Surveyors' wheel (detail)

Add to album

A surveyors' wheel, also known as a waywiser, was used for measuring distances along the ground. This is a detail of a wooden example made around 1800, probably by Jeremiah and Walter Watkins, scientific instrument makers based in London. The detail shows the instrument's dial.

The dial has two revolving hands which move as the outer wheel revolves and is graduated in yards, poles, furlongs, miles, links and chains. It is signed 'J. & W. Watkins,/Charing Cross/London'.

The instrument records the distance travelled by the number of revolutions made by the circumference of the wheel in the course of a journey. It was used particularly for measuring the distance along roads.

Record details

To search on related items, click any underlined text below.

• Online ID: 000-190-002-052-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  T.1912.53
• Date: Around 1800
  
• Material: Surveyor's wheel / way wiser / perambulator / odometer
  
• Dimensions: 38.00" D (wheel)
  
• What: Surveyor's wheel / way wiser / perambulator / odometer
  
• Subject: 5. CARTOGRAPHY, Surveying (Departmental Classification)
  
• Who: Earl of Ancaster (Former owner (?))
  Messrs J. and W. Watkins, Charing Cross, London (Instrument maker)
  
• Where: England, Lincolnshire, Grimsthorpe
  England, London
  
• Event:
• Description: Surveyor's wheel, otherwise known as a way wiser, perambulator or odometer, made by Messrs J. and W. Watkins, Charing Cross, London, c. 1800
  
• References:
  • For J. & W. Watkins, see Clifton, Gloria, Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers 1550-1851. London: 1995, p 291 
  • For the waywiser, see Bennett, J.A. The Divided Circle: A history of instruments for astronomy, navigation and surveying. Oxford: 1987. p 87 
• Translations:
• Related Records: