Common Theodolite
date: label: date made
content: 1727-1748
name: label: maker
content: Wright, Thomas
notes: label: Description
content: Thomas Wright (about 1686–1767) was a prominent London maker who had gone into business for himself in 1718, after learning the trade from John Rowley. He traded at the sign of The Orrery & Globe, was appointed Mathematical Instrument Maker to His Royal Highness, George, Prince of Wales, and produced "all sorts of Mathematical Instruments for Sea & Land According to the best & latest Improvements." The title of Wright's royal appointment changed in 1727, when George II ascended to the throne. Wright retired from business in 1748. This elegant instrument has two open sights attached to the circle, and two on the alidade. The circle is graduated to degrees, and read by vernier to 5 minutes. It is signed "Made by Tho. Wright Instrumt Maker to Ye KING."
label: Description
content: Ref: Gloria Clifton, <i>Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers 1550–1851</i> (London, 1995), p. 306.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United Kingdom: England, London
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
label: See more items in
content: Surveying and Geodesy
label: See more items in
content: Measuring & Mapping
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Clifton, Gloria and Gerard L. E. Turner. Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers 1550-1851
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: PH.328867
label: catalog number
content: 328867
label: accession number
content: 278000
objectType: label: Object Name
content: circumferentor
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: base plate: 12 in; 30.48 cm
label: Measurements
content: needle: 4 1/2 in; 11.43 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall; theodolite: 7 in x 12 in; 17.78 cm x 30.48 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall; attachment: 5 7/16 in x 2 1/4 in x 1 1/2 in; 13.81125 cm x 5.715 cm x 3.81 cm