A Singer's Patent pocket compass, dating from c.1868. The compass has a jewelled pivot, paper compass card, and a brass hunter case. The compass card is hand drawn in the classic Singer's design. The use of the 'Singer's Patent' wording on the card, without a serial number, suggests that it was made before the patent expired in 1868, and fitted to this compass soon after the patent had expired. 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 and signed 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 Clerkenwell, London in 1848, as a maker of compasses and scientific instruments. For the next 100 years the company was one of the most prominent British scientific instrument makers. Francis Barker was a master craftsman who produced a very wide range of compass designs over the years, supplying major retailers such as Negretti & Zambra, J. Lizars, C. W. Dixey, Casella, Dollond, and many others. Francis Barker died in 1875, but his company prospered until 1932, when it was taken over and became F. Barker & Son (1932). During WW2 the company was a major supplier to the British government, with their iconic Barker Mk III liquid prismatic service compass being standard issue to the armed forces. After WW2 the company changed hands several times, relocating to Edenbridge in Kent in 1961. The business is still based in Kent, and is now owned by Pyser Optics, who continue to produce the renowned Francis Barker M-73, widely acknowledged to be the world's finest prismatic compass.
Condition:
In good condition, working order, and points strongly to North. The compass card and glass are in good condition, with some minor marks to the card, and a few specks of dust under the glass. The brass case is in good condition, with a few marks. Most of the original nickel plated finish has worn or been polished away, revealing the brass underneath.
Dimensions: 45mm (diameter), 60mm (inc. loop)
