“To clock country!” The Life of the Clock Carriers
“To clock country!” was the call of the Black Forest clock traders when they went off to distant lands to sell their clocks. Far from home, they had to cope with a number of problems, including home-sickness.
These peddlers reached clock country on foot, with the mail coach and by sailing ship. To get to England, for example, the clock carriers had to have a passport especially for their passage through France.
Freight costs, customs duties and import taxes would ensue when transporting the clocks. The clock carrier would send the profit from the sale of clocks to his native country by way of a so-called bill of exchange. In turn, he would have new crates packed with clocks sent to him from there.
Often the clock crates from home would also contain items that the clock carriers missed while far away, for example Cego, a well-known card game at home, or a bottle of kirsch. On the other hand, the returning clock carriers would bring items and customs from clock country home with them to the Black Forest. For example, the so-called Black Forest Englishmen would play backgammon, which came to be called “Brettle-Spiel” (little board game).