Surveyor's Vernier Compass
name: label: maker
content: Bate, Robert Brettell
notes: label: Description
content: This "Bate London" inscription on this unusual surveyors compass refers to the London instrument maker, Robert Brettell Bate (1782-1847). The outer edge of the face is graduated to 10 degrees, and numbered from north and south. The rim is graduated to single degrees, numbered counterclockwise from north, and read by vernier to 6 minutes.
label: Description
content: Unlike most vernier compasses, this one has no variation arc. And unlike most surveyor's compasses, here the sight vanes are attached to the arms, and the arms screw onto the compass box. A level vial is also mounted below the compass box, and a socket, so that the compass can be used with a jacob staff.
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
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: PH.319793.1
label: accession number
content: 239772
label: catalog number
content: 319793.1
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Surveyor's Compass
label: Object Name
content: surveyor's compass
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 15 in x 5 1/2 in; 38.1 cm x 13.97 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 8.8 cm x 17 cm x 17 cm; 3 7/16 in x 6 11/16 in x 6 11/16 in
label: Measurements
content: overall in case: 3 3/8 in x 6 7/8 in x 6 3/4 in; 8.5725 cm x 17.4625 cm x 17.145 cm