West Overton, 5m W of Marlborough, lies within the mystical area that includes Avebury, Silbury Hill, long barrows, tumuli, sarsens and so on. St. Michael was built in 1878, replacing an older church on the site. The Tower was completed last. High up on S side is a fine Victorian sundial complete with a motto in period lettering. The time scale shows 5am to 3pm in half and (some) quarter hours. The dial was restored in 2003, as detailed by the excellent SUNDIALS.CO, an eclectic site that no dialist should overlook.
The dial was correctly delineated to face 38° east of south. The cast bronze gnomon fell off but was kept by the church wardens. Its original angle was incorrect, and it was set into a slot in the stone to compensate. Restoration involved re-engineering the gnomon and making new clamps to fix it. The dial itself was renovated [précis]
MOTTO
The motto Watch and Pray / Time steals away is quite frequently found in this or in similar forms. Gatty lists several examples from different parts of England. The source seems to be biblical, from Mark 13.33-37: Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
GRADE I ❖ Saxon origins; built C13; C15 work to tower; restorations 1870s. A remarkably uniform E.E. design HE; An E.E. church of exceptional purity and classicity PEV. Features of interest include an Anglo-Saxon tub font with rim inscribed in Latin; a C14 font; fine woodwork; C17(?) Royal Arms of puzzling design. Good graffiti on pillars. Outside, there is an unusual Dole Stone; and the scratch dial featured here. 2m S of Devizes. 51.326 / -2.0079 / ST995585
DIAL
The dial is located on a quoin stone of the buttress at W end of S side. The gnomon hole is centred quite accurately, and surrounded by a ring of small pocks of roughly equal size. The spacing is uneven. 12 of them are drilled in the lower half, in a semicircle that includes the horizontal ‘6-to-6’ line. The other 7 are above the horizontal in the night zone. The pock at notional midnight has 3 on either side, forming an almost symmetrical design. These can only be for decorative purposes, being of no use in marking the passage of the day / night.
As for radial lines, despite erosion 5 lines are visible – 3 LLQ, a faint noon line, the horizontal line RHS. Each terminates with a pock. There remain hints of 2 or 3 others.
❖
GRAFFITI . FONT WITH LATIN INSCRIPTION . COMPASS-DRAWN PROTECTION MARKS
The VV in the first image, assuming it is an initial, is in the distinctive form of a Marian mark, a commonly found protection symbol standing for the ‘Virgin of Virgins’.
GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Mass Dial
All photos Keith Salvesen; header drawing from the Benefice site
GRADE I ❖ Late C15 (dedication 1281). The tower belies the village’s name. In 1670 the original spire was twice struck by lightning, and destroyed. The 4-stage tower became the solution. One of the finest Perpendicular churches in the countyPEV. Much of interest both interior and exterior. Take your time. Splendid grotesques. 5m E of Trowbridge. 51.3131 / -2.1356 / ST906571
The Roman numerals are stylishly incised, and the design of the dial is sophisticated enough to include quarter hour lines within the thin outer circle. I haven’t (yet) found a specific reference to the date of the dial. It ornaments the rather plain Tudor-ish porch and from the style, my hunch is that it was cut after the steeple dramas, and perhaps because of them.
ALL SAINTS . ALTON PANCRAS
The ambitious scale of the dial is comparable with the vast dial of All Saints, Alton Priors below, which is about 18m east LINK
GROTESQUES
ST MARY . STEEPLE ASHTON . WILTS
GSS Category: Vertical Dial; Vertical Church Dial; Huge Church Dial; Incised Church Dial
GRADE II ✣ A fine Norman church built late C11 (nave); chancel c1200; tower C13. Major restorations ±1900 (Ponting). An estimable entrance. Worthwhile (PEV) and (more graciously) one of Wiltshire’s most delightful churches (Betjeman). Lovely font; wall paintings; pilgrim crosses, protection marks & graffiti. 6m N of Salisbury. 51.1244 / -1.8301 / SU119361
Note: separate post on the 4 scratch dials in the porchHERE
The dial is on the south wall of the tower, 8m up. Markings a bit unclear. Shows 8am to 7pm, 15 min marks. Half hours marked by triple dot pattern. Mounted in flint rubble wall of tower – rebuilt in 17th C – below and to the right of the clock. BSS Record
St Helen’s, Ashby-de-la-Zouch (from Church website)
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ST HELEN . ASHBY-de-la-ZOUCH
GRADE I ♱ C15 on older site; C19 enlargement. Listed as a building of exceptional interest. A fine church that invites investigation. Its orientation is significantly out of true. The focus is on the large vertical dial on the third stage of the mainly C15 tower. SK360167 / 52.7473 / -1.4668
SUNDIAL
St Helens . Ashby-de-la-Zouch – Vertical Dial (Erika Clarkson)
BSS RECORD
I am using the detailed BSS record for this dial, which is better informed and more concise than my own effort (discarded):
The dial is painted on the south wall of the tower, below the belfry. The hour lines and numerals were restored in August 2000. No markings previously remained though evidence of semicircular edging stones was visible. Interesting rod gnomon located near its end by a two legged ‘stirrup’ supporter. Shows 6am to 3pm in hours. Four 18in high numerals only (VI, IX, XII, III) inside the hour circle painted in black on stone, to be visible from the castle. No prior rendering. Restoration showed no evidence of any other attachments. Restoration by J A Tyldesley. Refer Church Booklet ‘The Restoration of the Ancient Sundial’.
