DEDICATION † ST MICHAEL & ALL ANGELS First recorded 1266, later work & repairs from C18. Significantly, the porch was added in 1602: Wulfric Benefice archive (C17 BHO; C18 HE, BLB)

LISTING † GRADE II*

LOCATION † 3 miles S. of Crewkerne as the crow flies, yet a journey into the past. A small rural community down a lane with an ancient church, its appearance slightly spoiled by being ‘pebbledashed’ yet an interior with ‘a barn-like charm’ PEV. Adjacent to a wonderful Grade 1 Manor likened in certain resects to Montacute. Friendly Kuni Kuni pigs nearby. 50.8563 / -2.847 / ST404066

DIAL

DH 127. This dial is on the e. side of the inner door of the s. porch. It is 4 feet 11 inches above the floor, the noon-line is only 1 1/4 inches in length, the style-hole is 1 inch deep by 5/8 of an inch in diameter, and the aspect is due s. Type 3. August 19th, 1915

DH NOTE This is a quaint and probably very ancient little dial. The a.m. lines are longer than the noon line, which is cut off by the edge of the stone. The porch over this dial looks extremely old. The head of the outer door is cut from one huge piece of stone in the form of a rough debased arch, and is of the most primitive kind of workmanship.

The dial clearly precedes the later addition of the porch. It would be good to know what DH considered to be ‘very ancient’. C14 or even C13? See first image for the whole porch and ‘huge’ head stone. Perhaps it was a relic from a much earlier building – maybe a medieval part of the original Manor – repurposed for the new porch.

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NOTES † Dials inside a porch are not as rare as one might expect. A porch was often a much later addition to a church. DH identified 12 in Somerset alone. This dial is listed by TWC; not found in other usual sources

GSS Category: Scratch Dial