Thomas Wright Thomas Wright was a highly regarded London mathematical instrument maker with a large and fashionable clientele. Known for executing ‘luxury’ planetary models, dials and drawing instruments, he was appointed Mathematical Instrument Maker to George, Prince of Wales. He continued in this post when the prince acceded to the throne as King George II on 11 January 1727. Wright was the son of clockmaker William Wright of Southwark. In 1707 he was apprenticed to John Rowley, one of the leading London mathematical instrument makers during late 1600s and early 1700s. In 1715, Wright became free of the Broderers’ Company. Professionally active from around 1718, Wright continued to work for Rowley, whom he eventually succeeded. In 1722, he was also appointed to the Livery of the Broderers’ Company. Eager to avoid becoming embroiled in guild duties, he preferred to pay a fine rather than go on to serve as the company’s Master when this opportunity presented itself. Wright traded at the sign of The Orrery & Globe, Fleet Street, London, and notably compiled the inventory of the orrery instruments after Lord Orrery's death in 1731. Around 1735, Thomas Wright made his mechanical equinoctial ring dial during his tenure as Instrument Maker to George II (coming soon to Clocktime).[1] This small, portable sundial was used to tell time or to set a clock or watch to local mean time, wherever the owner was. The dial is set by rotating the central arm until a spot of sunlight passes through the pin hole to fall on the centre line of the folding vane. Solar time is then read by consulting the position of the indexes on the two dials. Conveniently, the means to convert solar time to local mean time was at hand, as this dial features engravings of an Equation of Time scale and the latitude of London around the rim of its box. The dial also has a pierced mount placed over the centre of its box, and, on the centre of that mount, is a folding arc engraved with 10–90°. Remarkably, the original fish skin-covered case, for transporting the dial to and fro, has survived. Wright retired from business in 1748. End Note [1] Carter 2021, 204–205, Catalogue No. 41; Taylor et al. 2019, 17, Exhibit No.2:5. References Carter, J. 2021. The John C Taylor Collection: Part II (Selling Exhibition Catalogue, Carter Marsh & Co.). Winchester: Carter Marsh & Co. p. 204. Taylor, J. C., K. Leith and T. Phillipson. 2019. The Luxury of Time: Clocks from 1550–1750. Isle of Man: Fromanteel Ltd. Image Credit Thomas Wright, mezzotint by Thomas Frye, 1737 Mezzotint by T. Frye, after himself, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Wright_(astronomer)_1737.jpg
