H-Huges London Sextant. Help for dating

[Liutp]

Dear All,

I acquired an old sextant produced by "H.Hughes, London" (and not "H.Hughes &son, London") with a 2165 serial number. Any clue about when it
could have been manufactured?
Best
Liut

 

[S04]

Wee the fact that it's a vernier and is in a keystone case suggests it's Victorian. I'll look in my books to see if I can refine that further.

 

[S04]

Well the fact that it's a vernier and is in a keystone case suggests it's Victorian. I'll look in my books to see if I can refine that further.

It's a Dollond frame so very early. By the 1870s Henry Hughes (by that time Henry Hughes and son) were using the 3-circle frame.

 

[Liutp]

Thank you, what precious help!!.
As the Henry Hughes & Sons company was founded in 1838 do you think it is too much to assume it was made just before that (as "sons" is missing)?
Does someone know when Henry Huges started making sextants?

 

[S04]

I can find an example which looks identical to yours but the maker is J (Joseph) Hughes, London. That is dated about 1875 by the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Furthermore I can see a sextant dated 1877 by Henry Hughes and but with the typical 3-circle frame.

It is not unfeasible that J Hughes (whose company we making instruments from the late 18th century until the 1870s) handed over to Henry Hughes (who were making instruments from the late 1870s until the 20th century). Because yours has the Dollond frame and is signed H Hughes and son, it is possible that Henry continued making the same instruments for a short time before adopting the revised frame. It's probably that the time between J Hughes ceasing and Henry Hughes and son making instruments under that name was very short, maybe as short as 1875 to 1877 during which Henry Hughes alone was named as the maker. So my guess that it is of that vintage.

My source is the book "Sextants at Greenwich" by W F J Morzer Bruyns

 

[S04]

Thank you, what precious help!!.
As the Henry Hughes & Sons company was founded in 1838 do you think it is too much to assume it was made just before that (as "sons" is missing)?
Does someone know when Henry Huges started making sextants?

We can only speculate but I think there were two lots of H Hughes and son, at least one generation apart. There is an octant at Greenwich dated about 1770 with the trade label Henry Hughes and son so way before the 1838 date..

There is another octant, and I quote "with a trade label for Henry Hughes and son, 59 Fenchurch Street, London (after about 1875)". The "after 1875" ties in with my speculative guess above. I can't be sure of course. What I can say is that your looks identical to the J Hughes one dated by Greenwich at about 1875.

 

[srm]

A nice instrument and interesting box, all the later ones I have seen had square boxes. Just a gentle word of caution. If you are tempted to clean and polish it be very careful not to over do it and polish the engraved scale away. Not much use if the angle can not be read.

 

[Liutp]

We can only speculate but I think there were two lots of H Hughes and son, at least one generation apart. There is an octant at Greenwich dated about 1770 with the trade label Henry Hughes and son so way before the 1838 date..

There is another octant, and I quote "with a trade label for Henry Hughes and son, 59 Fenchurch Street, London (after about 1875)". The "after 1875" ties in with my speculative guess above. I can't be sure of course. What I can say is that your looks identical to the J Hughes one dated by Greenwich at about 1875.

What an amazing interpretation! What you say makes a full sense, well done!

 

[Liutp]

A nice instrument and interesting box, all the later ones I have seen had square boxes. Just a gentle word of caution. If you are tempted to clean and polish it be very careful not to over do it and polish the engraved scale away. Not much use if the angle can not be read.

Probably, I can intervene with a light cleaning, water and marseille soad only. What do you think?

 

[srm]

Yes, should be OK. Its just that I have heard of instruments being effectively destroyed by someone using metal polish and obliterating the scale. Those engraved vernier scales were difficult enough to read anyway, even with the magnifying glass. Given its age it has potential as a collector's item so its best to preserve it in working order.