William Hart, Surveyor's Compass, Portsmouth, late 1770s

Object/Artifact

Portsmouth Historical Society

Name/Title

Entry/Object ID

2014.023a

Description

Wooden surveyor's compass made by William Hart (ca. 1734-1812), an instrument maker of Portsmouth. The compasses listed in Hart's account books (New Hampshire Historical Society) are all for maritime use, but he also made surveyor's compasses. In the late 1770s, he was imprisoned briefly and exiled to Exeter, N.H., for his Loyalist sympathies.

Collection

Portsmouth Historical Society Curatorial Collection

Acquisition

Accession

2014.023

Source or Donor

Rux, Sandra

Acquisition Method

Gift

Made/Created

Artist

Hart, William

Date made

1770 - 1780

Dimensions

Height

2 in

Length

11 in

Diameter

6 in

Dimension Notes

Diameter refers to the diameter of the circular section. Length includes the handles