A George III mahogany stick barometer, the rectangular silvered register signed 'Henry Pyefinch, London', with mercury thermometer under an architectural pediment, over an exposed mercury tube terminating in a ball cistern, 102cm high.




Footnote: Footnote: Henry Pyefinch is recorded by Banfield as working 1763-90, he was apprenticed to Francis Watkins in 1753 and became a freeman of the Spectaclemakers Company in 1793. In conjunction with J.H. de Magellan, a Portuguese scientist, he patented an instrument to measure the effect of the weight of the atmosphere and the variations caused by temperature. Further details of Pyefinchs work can be found in Goodison, Nicholas English BAROMETERS 1680-1860 Part II Some Important Makers and Retailers pages 204 and 205.