Accession No

6641

Brief Description

portable transit instrument, Russian-type, by T. Cooke and Sons, English, 1869

Origin

England; York

Maker

T. Cooke and Sons

Class

astronomy; surveying

Earliest Date

1869

Latest Date

1869

Inscription Date

1869

Material

metal (cast iron, brass, other(?)); wood; cloth (velvet)

Dimensions

Special Collection

Provenance

Transferred from Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, 03/2015. Object was previously owned by the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences and was on long-term loan at the Science Museum before ownership was transferred to the Whipple Museum in March 2015.

Inscription

On box lid:
"1869"
On side of both boxes:
‘RUSSIAN TRANSIT NO 1
BY T. COOKE AND SONS’ (printed paper label)
On instrument:
"T. Cooke & Sons
York & London"

Description Notes

Portable transit instrument, 'Russian'-type, by T. Cooke & Sons, English, c. 1869.

One of two "Russian" transit instruments ordered for the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India in 1869 (the other instrument is also in our collection, T197, T198, T804). The instrument is contained within in two boxes, made by T. Cooke & Sons. Large cast iron and brass transit instrument in two packing crates. First box contains cast iron base. Second, larger, wooden box contains transit instrument in case with wooden fixtures, lens cap and three loose bolts in the bottom of the box.

Instrument and mount is in good condition, box is in fair condition.

[Note: This is instrument "No. 1" of a pair - see also T804 / T197 / T198.]

References

Joshua Nall; ‘Survey Instruments in India’; Explore Whipple Collections online article; Whipple Museum of the History of Science; University of Cambridge; 2020: https://www.whipplemuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-whipple-collections/astronomy-and-empire/science-field/survey-instruments-india

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