DEDICATION † ST JAMES the GREAT C12 origins, C13 tower, C15 rebuilding, later additions
LISTING † GRADE I
LOCATION † 3 miles S of Sherborne, a long narrow village on the main road to Dorchester – rather a traffic bottleneck. ‘A linear village slowly descending to marshy land…’(PEV) Church slightly set back in its peaceful-seeming churchyard. Besides the excellent scratch dial, there is a fine vertical sundial high on the S. buttress of the tower (merits a separate post in due course) 50.9132 / -2.5008 / ST648127
ADDENDUM: link to subsequent post featuring a hitherto unrecorded scratch dial and the vertical dial on the tower HERE
St James . Longburton . Dorset – Scratch Dial
DIAL † Sundial: On S.E. buttress of nave—stone cut with scratch-dial and two crosses (BHO). Reached through a small stone gateway, not a location easily guessed. Dial in good condition, additional marks shown in images. 4 emphasised radials.
St James . Longburton . Dorset – Scratch Dial with crossesSt James . Longburton . Dorset – Scratch Dial location
NOTES † As mentioned, there is a fine vertical sundial with an interesting split gnomon on the tower S. buttress, to be posted soon. Also, excellent gargoyles and head stops. Below are the 2 crosses on the dial stone, one with dot decoration.
St James . Longburton . Dorset – 2 crosses adjacent to the dial
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 NOTEThis 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.
St Michael & All Angels . Wayford . Som. – Scratch Dial
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
Gonville and Caius College Cambridge – Sundial over the Gate of Honour
This handsome modern set of dials was installed in 1963 as part of the 400th anniversary celebration of the college’s re-foundation by John Caius. There are 6 vertical sundials, arranged in 3 pairs placed round the hexagonal tower. They were designed by astronomer and Fellow, Dr Message, and the Junior Bursar Dr Powell. The bronze dial faces are painted with vitreous enamel. They replace the original set of sundials dating from 1557, of which only traces remained.
There is something very satisfying about this set of dials. The symmetry, the proportions, the materials, and the design all seem to work in harmony. Cambridge colleges have many sundials between them, many original and ancient (Queen’s College sundial is a perfect example). Of the modern dials, the Gate of Honour is adorned by arguably the finest.
Gonville and Caius College Cambridge – Sundial over the Gate of Honour
The college has three gates that represent the stages of academic life: matriculation, entered through the Gate of Humility; undergraduate life, with regular passage through the Gate of Virtue during a student’s career; and finally graduation, with students passing through the Gate of Honour to the Senate House to receive their degrees.
Gonville and Caius College is one of the oldest colleges of Cambridge University. It was founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, who has suffered the cruel fate of rarely being mentioned nowadays; the college is almost invariably referred to simply as ‘Caius’, after John Caius, the man who re-founded the college in 1557 at a time when it had fallen on hard times.
52.2057 / 0°7’1″E / TL447584
GGS Category – Modern Dial (replacing Old Dial); Multi-facet dial; University Sundial; Cambridge Sundial
PART 1LINKfeatured Dials 1 & 2 on Rimpton church – two of the four dials identified and recorded by Dom Ethelbert Horne (DH) of Downside Abbey, the Father of modern dialling so to speak. In 1913 – 15 he made several trips around Somerset collecting dials, measuring and recording them in great detail. He went on to produce his pioneering book about dials, published in 1917.
LOCATION † Between Sherborne & Marston Magna, on the Som. / Dorset boundary. S 50.9948 / -2.5565 / ST610218
DOM ETHELBERT HORNE
DH (1852 – 1952) was a Benedictine monk at Downside Abbey. The Archives state that he was “a noted archaeologist, antiquary and folklorist… and published works on subjects as diverse as holy wells, mistletoe, scratch dials and St Aldhelm”. Between 1913 – 15 he made several tours around Somerset in search of scratch dials. In 1917, he published his delightfully written book ‘Primitive Sun Dials or Scratch Dials’ containing several chapters about dials, their construction and their purpose. These were followed by a detailed analysis, by district, of 224 dials that he located. He divided these into 12 main types, for each of which there are photographs, including a Rimpton dial (see Part 1). DH’s 4 Rimpton dials are numbers 212 – 215 in the Yeovil District list.
