Wessex Scratch Dial – Page 8 – GAUDIUM SUB SOLE . SUNDIALS . MEDIEVAL TO MODERN

PIDDLEHINTON . DORSET . ST MARY – TWO SCRATCH DIALS

Published on May 19, 2021May 19, 2021 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

ST MARY † PIDDLEHINTON . DORSET

GRADE 1. C15 tower, S. aisle; C16 chancel, nave, S. porch; C19 restoration, additions. Mainly perp style. 6 miles N.E. of Dorchester. 50.7733 / -2.4045 / SY715971

DIALS

Two adjacent but very different scratch dials on the S.E. buttress of the tower. The image above shows how they are composed on the buttress. There are also two vertical dials, one Old (1794) the other Modern. There is a plausible third scratch dial – see below.

DIAL 1

More than twenty pocks in a varied configuration, with a concentration in the UL quadrant. 3 rings are evident there, and the pattern of the pocks suggests that 3 circles were once complete. A number of faint and indistinct radials, with emphasised vertical (noon) and horizontal lines. GLP points out significant variation in the hours in the divisions marking the hours.

DIAL 2

This is a busy dial for the amateur to interpret. GLP concludes for several reasons that it is later than Dial 1. He suggests that the 2 ‘iron stubs’ may evidence an attempt to update (add sophistication to?) the dial by adding a gnomon. The large photo in the gallery shows the debatable ‘style and single noon line’ dial – see notes

St Mary . Piddlehinton . Dorset . Scratch Dial 2

DIAL 3?

A plausible third scratch dial is incorporated in the lower dial (noted as ‘doubtful’ elsewhere). I have come across these before, and most certainly appear to be dials of the simplest kind. A clear and deliberate vertical line leading downwards from an apparent style hole suggests a noon line cut below a style. At the most basic level, this would function as a marker of the passage of the day. The overall configuration on the buttress suggests a progression in sophistication from that early marker. So I prefer ‘plausible’ to ‘doubtful’.

GSS Category: Scratch Dial

All photos: Keith Salvesen

BARWICK . SOM . ST MARY MAGDALENE – TWO SCRATCH DIALS

Published on May 17, 2021 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

DEDICATION † St Mary Magdalene. C13 onwards, enlarged from a chapel. C19 rebuilding, chancel added. Norman font, good bench ends (‘a lively set’ PEV) including a carved Green Man), bells c.1400. An excellent information board / timeline in the churchyard

LISTING † Grade II*

LOCATION † Church 2 miles south of Yeovil, but you might never know. In folded country cut by deep sandy hollow ways PEV. Best approached from the hectic A37 down a long hill, formerly one of these sunken ways that are a feature of the area. The church is almost the first building as you enter the village from W. end, before the old village and newer housing. 50.9225 / -2.6301 / ST558138

BARWICK . SOM . ST MARY MAGDALENE . Scratch Dial 1

BARWICK . SOM . ST MARY MAGDALENE . Scratch Dial 2

DIALS † Dom Ethelbert Horne DEH visited the church on June 16th, 1915 and found 2 dials

DIAL 1

186. (1) This dial is on the w. side of the s. porch. It is 4 feet 9 inches above the ground, the noonline is 3 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 25° e. Type 3.

The style hole is easy to see but the radials are hard to make out because of erosion and lichen. 4 or 5 lines are fairly clear, others barely discernible. DEH notes Dial No. 1 is just above a consecration cross, of which there are three cut upon the s. wall. See Notes below.

DIAL 2

187. (2) This dial is on the s.e. corner of the s. aisle. It is 3 feet 6 inches above the ground, the noonline is 4 1/2 inches in length, and the stylehole is 1 1/2 inches deep by 3/4 of an inch in diameter, and the aspect is s. by 30° e. Type 4.

A strongly cut and pretty dial on the quoin E. of the Priest’s Door. The lines are straggly, with varying lengths, angles, straightness and depths. Some extend into the upper half of the dial.

DEH notes: Dial No. 2 has Roman figures added at the ends of certain of the lines The two images below are the same, in both colour and B&W. Some find the latter makes for clearer reading. The numerals – in the lower left quadrant – are hard to make out now. More than a century after DEH’s visit, erosion and pollution may have caused significant deterioration.

NOTES † Consecration crosses – DEH noted 3 on the S. wall. In all there are 10 exterior crosses, and one interior by N. door. One has been dated to 1489. The hole in the centre of the first has made me ponder whether it held a gnomon, with the outline of the cross working as a ‘time of day’ marker.

