A Singer's Patent leather cased pocket compass, dating from c.1868. The compass has a jewelled pivot, transit lock, paper compass card, and a nickel-plated brass case within a fitted leather case. The paper compass card is hand drawn in the classic Singer's design. The use of the 'Singer's Patent' wording on the card suggests that it was made around the time the patent expired in 1868. Hand drawn cards of this type were rarely made after about 1890, when they were replaced by printed versions. This one is identical to examples known to have been made by Francis Barker & Son in the 1860s - 1880s.
Samuel Berry Singer (1796 - c.1875) was a master mariner from Southampton. He patented his unique design in June 1861, although he had begun working on the design 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 Singers'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 very good condition and full working order. The compass finds North well. The compass card and glass are in very good condition. The leather case is in good condition, missing its clasp hook.
Dimensions: 35mm (compass), 45mm (leather case)
