Troughton and Simms

Edward Troughton (1753 - 1835) was the foremost maker of scientific instruments in Britain during the first quater of the nineteenth century. In 1826 Troughton began a partnership with another well-known London instrument maker, William Simms (1793 - 1860), in the name of the firm then changed to Troughton and Simms. After Troughton's death in 1835 the business was carried on by Simms and his descendants until 1922, when following a merger with another instrument company it became known as Cooke, Troughton and Simms.

Two of Troughton's most important improvements to navigational instrumentation were a new method of dividing the arc of instruments such as sextants and octants using an alloy derived from platinum in 1785 and a unique double framed sextants which provided a lightweight but rigid and sturdy instrument patented in 1788.