A nickel-plated brass, hunter cased pocket compass, dating from c.1900-1925. With a paper compass card, English bar needle, and jewelled pivot. The lid is opened by a push button at the bow. There is a transit lock lever which should lift and lock the needle when the lid is closed, but this is not working. Otherwise, the compass is in good working order. Although there are no makers marks, this compass was almost certainly made by Francis Barker & Son. Barker sold most of their compasses unsigned to the retail trade, often, like this one, just marked 'Made in England'. This particular compass design appears in early 20th century Barker catalogues, including the 1926 edition, listed as design No. 3022, the 'Nickel Hunter Compass'. Similar compass designs were sold by other well known makers and retailers - including Negretti & Zambra and Short & Mason - from the late Victorian era to the 1920s.
Francis Barker & Son Ltd: 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 very good condition and good working order, the compass finds North well. The glass, needle, and compass card are in very good condition. The transit lock is present, but does not lift and lock the needle when the lid is closed. The case hinge is strong, the push button opens the lid as it should, and the lid closes very well.
Dimensions: 45mm diameter (60mm inc. loop)