DIALS † This article covers DH dials 3 & 4 of the multiple dials on this church. I have visited the church twice and found other dials & less convincing candidates. These will be written up separately in Part 3.
DH DIAL 3
214. (3) This dial is on the w. side of the window to w. of priest’s door. It is 5 feet above the ground, the noon line is 5 1/4 inches in length, the style hole 5/8 of an inch in depth by 3/4 of an inch in diameter, and the aspect is s. by 15°e. Type 3.
NOTE † a. the trace of a circle, upper left and b. the small dial hanging down from the mortar line above. More on the additional dials on Rimpton church in Part 3.
LOCATION CONUNDRUM
The dial location given above presents a puzzle. Put simply, an error may have crept at some stage between DH finding and noting the dial shown here; transcribing his notes to a more formal record; preparing a draft for publication; or in the printing.
There are 4 prominent and obvious dials. Dials 1, 2 and 4 are unproblematic. However in 2 visits, I haven’t been able to locate Dial 3 (or any dial) as described and in that location. The remaining ‘obvious’ dial is on the W. side of the window to W. of the porch – the dial shown here (although it is plainly not ‘5 feet above the ground’). The converse is that the dial shown here, on the W. side of the window from dial 2 (see marked image) was missed by DH.
DH DIAL 4
St Mary . Rimpton . Som. DH Dial 4
215. (4) This dial is w. of the priest’s door. It is 4 feet 9 inches above the ground, the noon-line is 4 inches in length, the style hole is filled up, and the aspect is s.by15°e. Type5b.
St Mary . Rimpton . Som. DH Dial 4
NOTES † Comments on the question of Dial 3 would be welcome. There an interesting and informative Parish website that is well-worth visiting LINK.
DEDICATION † ST MARY – early C13, alterations c.1500, N transept added C19.
LISTING † Grade 1
LOCATION † Between Sherborne & Marston Magna, on the Som. / Dorset boundary. Secluded, approached by narrow roads. Historical significance. A small village with plenty of listed buildings to enjoy. Church opposite Manor House at the end of a lane (a good walk starts from there) 50.9948 / -2.5565 / ST610218
DOM ETHELBERT HORNE
DH (1852 – 1952) was a Benedictine monk at Downside Abbey. The Archives state that he was “a noted archaeologist, antiquary and folklorist… and published works on subjects as diverse as holy wells, mistletoe, scratch dials and St Aldhelm”. Between 1913 – 15 he made several tours around Somerset in search of scratch dials. In 1917, he published his delightfully written book ‘Primitive Sun Dials or Scratch Dials’ containing several chapters about dials, their construction and their purpose. These were followed by a detailed analysis, by district, of 224 dials that he located. He divided these into 12 main types, for each of which there are photographs. The Rimpton dials are numbers 212 – 215 in Yeovil District.
MULTIPLE DIALS
DIALS † Part 1 concerns two of the four dials recorded in detail by Dom Ethelbert Horne (DH) during his dial tour of Som. in May 1915. He devised a method of categorising dials by appearance, and ascribed a ‘Type’ to each, as shown in the entries below. Part 2 covers DH dials 3 & 4. Having visited the church twice recently I have found 3 or 4 more dials and a couple of less convincing candidates. These will be written up separately in Part 3.
DH DIAL 1
St Mary . Rimpton . Som. Scratch Dial DH1 . West end
212. (1) This dial is at the w. end of the church on s. quoin of the window under the tower. It is 4 feet 6 1/2 inches above the ground, the noon-line is about 2 inches in length, the style-hole, which is very shallow, is 3/4 of an inch in diameter, and the aspect is due w. Type 3. [DH further notes: Dial No. 1 has been moved from its original place and used as a quoin for the w. window. The mortar round the stone is of different date from that of the adjoining stones.
St Mary . Rimpton . Som. Scratch Dial DH1 . West end
DH DIAL 2
St Mary . Rimpton . Som. Scratch Dial DH2 . W. of S. Porch
213. (2) This dial is on the e. side of the first window from the w.end. It is 3 feet 8 1/4 inches above the ground, the noon- line is 6 1/2 inches in length, the style hole is 1 inch deep by 3/4 of an inch in diameter, and the aspect is s. by 15° e. Type 8.
