9 1/4 Inch Double-framed Sextant by Troughton & Simms
Troughton & Simms London nr 2871 , in its original keystone box, Sold by John Parkes & Sons. 43 & 44 Canning Place. Liverpool
Type of object:
Sextant
Time period:
Britain rules the waves + France
Place:
London
Date:
1816
Maker / Author:
Troughton and Simms
Publisher / Printer:
Troughton & Simms
Dimensions:
23.5 cm radius
Material:
Brass and glass in keystone box with two extra telescopes
Graduation:
0-140°
Inscription:
Troughton & Sims, London, No. 2871
Provenance:
Sold by John Parkes & Sons, aquired at Trevor Philips
References:
McConnell, Anita (1992). Instrument Makers to the World: A History of Cooke, Troughton & Simms, York: William Sessions Limited.
https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/articles/2849
Description
Housed in its original fan-shaped mahogany travelling case with accessories including four telescopes, the sextant is signed ‘ Troughton & Sims, London, No. 2871’
Two company labels are pasted on the inside box, the upper reading ‘ John Parkes & Sons, Chronometer Makers to the Admiralty, 43 & 44 Canning Place, Liverpool’
The double-framed or pillar frame sextant was patented by Edward Y-Troughton in 1788 and since no more than 100 sextants were made per year. This object can be dated to circa 1816; Troughton’s double-frame desing remained popular trough much of the 19th century.
Additional information
Edward Troughton and William Simms established a scientific instrument making business in London in 1826.
Edward Troughton (1756-1835) had previously had his own scientific instrument business, inherited from his father. His achievements included a transit telescope for Greenwich Observatory (1816) and the precision surveying instruments for the Ordnance Survey of Britain, Ireland and India. William Simms (1793-1860) had trained as a goldsmith, and began to gain work dividing circles on fine astronomical instruments. When William Simms died in 1860, the business was taken over by his son James and nephew William.
Troughton & Simms's shop in Fleet Street became the hub of the finest scientific instrument making in London, in a period in which there was an expanding demand for precision instruments, for astronomy, surveying and precision measurement. They made instruments for Greenwich Observatory, for imperial surveys and exploring expeditions. When fire destroyed the Houses of Parliament in 1834, the firm was commissioned to create new standard lengths, necessitating 10 years of testing of the remaining measures.
Troughton & Simms made several of the main instruments for Melbourne Observatory, including an 18 inch altazimuth used on the Geodetic Survey, portable transit instrument (circa 1850), zenith sector (1860), 4.5 inch equatorial telescope (1862), 8 inch equatorial telescope (1874), spectroscope (1877), and 8 inch transit instrument (1884).
While they had an excellent reputation for quality, the firm exasperated many of their customers with delays of years in delivering some instruments.
