 Following his father's trade as a carpenter, Harrison built and repaired clocks in his spare time.Legend has it that at the age of six, while in bed with smallpox, he was given a watch to amuse himself and he spent hours listening to it and studying its moving parts.He also had a fascination for music, eventually becoming choirmaster for Barrow parish church.Harrison built his first longcase clock in 1713, at the age of 20.