To which I add that the gnomon / stirrup is slightly skewed, perhaps a correction of the church’s unaligned orientation.
St Helens . Ashby-de-la-Zouch – Vertical Dial (Erika Clarkson)
BSS also notes: Church website says “On the south wall of the Memorial chapel is a sundial which is easily overlooked”. Is this another dial? Any further information would be welcome.
The St Helen’s website is a model of its kind: informative, clear, interesting, and with excellent short videos of important aspects of the church https://www.sthelensashby.net/
FINGER PILLORY
Adding to my pages dealing with interesting non-dial features in Medieval churches, the image above shows a most unusual treasure that I have not come across before, a FINGER PILLORY. It seems that there is only one other in the country (Littlecote House Wilts) . This device was used to punish minor miscreants in public for offences not serious enough to warrant the stocks.
Finger ‘stocks’ were used in churches for minor offences like not paying attention during a sermon.
This drawing suggests another painful reminder to conform, with a finger being trapped inextricably at a right angle. I’d stick with listening to the sermon in preference.
GSS Category: Vertical Dial; Restored Church Dial; Rediscovered Church Sundial; Finger Pillory
Credits: Erika Clarkson; St Helen’s church website; OS / CC sources
GRADE II* ✣ Parish Church. C12 origins; C13 tower; further works C15, C17, C18; restorations 1896 ff. An attractive country church beside the Manor House, close to a remarkable village cricket ground (see below). 11m E of Tewksbury, 12m NE of Cheltenham. 51.9897 / -1.9129 / SP060323
VERTICAL DIAL
The dial is immediately above a 2-light Perpendicular window, and (when I visited) partly obscured by foliage. The gnomon-less dial is dated 1797
The dial is hard to read because of its weathered condition, its high position, and the difficulty taking a square-on photo. Little detail can be seen with the naked eye. There is evidence of a double rectangular border; and there are the remains of decoration above the dial face. The dial is prominently placed and (absent trees in front) would have been visible from quite a distance.
SCRATCH DIAL?
In his Glos dials survey, Tony Wood TW lists a scratch dial at Stanway without further detail. It is not noted in TWC’s much earlier list. I can find no other reference, and I did not find a convincing dial. The best candidate was this one, with 3 radials RHS emerging from a large hole. One other line LHS runs beside the hole rather than radiating from it. The other large hole to the left suggests that the pair may have held a fixture, and there is a similar pair lower down.
Tentative conclusion: this is possibly a scratch dial, but dubious. It might be more convincing if it were on its own.
CRICKET PITCH
Straying from dial-specific content, here is a small gallery of the extraordinary cricket pitch, the gift of J M Barrie who stayed at the house. The outfield includes significant areas of ridge and furrow undulations, rather more of a problem for fielders than batsmen I imagine. The pavilion, supported by staddle stones, is an excellent example of satisfying quirkiness. I found a old ball under it to chuck around for a while and decide which end to bowl from.
St Margaret & St Andrew . Littleham . Devon – Robert Cornford OS / CC
ST MARGARET & ST ANDREW . LITTLEHAM-cum-EXMOUTH . DEVON
GRADE II* ✣ Recorded from 1139; present building has C13 origins (chancel); 14th-century arcades; then Perpendicular with subsequent rebuilding and C19 restorations (Fulford). Resting place of Viscountess Nelson.
I have not visited the church myself, but Ian Logan contacted me about the vertical dial on the apex of the church porch. I have written this post around the dial, however Ian has produced an excellent detailed description of the church and its history that I highly commend.
St Margaret & St Andrew . Littleham . Devon – Ian Logan
St Margaret & St Andrew . Littleham . Devon
BSS record: A stone dial, rather crude in execution and in poor condition, is mounted on the church porch. It is about 600mm square and shows the hours VI – Vl undivided. Although the numerals look as though they are aligned with the hour lines, the hour lines themselves have disappeared. The church leaflet says that the dial dates from 1780.
St Margaret & St Andrew . Littleham . Devon
SCRATCH DIAL
There is an older dial – a scratch dial – on the right hand side of the porch doorway, probably C15. It is in poor condition, but there are 7 discernible lines radiating from the gnomon hole in the dial stone. These are two quite old photos of the dial (BSS). If anyone can provide a clear recent photo, it would be very welcome as an addition!
The ‘dawn’ line is now a prominent cleft in the damaged dial stone. The cluster of lines at and beyond noon LRQ indicate the most important part of the day for observance (none in canonical terms).
