A miniature Singer's Patent compass, made by Francis Barker & Son c.1870. There is a tiny Francis Barker 'Trade Mark London' logo within the star above the lyre at 'N'. This is a very small example of a Singer's Patent, at just 27mm diameter - most brass cased Singer's were around 40-45mm. The compass has a paper card, brass box case with push-fit lid, and flat glass. The compass card is hand-drawn in the classic Singer's design, and marked 'Singers patent' between the pivot and 'S'. There are also two tiny guidelines beneath the wording, probably intended to mark the position where the serial number would have been added. The use of the 'Singer's Patent' wording, without a serial number being added, suggests that the card was made before the patent expired in 1868, and fitted to this compass soon after the patent had expired.
Samuel Berry Singer (1796 - c.1875) was a master mariner from Southampton. He patented his unique design in June 1861, although he had been working on it since 1853. Its high contrast compass card was intended to be much easier to read in low light than conventional compasses of the time, and was considered to be a significant innovation. It was tested for night use by Trinity House and the Royal Navy. David Livingstone, the celebrated Victorian explorer, used one of Singer's compasses and provided a testimonial in the Negretti & Zambra catalogue for 1864. The administration and licensing of Singer's design and the allocation of the patent serial numbers was handled by Negretti & Zambra. Although his compass was widely adopted by British scientific instrument makers during the second half of the 19th century, Singer himself did not benefit greatly from his invention. The patent lapsed in 1868 when he was unable to pay the stamp duty required for its renewal, and he ended his days living in poverty in Kincardine on the Firth of Forth. Versions of his design continued to be made until after the First World War. Further details of the history of the Singer's Patent compass can be found at the excellent compasscollector.com website, and in Compass Chronicles by Kornelia Takacs (Schiffer, 2010).
Condition:
In very good condition, full working order, and finds North very well. The compass card and glass are in very good condition, with a couple of minor marks to the card. The brass case is in very good condition, with some minor wear and a few marks.
Dimensions: 27mm diameter x 11mm height