*BARWICK . SOM . ST MARY MAGDALENE .* *Two of the Consecration Crosses*

CHARLTON HORETHORNE . SOM – ST PETER AND ST PAUL . TWO SCRATCH DIALS

Published on May 7, 2021 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

DEDICATION † St Peter and St Paul. C12 onwards on probable Saxon site; later work C15 and especially C19

LISTING † Grade II* BLB LINK

LOCATION † 5 miles NE. of Sherborne, 5 miles SW. of Wincanton. A fine early church situated next to the Manor House, overlooking a pleasant village and with fine views. 51.0061 / -2.4785 / ST665230

Charlton Horethorne . Som . St Peter and St Paul . Scratch dials 1 & 2

DIALS † There are two dials. Dial 1, easily found, is on a quoin W. of the porch. Dial 2 is located where the foundations are well below present ground level, and is difficult to reach. The dial is E. of the window E. of the porch and only visible from a narrow trench behind a screen of laurels. Access with care.

Dom Ethelbert Horne – DEH visited the church of May 25th 1915. His observations follow below in italics.

DIAL 1

173. (1) This dial is on a quoin at the s.w. corner of the s. aisle. It is 8 feet 3 inches above the foundations, the noon- line is 4 inches in length, the stylehole is 1 3/4 inches in depth by 1/2 an inch in diameter, and the aspect is s. by 10° e. Type3.

Comment:

1. A faint trace of a circle rhs

2. The noon-line below the style hole has a considerable gap before the start of the line, which is longer and deeper cut than the other radials

3. Above the style hole there is a roughly incised and skewed line from the top of the stone towards the side of the style hole, with (possibly) some form of emphasis at the top end. It seems unlikely to be an upper noon-line, being squint and at odds with the neatly cut lower radials. Possibly it is just a random unrelated mark, from a different century even.

4. However the hint of a further short incision to the left of the crude one makes me wonder if it and the longer line are part of an earlier dial that radiated from a hole in the mortar line above. Perhaps it was superseded by the later more sophisticated dial we now see. DEH clearly did not consider these upper markings to be part of the main dial

Charlton Horethorne . Som . St Peter and St Paul . Scratch Dial 1

DIAL 2

174. (2) This dial is on a quoin on the e. side of the first window e. of the s.porch. It is 8 feet above the foundations, the noonline is 4 inches in length, the stylehole is filled up, and the aspect is s. by 10° e. Type 5b. May 20th, 1915.

Comment: an encircled dial with the upper half left blank. Elongated mid-line with the Prime line emphasised with 3 pocks. Hints of other pocks. The radials have rather random spacing, with the lower significantly elongated below the circle

Charlton Horethorne . Som . St Peter and St Paul . Scratch Dial 2

NOTES † Interesting to see 2 quite different types of dial like these, and on different types of stone. I can’t date them but I suspect Dial 1 is earlier than Dial 2

GSS Category: Scratch Dial

All photos: Keith Salvesen

BATCOMBE . DORSET – ST MARY MAGDALENE . SCRATCH DIAL (unrecorded)

Published on May 3, 2021May 28, 2021 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

DEDICATION † St Mary Magdalene. C15 (on the site of a ?C11 church). Mid C18 rebuilding / restoration (after collapsed chancel). A few early fittings. Screen, font, bells, wall tablets of note. Fragment of stone in middle S. buttress of chancel with pre-conquest interlacement BHO

LISTING † Grade I (Pevsner Dorset 106; BHO)

LOCATION † Remote extended hamlet deep in farming country a few miles SW. of Sherborne and NE. of Dorchester. Nestled under the north flank of a long ridge. Reached by lanes to N. and a very steep narrow lane down from the ridge. The church is immediately below, set into the hillside. 50.8331, -2.543, ST618038

Batcombe . Dorset . St Mary Magdalene . Scratch Dial

DIAL † Previously unrecorded. On the SW. face of the NE. buttress of the tower, about 4′ high. An encircled rustic dial with 2 clear radials, 3 less defined and at least one trace line (see annotated image below). Others lines may have eroded. The style hole is mortared (as so often) so tracing the centre point is not possible. In any case, while the circle is accurately incised, the rest of the dial is randomly cut.

The noon-line (if intended as such) is a diameter rather than radius, cut straight to the style hole and bent below it. There are some pocks on the dial stone, 3 of which may relate to the dial itself. The dots at each end of (non-)vertical diameter line suggest an approximate noon-line rather than 2 separate radials.

