Manufactured between 1915 -1930 by Francis Barker & Son for the Indian Army which was still under British rule, it is inscribed 'Mk VII' on the lid and 'M.I.O 1917' on the base, along with a military crowfoot above an 'I', indicating it was part of the Indian Army. My limited research suggests the compass may have belonged to William Lee who was proprietor of The Marquis of Granby tavern from 1856 to 1875. The Marquis of Granby itself dates to the late 1700's and operated consistently for almost 150 years before being converted into a cinema in the early 20th century.

However please note that over the years the base section of the mahogany case has warped slightly producing a gap between the lid & base, ( see photos) which although noticeable doesn't detract too much from what is a quite splendid Victorian compass with rare novelty value. Not only is this Glauser MK 4 a rare compass, but it's also in excellent condition and comes complete with its leather case & most of the original service kit. Measuring 3" (75mm) square, a very collectable compass that is well over 200 years old and signed by a renowned maker with Royal accreditation. Price A British Army WW1 Verner's Pattern MKVII prismatic marching compass with leather case, all in very good condition. In 1833 he served as Master of the Spectacle Makers’ Guild and a s well as writing and publishing a number of instructional handbooks, he was also Optician in Ordinary to King George IV and Queen Victoria and operated out of 21 Poultry Lane until his death in 1847.A large mid 19th century gimbal mounted ships compass of impressive proportions, signed 'J. Stevenson, Compass Adjuster, Aberdeen' on the card dial. During WWI and WWII Ross Limited produced pattern 373 and 373B "Officer of the Watch" telescopes for the Royal Navy. The decorative paper compass dial has a full 360 degree scale with 32 cardinal and inter-cardinal points and is in particularly clean for a compass of this age. Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1855, he was later appointed Optician to HRH the Prince of Wales. This is a late 19th century surveying compass signed 'T. COOKE & SONS LTD. LONDON, YORK & CAPETOWN'

This particular model is the M88 which is made from a lightweight yet robust aluminium alloy, and has 5 active self luminous tritium lights enabling full night and day operation.Dating to the latter part of the 19th century, this large mahogany cased compass measuring 8.5" square was originally made for educational purposes but today makes an impressive desk ornament. Dating to the early 20th century, this non prismatic compass is very similar in dial design to the early Verners pattern examples and reads 'NIGHT MARCHING COMPASS H.W.W. 1907' and belonged to Australian Surveyor Herbert Wrake Walker. In 1938 L&M was incorporated under the Indian Companies Act 1913, as a private limited company becoming wholly Indian since 1967, and still trades today on a global basis.

Zeiss built a factory in London, mainly to produce binoculars; some camera lenses also were produced.

The British Army used this type of compass from the last quarter of the 19th century, and this particular example comes with its leather case bearing the name of a later owner and the letters 9th K.S.L.I, referring to the 9th battalion Kings Shropshire Light Infantry. A rare design of compass by a well respected maker, its' signed Short & Mason Ltd, London on the underside.