His life and work is much more comprehensively described by Alan Smith in the preface of Wyke, John A CATALOGUE OF TOOLS FOR WATCH AND CLOCK MAKERS facsimile reprint of the late 18th century catalogue published for The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum by the University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville in 1978.
Watchmakers & Clockmakers of the World as born in Prescott in 1720 and working up until 1787. A GEORGE III MAHOGANY LONGCASE CLOCK WITH MOONPHASE, CONCENTRIC CALENDAR AND CENTRE SECONDSJohn Wyke, Liverpool, circa 1770The four pillar rack and bell striking movement with centre-planted Graham-type deadbeat escapement regulated by seconds pendulum, the 13.25 inch brass break-arch dial incorporating additional brass sweep centre seconds and pierced concentric calendar hands to the foliate scroll engraved matted centre within applied silvered Roman numeral chapter ring engraved with days-of-the-month to inner track and with Arabic five minutes to outer, with scroll-pierced steel hour and minute hands and female mask and scroll cast spandrels to angles, beneath arch with rolling moonphase calibrated with age of the moon to the circumference and with silvered star overlays to the delineated sphere engraved lunettes beneath arched silvered nameplate engraved JOHN WYKE LIVERPOOL to upper margin, the case in the manner of Gillows with cavetto moulded swan neck pediment, gilt scroll decorated blue glass panel inserts and break-arch frieze over the hinged glazed dial aperture flanked by square-section reeded Corinthian columns, the sides with conforming pilasters planted towards the rear, the trunk with dentil-edged concave throat and blind fretwork frieze over shaped-top caddy-moulded door flanked by fluted quarter-columns, the plinth base with stepped ogee top mouldings over shaped panel to front flanked by canted angles decorated with simulated quoins, on ogee bracket feet.246cm (97ins) high, 61cm (24ins) wide, 30.5cm (12ins) deep. Provenance: The Selwyn Demmy Collection. John Wyke of Prescott and Liverpool is recorded in Baillie, G.H.