St Mary . Rimpton . Som. Scratch Dial DH2 . W. of S. Porch
St Mary . Rimpton . Som. Dial DH2 . Illustration from Dom Horne’s book 1917
NOTES † Strangely, no dials – let alone a collection of them – are referenced in BLB BHO or HE. There is however an interesting and informative Parish website LINK.
St Mary . Rimpton . Som. Locations of Scratch Dial DH2 and (see next post) DH4
OTHER MARKS
St Mary . Rimpton . Probable Apotropaic / Ritual Protection Marks . 1. Above Priest’s Door 2. S. Porch
DEDICATION † ST MARY Saxon origins, C11 core, C14 – 15 enlarged, tower added 1500
LISTING † Grade 1
LOCATION † A most interesting village a couple of miles N of Dorchester. The fine church stands close to the River Cerne as it rushes to join the nearby River Frome. The mark of the Trenchards is strongly evident here. Worth spending time in both church and village – I recommend reading the Pevsner entry or BLB / HE / BHO online before you do so. 50.733 / -2.4559 / SY679926
St Mary . Charminster . Dorset . Scratch Dial 1
DIALS † Two dials. Dial 1 is on the parapet of S. porch rhs. Dial 2 is on E .quoin of S. aisle, relocated and (not unusually) inverted. BLB mentions ‘sundials’ in passing. BHO describes it as ‘much worn’, but some features are very clearly visible. I’ve added a reverted image for comparison, which improves the readability.
St Mary . Charminster . Dorset . Scratch Dial 2 (as relocated and inverted)St Mary . Charminster . Dorset . Scratch Dial 2 (reverted for comparison)
St Mary . Charminster . Dorset . Scratch Dials 1 & 2
NOTES † Besides theses two dials, St Mary’s (fittingly) has a Marian mark VV (Virgo Virginum / Virgin of Virgins) in the porch, with other graffiti. This is one form of medieval RITUAL PROTECTION MARK [link in due course] to ward off evil. The terminal dots are often found (as also with small crosses with the same function). There is also an Undial (lower right) that I momentarily thought might be a (very) crude actual dial cut in the softer Ham stone, with a style hole and 2 coarsely curved radials.
Marian Mark (Ritual Protection Mark) St Mary Charminster Dorset; Undial with 2 curved radials
Eglise de Chavot-Courcourt . Epernay . Marne . Scratch Dial
LOCATION This handsome church is set scenically in the middle of extensive vineyards on all sides, a few miles south-east of Épernay. It is a notable distance from the nearest house. The church dates from 1202. The romanesque tower, nave, transept and apse were built later, around 1560. 49°00′16″N 3°55′50″E
DIAL The dial – which from a distance looks rustic – is in a prominent position carved into the stone lintel above the side-door, a very clear indicator of the progress of the day for the locals working in the fields. It is in excellent condition, perhaps thanks to its high location and to the clean air. The radials are spaced with some precision. A narrow double circle is supplemented by a less clear or eroded wider circle. There are several dots in plausible places; conversely, few if any dots on the rest of the lintel. My amateur guess is that the relative sophistication of the dial suggests that it was cut later than the date of the doorway. Any views on this are welcome – there’s a comment box below.
LOCATION † STANTON is four miles north of Winchcombe, one of several attractive Cotswold villages in the immediate area. Many of the local churches feature scratch dials, Glos. as a whole being a hotspot. The Church of St Michael has, besides a scratch dial, a time-worn sundial over the porch. 52.0067 / -1.9013 / SP068342
DIALS † The scratch dial is on the right side of the fine projecting porch towards the edge, and easily visible as you approach. It looks as elementary a circle dial as one could imagine. The sundial is set high on the parapet above the doorway, seemingly old, definitely battered, and with a tilted gnomon.
Stanton Glos. St Michael & All Angels . Scratch Dial
Stanton Glos. St Michael & All Angels . Scratch Dial
STANTON: THE SUNDIAL
Stanton Glos. St Michael & All Angels . SundialStanton Glos. St Michael & All Angels . Sundial
NOTES † Apart from inclusion in TW‘s extensive list of Glos. dials, I have found no further information. Not referenced in BHO / BLB / HE. For interest: the VG Stanton website notes “several bench ends are deeply ringed by the dog-chains of the sheepdogs, brought by their masters to church” and that stone benches in the porch were for the infirm to sit on and lean against the wall: “the weakest go to the wall”.
