Imagine paying money to know the time.

Imagine paying money to know the time. 

Before digital clocks became part of our daily lives, getting the exact time in London was no easy feat, and sometimes it even required paying real money!

At the heart of this strange and fascinating story is Ruth Belleville, or as she was known, "The Greenwich Mean Time Lady," the woman who turned selling time into a truly unique and unusual profession.

The story began in 1836 when her father, John Henry Belleville, established an extraordinary business: he would set his pocket watch with pinpoint accuracy using the Royal Observatory Greenwich and then travel to his clients to set their watches for a fixed fee. This wasn't just a casual service; it was a structured business based on regular contracts and subscriptions.

When Ruth took over in 1892, she brought with her a magnificent silver pocket chronometer made in 1794, nicknamed "Arnold," which was incredibly accurate to within a tenth of a second! Every week, she traveled around London, often on foot or by public transport, visiting 40 - 50 clients watchmakers, businesses, and jewelers providing them with the perfect time for an annual subscription of around £4, an amount equivalent to hundreds of pounds today.

But what the client received was not just an accurate watch; it was an official certificate from the Greenwich Observatory confirming its precision, which enhanced her credibility with her customers and the public. In a time before radio, the internet, or smartwatches, this service was invaluable.

Ruth retired in 1940 after more than 50 years of selling time, but she left behind an unparalleled legacy: the Arnold watch, now housed in the Science Museum in London, stands as a testament to the strangest and most ingenious trade in the history of time selling time for money, with astonishing accuracy and professionalism.