The Land Traveller's Pocket Compass

Print. 'The Land Traveller's Pocket Compass' for ascertaining the probable changes of the weather by the wind. / By Joseph Taylor. ; Engraved by N. R. Hewitt, Queen Str. Bloomsbury. - [London] Published as the Act directs, 1814, for J Taylor, and sold by J Harris... Engraving, coloured; 45x29cm. Including references to rainbows

Farmers, gardeners, shepherds and sailors held generations of accumulated wisdom about the weather. As natural philosophers – and later scientists – became interested in studying the weather scientifically, they incorporated this vernacular knowledge into their accounts, deeming it of especial value for its potential to foretell future weather. This chart, arranged around a compass, provides details of weather conditions based on the behaviour and direction of the wind, and on the appearance of rainbows in the sky.