Accession No

0363

Brief Description

sand glass, 18th or 19th Century

Origin

Maker

Class

horology

Earliest Date

1700

Latest Date

1900

Inscription Date

Material

glass; hide (leather); stone (sand); metal (wire)

Dimensions

height 152mm; diameter 65mm

Special Collection

Robert Whipple collection

Provenance

Purchase from Antique Art Galleries on 03/08/1927. (Need to check in original accession register)

Inscription

Description Notes

Sand glass, 18th or 19th century, set in octagonal leather holder, leather decorated with gold tooling. Glass has double bulb in upper section. Division is coated with papier mache (?) bound with wire. Glass blocked at division point. Filled with white sand.

Condition fair; complete

References

Events

Description
This glass has been repaired in such a way that its running time cannot now be measured, but from its dimensions is probably a two-minute glass, that is, turned over, with the upper glass full, it takes two minutes for all the sand to run into the bottom glass.

Such simple methods of marking time were used when ‘streaming’ the ship’s log. The wooden log, attached to its rope, was thrown overboard; the frame was set with the upper glass full, and the rope was paid out as the ship sailed forwards. When the upper glass was empty, the sailor measured the length of rope paid out during that two minutes. From this, he could calculate the ship’s speed in nautical miles (knots) per hour.
04/08/2008
Created by: Dr Anita McConnell on 04/08/2008

FM:40258