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We believe that the travelling microscope was made well over 100 years ago and was used by my great great grandfather, a zoologist who travelled the world collecting samples. He may have inherited it from his father, also a zoologist and in fact keeper of zoology at the Natural History museum.

It's called a Withering microscope, after a medical student called William Withering who designed a simple pocket microscope, made of brass, to help him and others in the study of botany when out of the laboratory. His original design dates back to the late 18th century and looks very similar this one.