LINKS † Tony Wood TW: Mass Dials in Gloucestershire LINK ; Stanton Village Church online LINK
DEDICATION † ST ROCH (unique Anglican dedication) C14, earlier origins, records from 1297
LISTING † GRADE II*
LOCATION † A seemingly remote hamlet despite its proximity to Yeovil to NE. Reached down a long lane and set among wooded hills. A farming community with the feel of an earlier era. The church is behind the attractive manor house and approached by a private path 50.8910°N 2.6819°W ST 5224 1049
St Roch . Pendomer . Som. – Scratch Dial
DIAL † DEH (p.85) visited Pendomer during his tour of churches in June 1915. The combined types of dial he mentions do not include the double-dot circle (I haven’t seen one before). The marks are clear, the condition is good. The dial is located on the largest stone to the right of the doorway. For other visible marks, see below.
209. This dial is on the e. side of a blocked-up doorway on the s. side. It is 3 feet 11 inches above the ground, the noonline is 3 1/4 inches in length, the stylehole is 5/8 of an inch deep by 1/2 an inch in diameter, and the aspect is s. by 12° w. Type 11, combining 10. June 16th, 1915.
St Roch . Pendomer . Som. – Scratch Dial
OTHER MARKS † There are 2 distinct circles – not mentioned by DEH – to the left of the dial, overlapping each other and the dial. There’s a definite hint of a ‘daisy wheel’ in the larger circle, suggesting a Consecration Cross, but it is hard to see why two overlapping crosses would be cut; or why they would be superimposed on the dial or vice versa.
NOTES † The only other St Roch dedication is the Catholic Church, Glasgow. The font is thought to date back to the original C13 church. The list of incumbents is unbroken from Johannis Personis 1297 (I wonder if ‘Personis’ indicates that his second name, if he had one, was not known – so, ‘John Person’). Dial listed by TWC; not mentioned in online resources (HE, BLB, BHO).
Pendomer the hamlet is mentioned in the DOMESDAY BOOK. The link will take you to the wonderful Open Domesday Book online, an authoritative and fascinating resource. The DB Pendomer entry is featured and translated in the Pendomer links recommended below.
St Roch has an excellent Church Booklet available at the church or online HERE and an informative Pendomer website covering the history of the village and St Roch HERE
VILLEFRANCHE-DE-CONFLENT is a small medieval walled town in Catalan country. It is watched over by Fort Liberia, one of VAUBAN‘s massive defensive constructions in this historically strategic area. The town is charming, and additionally famous for being the start of the ‘Train Jaune’, a picturesque narrow-gauge railway that climbs high into the Pyrénées. The amazing altitude rise is from 1250 ft at Villefranche to 5000 ft at the track’s summit just above the village of Mont Louis (which has its own Vauban fort)
The sundial above is high up on a house in the church square, next to the Mairie with its Catalan flag. It doesn’t exactly draw the eye and would be very easy to miss. Its overall appearance is endearingly wonky.
TWO DIALS IN ONE
The main dial is etched and painted on cement, with roman numerals that mark hours, halves and quarters. The long gnomon is attached beneath a small sculpted head from which sun rays radiate – a simple representation of a solar deity. Above the head can be seen numbers, of which only 11 and 8 can be made out with any certainty. Possibly, it is a date: the dial (which is not ancient) is otherwise undated and it is very hard to guess its age. I can find no explanation for the initials DS (top left, Gothic font) and ER (top right, normal font).
The small dial-within-a-dial with graduated radials shows the hours only, with arabic numerals. The bent gnomon points straight down. I am unsure of its purpose as a supplementary – and rather overshadowed – dial on the same plane, but the overall effect is pleasing.
INSCRIPTION
The words “COM MES SOL FA MES BE ESCRIC”are Catalan and mean roughly “When it is sunny, I write (show the time) well”. This rather charming inscription was apparently added in around 2000 by the village pastor.
Credit: for information, Michel Lalos, who has compiled a comprehensive illustrated record of the sundials of the Pyrénées-Orientales.
GAUDIUM SUB SOLE: Scratch Dials & Sundials Medieval to Modern 