A rare early Singer's Patent mariners compass, dating from 1862. This compass would originally have been fitted with gimbals and mounted in a wooden box for maritime use. There are mounting points in the side of the case where the gimbal screws would have fitted, and the base is weighted with lead to ensure it was correctly orientated when the gimbals were moving. This is an unusually large example of a Singer's Patent, at 70mm diameter - most brass cased Singer's were around 40-45mm.
The compass has a paper-covered mica card, jewelled pivot, brass box case, and transit lock. The compass card is hand-drawn in the classic Singer's design, and marked under the pivot with the serial number '1004'. According to the detailed research done by compasscollector.com on the Singer's serial numbers, this dates the compass accurately to 1862. The use of the 'Singer's Patent' wording and serial number on the card also proves that it was made before the patent expired in 1868. Although there are no maker's marks, it is likely that this compass was made by Francis Barker & Son, as the style of the star and lyre elements of the design are identical to examples made and signed by Barker.
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.
Francis Barker & Son: were established in London in 1848, as a maker of compasses and scientific instruments. Francis Barker produced a very wide range of compass designs over the years, supplying major retailers such as Negretti & Zambra, J. Lizars, C. W. Dixey, Dollond, and many others. 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 is now part of 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. Further details of Barker compasses can be found in Paul Crepsel's excellent book Trade Mark London, available to view as a PDF online at trademarklondon.com.
Condition:
In excellent condition and full working order. The compass finds North very well. The compass card and glass are in very good condition, and the transit lock is working well. The brass case is in very good condition, with some wear to the original lacquered finish.
Dimensions: 70mm diameter x 30mm height
