Butterfield dial for latitudes 35°-55° North. Standard three-scale dial (see related terms) except for the following details:-

The first and second scales are octagonal. The third scale is oval shaped and there is no central decoration. A gilt-brass compass, offset 10° East of North to allow for magnetic variation, supports the plate in conjunction with a gilt-brass leg. The cardinal points are marked by Latin initials and the needle is surmounted by a brass conical pivot. Its base is engraved with a rose. The gilt-brass gnomon is hinged and adjustable for latitudes 35°-55°. Its style is in the form of a leafy branch. The dial-plate is filled with a table of latitudes in two columns for European towns and cities, primarily in France.

This very simple instrument is the earliest Butterfield dial in the collection and certainly predates those produced by Butterfield himself. It is signed 'Timothe Collet AParis'. As would be expected in a pre-Butterfield piece, the gilt-brass gnomon is not a standard one: it has an arced strip index and the style itself is a rod, shaped like a leafy branch. The style is the latitude indicator here rather than the index, which is instead marked with the latitude scale. A similar instrument is in the MHS, Oxford (new inventory no. 49640).

For more information regarding this dial please refer to the OUP & NMM catalogue, 'Sundials at Greenwich'.