Diego Evans

Career: London 1770 - London 1832

By: Amelia Aranda Huete

Britten records James (Diego) Evans as being active from 1770, the year he became a member of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, until 1832.

Evans set up his business at 7 Sweeting’s Alley in London and was the first in a long line of clockmakers. His son Thomas, who joined the Company in 1788, and his grandson James, who joined in 1811, followed him in the trade. The work of all three stood out for its high technical quality. On products intended for the Spanish market, he would hispanicize his signature to “Diego Evans, London” or “Diego Evans, Bolsa Real, Londres” (James Evans, Royal Exchange, London).

Around 1780 or 1785, Evans partnered with brothers Robert and Peter Higgs, specializing in timepieces for export, particularly to the Spanish market. He continued in business at the Royal Exchange, where London’s finest clockmakers could be found, until 1825.