish church in Pamplona in 1827, which was moved to the town hall in 1849. That clock holds special significance for the people of Pamplona, as it marked the timing for the running of the bulls during San Fermín and provided the official time of Pamplona for 150 years. The movement of this clock was recently restored and is currently exhibited at the Pamplona Planetarium.
The Yeregui family doesn’t make clocks anymore, but the Foundation Yeregui/Yeregui Elkartea promotes the preservation and restoration of turret clock heritage in Navarre and the Basque Country.