NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Troughton & Simms
From: Noell Wilson
Date: 2024 Aug 5, 05:38 -0700
From: Noell Wilson
Date: 2024 Aug 5, 05:38 -0700
Hi Martyn,
Two opinions:
Many manufacturers records are unavailable and are partially pieced together by enthusiasts who record serial numbers and dated documents. I don't recall seeing that for Troughtin & Simms. I just looked on a box sextant I have but it's "Cooke, Troughton &Simms Ltd London & York". No SN that I can find.
i see on eBay now:
Below the vernier is a mark '1879' which is a serial number and NOT a year. The date of 1833 is derived using a well-documented regression formula (Year = 1790 + Serial / 43.68). Given the Broad Arrow mark and its year of manufacture, it was the property of the British Admiralty Board of Ordinance and likely used for both navigation and in the hydrographic (charting) surveys of the early 1830's and into the 1840's.
That SN is on the limb and not the arc. I don't know how much credibility to assign to this statement. I guess the assumption is that they made 43.68 sextants a year. 😁
Regards, Noell
