Baltinglass - Time

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Baltinglass Heritage Centre

The monks of Baltinglass had divided the day up into hours. By 1780 the gentry had become used to thinking in minutes and even seconds.

Clocks and watches were expensive to make, and often lavishly decorated. Time became a possession of the rich. In big houses the master of the house, or his butler, wound the clock for the day. From this clock the servants would know when to begin their duties, from lighting the fires in the morning, to setting supper at night.