Item was offered on eBay on April 24, 2012 as Buy It Now for $10,000. with no buyers. Auction ended without compass being sold. Description and image by seller one_bad_55
Early to Mid 1700’s Anthony Lamb Surveyors’ Compass with Staff
This is a pre-revolutionary war instrument made by a true pioneer in the field and one of the American colonies earliest documented instrument makers.
Anthony Lamb 1703-1784
You hear Rittenhouse, You hear James Ham, You hear all the other makers from the 18th century but none of them can compare to the impact that Anthony Lamb had in the development of the early American colonies creating mathematical instruments for both land and sea.
Anthony Lamb is the first documented survey instrument maker in New York and the American colonies. This is a true piece of American history and according to Silvio Bedini (Historian Emeritus of the Smithsonian Institute) there are only 8 surviving Anthony Lamb items in total that have survived the times.
This is a beautiful Anthony Lamb brass surveyors’ compass with 4 1/2″ needle. There are only two known Anthony Lamb compasses known to have survived. This compass and the one found at the Smithsonian Institute. This is an extremely rare piece and you will probably never see another compass by this maker.
Most compasses from this era are made of wood because metals, such as brass were so hard to find in the early colonies. Lamb actually advertised that he would buy used items made of brass so he could melt them down to make his instruments. It is so rare to find an early colonial compass made from brass that you may never have the chance to see one let alone own one.
Anthony Lamb’s Extraordinary History:
(Source; Silvio Bedino’s – At The Sign Of The Compass & Quadrant)
(This is an abbreviated History, For the Full History Please Read This Book.)
Lamb was born in London 1703 and at the age of fourteen was placed as an apprentice with Henry Carter who was a London mathematical instrument maker. During the final year of his apprenticeship Lamb would often go to a nearby alehouse called the Black Lion where he became friends with a notorious London burglar John Sheppard.
Lamb being so enamored with Sheppard and his tales of his adventures during his burglaries offered information regarding a tenant in his own building that might make a good target for one of Sheppard’s burglaries. Lamb offered to leave the door open one night so Sheppard and his accomplice could gain entrance and rob the wealthy tailor in his boarding house.
The heist went as planned but when the tailor realized he had been robbed and the police started to investigate it became obvious that there were no signs of breaking and entering. This lead them directly to Lamb who under questioning confessed to having a part in the plan by leaving the door unlocked but that was the only part he played. Lamb confessed to the police who was involved and listed Sheppard as the master mind in the crime.
While Sheppard was convicted and sentenced to death for this and his other crimes, Lamb was given a lessor sentence. He was given 7 years and was ordered to “Transportation”. Transportation was a method of punishment which sent criminals to the American colonies to serve their terms. They also were not allowed to return to England until their sentences were completed. The prisons were so bad in London at the time that most criminals felt that Transportation was a better sentence.
Also if a criminal could afford to pay they could get out of their sentence once landing in the colonies. While this was a low cost most criminals could not afford to pay to get out of the sentence. Lamb was transported to Annapolis, MD in 1724 and confirmed by ship’s log. However, once in MD it is not known where he went as there were no records found of his existence for almost 7 years. Since criminals that were imported were often listed in county records they would often move from the area where they landed so their past would not follow them.
In 1730 Lamb resurfaced in New York as a mathematical instrument maker for land and sea. He advertised his business in the Pennsylvania Gazette run by the one and only Benjamin Franklin. Lamb ran ads with Franklin and are documented in Franklin’s business logs. Even though New York had their own paper at the time the Gazette had a much larger publication throughout the colonies.
Lamb had great success in the colonies as he was the only instrument maker in New York and in the colonies during these early days. During his time in New York Lamb became an involved citizen in the community by serving as the 3rd fire chief in the newly formed fire station of New York.
Lamb made many products including, compasses, octants, back staffs, ivory scales, and he even made the first false teeth available in the colonies.
Lamb also had a son, John that apprenticed with him but John never had the same desire that his father did in instrument making. In an effort to keep his son close Lamb made his son a business partner and changed the name of the company to Anthony Lamb & Son. This only lasted for a short time as John had other visions of what he wanted to do.
John went on to become one of the first members in the Sons of Liberty in New York. He was instrumental in the fight against the British and went on to have a very decorated career serving under George Washington during the Revolutionary War.
Lamb was forced to leave New York during the British occupation in 1775 and while he was gone his shop was burned to the ground. By the time the war was over and he was able to return to New York he was 79 and not in condition to rebuild his business. He decided to retire and after just a short time in retirement he passed away in 1784.
There is so much more history on Anthony Lamb covered in Bedini’s book that I just cannot cover it in this listing. If you want to find out more about Anthony Lamb please read the book.
This compass has survived the Revolutionary War, and the Civil war. and will certainly be “The” highlighted piece in any collection.