A Singer's Patent type, hunter cased, pocket compass, dating from c.1885 - 1900. The compass card design is based on the classic Singer's Patent design of the 1860s. With a brass case, bevelled glass, hand-painted Mother of Pearl compass card, jewelled pivot, and transit lock. The underside of the glass is marked in red with the four cardinal points. The brass case would originally have had a 'bronzed' finish, which has been polished off the exterior, but is still present on the interior of the lid.
A compass of this type featured in Negretti & Zambra's 1909 catalogue, described as 'In every respect most suitable for military, colonial and general use, especially when the instrument is required to withstand rough wear. All the parts are well made and finished throughout in the best manner. In stout bronzed snap hunter case, with Singer's pearl day and night dial, with agate cap and stop; four cardinal points and lines painted in red on the glass'. In 1909, the price was £0 19s 6d.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, compasses of this type were made by several scientific instrument makers, including Negretti & Zambra, Cary, and Francis Barker. Barker's compasses were often unsigned, supplied to retailers who then signed and sold them on as their own products. An almost identical compass, by Negretti & Zambra, can be seen on p.65 of Kornelia Takacs book Compass Chronicles (Schiffer, 2010).
Singer's Patent Compass: Samuel Berry Singer (1796 - c.1875) was a master mariner from Southampton when he patented his unique design in July 1861. Its high contrast design was intended to be much easier to read in low light than conventional compasses of the time. His design was widely adopted by scientific instrument makers, but Singer himself did not benefit greatly from his invention, the patent lapsed in 1868, and he ended his days living in poverty in Kincardine on the Firth of Forth. Versions of his design continued to be made until the First World War.
Condition:
In very good condition and full working order. The brass case is in very good condition, with some minor signs of wear, and a slight ding to the base. The original bronzed finish has been polished off the exterior, but is very well preserved on the interior of the lid. The lid opens and closes well. The mother of pearl compass card, jewelled pivot, and glass are all in very good condition, with just some specks of dust under the glass. The transit lock is working very well.
Dimensions : 52mm (77mm including loop)
