An extremely rare and unusual transparent pocket compass, made by Francis Barker & Son for Henry Thurlow of Ryde, Isle of Wight, c.1881. The compass has a brass case, with a bronzed finish, and an English bar needle set on a pivot between the two glasses. It also has a unique rotating bezel transit lock mechanism - turning the bezel anti-clockwise locks the needle to protect the jewelled pivot point from excessive wear. The compass is signed on the lower glass by 'H. Thurlow, 54 & 55 Union St, Ryde'. It comes complete with its original red morocco leather case - lined with red silk, with 'By Appointment to the Queen, Thurlow, Jeweller, Ryde, IOW', stamped in gold lettering inside the lid.
Henry Thurlow was an Isle of Wight watchmaker and jeweller 'By Appointment to the Queen', but he was not a compass maker, and this compass was made by Francis Barker & Son. This is a very distinctive and exceptionally rare compass design, and the only other known example was made and signed by Francis Barker & Son. Barker produced a variety of transparent compass designs during the late Victorian era, including the iconic 'Pebble Lens' series. A version the 'Pebble Lens' cyclists compass had a bronzed-finish case very similar to this one. Another transparent pocket compass attributed to Barker had almost identical concentric circular markings on the glass. Although the Thurlow compass is not signed by Francis Barker, the company often sold their products unsigned to the retail trade, occasionally adding the retailer's details to the compass during manufacture.
The transparent pocket compass was popular around the turn of the 20th century, and was intended to be used placed on a map, with features such as roads and obstacles being visible through the glass. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries Francis Barker & Son were the foremost makers of transparent compasses, which were often known as cyclists or riders compasses. In J. H. Steward catalogues of the time they were described as 'An excellent horseback compass, and if held above the head the needle can be seen at night time against the sky. If laid on a map, being transparent, the direction of roads can readily be seen'. In the 1885 Barker catalogue they were described as 'invaluable to Cyclists, Captains, Military Men, and others'.
H. Thurlow, Ryde, Isle of Wight: The Thurlow family watchmaking and jewellery business was established in Ryde, Isle of Wight in the early 1840s by Edward Thurlow (1816-1881). A trade directory for 1844 listed him as a watchmaker and jeweller at 55 Union Street, Ryde. In 1870 Edward Thurlow was elected to be Mayor of Ryde, and the 1871 Census recorded him as trading at Union Street with his son Henry, aged 27 and also a jeweller, and Walter Rumbelow, an apprentice jeweller aged just eleven. The Post Office Directory for 1875 still listed the business as Edward Thurlow, 54 & 55 Union Street. When Edward Thurlow died in 1881, the business passed to his son Henry. The London Gazette for 11th January 1901 included Henry Thurlow in the list of 'Tradesmen empoyed by the Mistress of the Robes and who hold Warrants of Appointments, with Authority to use the Royal Arms'.
Francis Barker & Son: were established in London in 1848, as a maker of compasses and scientific instruments. One of the most important British scientific instrument makers of the Victorian era, Francis Barker produced a very wide range of compass designs throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, supplying major British retailers such as Negretti & Zambra, J. Lizars, C. W. Dixey, and Dollond & Co, and exporting their products worldwide. The company prospered until 1932, when it was taken over and became F. Barker & Son (1932). After WW2 the company changed hands several times and the name is now owned by Pyser Optics of Edenbridge in Kent. They continue to produce the renowned Barker M-73, widely acknowledged to be the world's finest prismatic compass.
Condition:
In excellent condition, full working order, and finds North very well. There is some minor wear to the original bronzed finish of the brass case. The morocco leather case is in very good condition.
Dimensions : 50mm diameter (80mm including loop)
