Accession No

1448

Brief Description

balance by Watkins & Hill, 1806-1846

Origin

Charing Cross; London; England

Maker

Watkins and Hill

Class

balances

Earliest Date

1806

Latest Date

1846

Inscription Date

Material

metal (brass, steel); wood; glass; rope (cord)

Dimensions

length 395mm; breadth 213mm; height 490mm

Special Collection

Cavendish collection

Provenance

Transferred from the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge. Originally from the Stokes Collection.

Inscription

‘WATKINS & HILL
Charing Cross. London’ (pedal)

Description Notes

Brass with fitted wooden box. Brass beam; box beam ends; with finials. Self-locating steel knife edge and ring bearing; index over with gallows with ring bearing and double aperture below with pointed index. Index/finial suspended below centre bearing. All hung, with pin, from an arm, hinged to a turned brass column, which screws into plate in wooden box lid. Pedal at base of column operates arm, via string and pulley to raise and lower pans. Brass pillar unscrews in centre. Three circular brass pans; one with short cords and hook beneath. Fitted wooden box in drawer beneath base with glass bucket; brass cage with hook; 4 brass weights marked ‘BA’, ‘CA’, ‘CW’, ‘BW’, all for hydrostatic weighing. Set of brass grain weights for 1000, 500, 300, 200, 100, 50, 30, 20 grains and some fractional weights. 2 brass weights for 4000 and 2000 grains (not original?).

Condition

References

Events