Abbey stone for longitude genius

John Harrison's invention revolutionised marine travel

The inventor of the timepiece which solved the problem of longitude at sea has been honoured with the dedication of a stone at Westminster Abbey.

John Harrison, who spent his early life in Barrow upon Humber, is famed for inventing the world's first sea clock.

He was born in Yorkshire in 1693 but his family moved to Lincolnshire when he was very young.

Harrison's honour means he also joins Methodist movement founder John Wesley in the Abbey.

Harrison was born in Yorkshire in March 1693, and became a staunch supporter of the Barrow parish church, taking turns as a bell-ringer and choir master.

A local stable clock he made with his carpenter's tools when he was 20 is still running almost 300 years later.

King Charles II founded the Royal Observatory in 1675 to solve the problem of finding longitude at sea.

In 1714, the British Government offered £20,000 to the inventor who could solve the longitude problem to within half-a-degree (2 minutes of time).