St Margaret & St Andrew . Littleham . Devon – Scratch Dial
MRS CROWLEY
This is an ideal place to use the wonderful drawing skills of Mrs Crowley to illustrate the vertical dial and scratch dial together. I have managed to obtain a copy of the comprehensive book of her Devon and Cornwall dial drawings, a work of wonder for dial-ologists.
GSS Category: Vertical Dial (1780); Scratch Dial
Credits: Keith Salvesen (photos); Ian Logan (photo, research); The Parish History Group (interesting and informative leaflet)
GRADE II ✣ C12, C15; T.H.Wyatt restoration 1845. A fine church by the R. Avon, with plenty of interest. Focus here is on the splendid C12 inner doorway of the porch with nook shafts and scalloped capitals, and an outer order of arch lozenges, inner of horizontal chevronsBHO. See below for Church History. 5m N of Salisbury. 51.1244 / -1.8301 / SU119361
SCRATCH DIALS
DIAL 1
Dial 1 is by the capital LHS of the door, and quite easy to overlook. Weathered and damaged, with 3 lines visible within what remains of a double circle. Filled gnomon hole.
DIAL 2
Dial 2 is RHS on the arch of the doorway, and much easier to read. A morning dial with 4 clear lines from 9 (terce) to noon, and another fainter line earlier. The random line LRQ was evidently added some time later. Filled gnomon hole and remnants of a narrow double circle, as with dial 1. Perhaps this dial was cut as a replacement for dial 1 which certainly seems earlier; they could hardly be contemporary.
DIALS 1 AND 2
CHURCH HISTORY
VERTICAL DIAL (CHANCEL BUTTRESS)
The dial is on a south buttress. Motto across the top in angular lettering reads: ‘Tempus Fugit’. Upright Arabic numerals – 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 still just visible. Divided to 5 mins? Three-dot half hours (remnants of fleur-de-lys? Square frame with wide border, inset into stone of second buttress RHS of south porch. Needs restoring soon if it is to be saved. Would have been quite a good dial originally BSS
The most recent report was in 2005. Given the details mentioned above, the prediction of further deterioration has sadly come to pass.
GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Scratch Dial within porch; Vertical Dial
St Mary Penzance . Bill Henderson . Geo / Wikimedia
ST MARY . PENZANCE . CORNWALL
GRADE II* ✣ Originally a chantry chapel of Madron parish; records from 1321. In due course rebuilt, and reconsecrated 1838. Destructive arson in 1985; 2 recent attempts. 8 bells of interest. Some traces of the past remain, eg memorial tablets*. 50.1165 / -5.533 / SW475300
VERTICAL DIAL
This slate dial with its bronze gnomon was originally made for a chapel near the church. The BSS records indicate that the dial declined 12º W in that position, but needed to be canted in its new position to correct for the different declination of the buttress of St Mary’s where it is now to be found.
The dial clearly predates the building of St Mary. Perhaps ± 1800 would cover it. For a chapel, the 5 minute intervals noted below suggest a quite sophisticated dial.
MOTTOES
There are two learned mottoes cut inside the arch at the top, with Father Time below them.
Solem quis dicere falsum audeat Who would dare to call the sun false (Virgil) Tempus edax rerum Time the consumer of all things (Ovid)
CONSTRUCTION
Mrs Crowley, who sketched dials of Devon & Cornwall, noted a difference between stone top and bottom; and the horizontal line seems too high to be an indicator of the equinoxes and, in any case, there is no nodus on the gnomon. The engraving is good, there are decorative half-hour markers and the hours are divided down to five minute intervals.
In the sanctuary is a Baroque tablet to John Tremenheere, d. 1701, with Doric columns, broken segmental pediment and a winged skull at the base (HE). His tomb is in a family vault below the centre aisle. I am a direct descendent, but unlikely to join him.
GRADE I ✣ Late C13, records from 1334. A charming small church, with its 3 bells hung on wheels. A plaque lists 19 men who returned safely from WW1; it is a ‘Doubly Thankful’ village with no casualties in WW2 either. See also neighbouring STOCKLINCH OTTERSEY, a closely linked church. Close to Barrington Court NT. 50.9508 / -2.8797 / ST383171
✣
DIAL
The dial is perched on the apex of the squat porch. It is square, significantly canted, and with ‘shoulders’ upon which rests a ball finial. Given its exposed position, the dial is in good condition. BSS dates it to 1612. There is a clear-cut semicircle with a full complement of lines, and with pocks marking the half hours.
CANTING
GNOMON ANGLES
INSCRIBED MOTTO
The words WATCH AND PRAY are inscribed above the dial face. Erosion and lichen have made it hard to see. Below the dial are the words REDEEME THE TIMES, with the final S fitted in above the line. The numerals – damaged LHS – are Arabic.
GAUDIUM SUB SOLE . SUNDIALS . MEDIEVAL TO MODERN 