Batcombe . Dorset . St Mary Magdalene . Scratch Dial (annotated)

NOTES † A small ritual protection mark – a tiny shield-shaped face – to the right of the entrance door. Such apotropaic symbols were carved or scratched usually by a door or window or in the porch to prevent evil from entering the church and to repel it from the vicinity

Ritual Protection Mark / *Apotropaic* Symbol / ‘Witch Mark’, Batcombe . Dorset . St Mary Magdalene

GSS Category: Scratch Dial

All photos Keith Salvesen

MAIDEN NEWTON . DORSET . ST MARY . SCRATCH DIAL

Published on April 27, 2021April 28, 2021 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

DEDICATION † St Mary. Mid C12 / earlier foundation; main development C15; C19 restoration

LISTING † Grade I

LOCATION † 8 miles NE. of Dorchester, 12 miles SE. of Yeovil, in the valley below the A37 racetrack. Hardy’s ‘Chalknewton’. More of a small town than a village, with a few shops, a garage and a station rather than (as elsewhere locally) a single shop and a halt. 50.7775 2.5727 SY597977

St Mary . Maiden Newton . Dorset . Scratch Dial on Chancel doorway

DIAL † On arch stone, E. side of chancel door. GLP dates as early C15, with a ‘rough arc of 5 holes across 2 stones’. I was at a loss to see how this dial could have worked with such a shallow arc and without a style hole. However GLP points out that the arc’s approximate centre lies in a joint between 2 stones, so subsequent repointing presumably covered up the hole

NOTES † There is a fine sundial on S. face of tower, square slab with simple capping, iron gnomon and date 1630 BHO. See OLD DIAL menu LINK

GSS Category: Scratch Dial

All photos : Keith Salvesen

GLANVILLES WOOTTON . DORSET (2) . ST MARY THE VIRGIN . SCRATCH DIAL

Published on April 21, 2021January 15, 2022 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

Glanvilles Wootton . Dorset . St Mary the Virgin

DEDICATION † ST MARY THE VIRGIN – dated from mid C14, gradual expansion in C15, C18 restoration (Crickmay). The South Chapel is a notable example of 14th-century architecture, well preserved and not greatly altered from its original form BHO.

LISTING † Grade II*

LOCATION † S. of Sherborne, E. of main road to Cerne Abbas. A straggling small village with records dating from C12, approached by lanes rather than roads. The church is set slightly apart from the centre. In 1985 the Parish name was changed from Wootton Glanville for reasons hard to ascertain. A peaceful feel to the community. 50.872 / -2.4558 / 2°27’20″W / ST68008

Glanvilles Wootton . Dorset . St Mary the Virgin – Scratch Dial

DIAL † On W. buttress of S. wall of S. Chapel, 2m high, with (later) iron gnomon* in square style-hole. Last visited in January drizzle, when marks were hard to make out and photo ‘work’ was needed. On a sunny April day, the marks were clear. Pocks (12+) of varied sizes. 8 radials with irregular angles. A notably emphasised noon-line in depth and width, and with additional terminal pock(s). GLP notes that it is 4º from vertical. The 3 larger pocks presumably marked local Mass times (very approx Terce, Sext & None). *Gnomon is iron, 130mm long, rectangular cross section. Modern. BSS

From the time of day indicated by the gnomon’s shadow, I estimated the o’clock time. Checking my watch, the shadow was just 17 minutes fast…

*Glanvilles Wootton . Dorset . St Mary the Virgin* . Emphasised noon-line with added pock(s)

NOTES † noted in RCHM / BHO but not BLB / HE / TWC. The village has a fine Manor House. Round Chimneys Farm – once owned by John Churchill Duke of Marlborough – has significant entries in Hutchins, RCHM III Dorset; and good details in BHO LINK.

GSS Category – Scratch Dial

All photos: Keith Salvesen

ALSTONE Glos. – ST MARGARET . SCRATCH DIAL

Published on April 15, 2021May 4, 2021 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

DEDICATION † ST MARGARET OF ANTIOCH – C12 origin, further building C13, later additions & restoration. The squat timber-framed bell-turret HE is C19.

LISTING † GRADE II*

LOCATION † Off the beaten track 5 miles NW. of Winchcombe, 7 miles E. of Tewksbury. One of several ‘dial’ hamlets or villages in the Parish of Overbury BHO LINK, reached by a network of rural lanes. The first sight of St Margaret and its bell-turret was an interesting surprise. 51.9906 / -2.0267 / SO982324

DIAL † W. jamb of the porch door, an encircled and seemingly random collection of pocks of different sizes and depths, some extending outside the circle including what must be the noon-line but marked several degrees to the left. An apparent style hole, mortared, is on roughly the right horizontal line, but way out of the natural vertical line. Very mysterious and impossible for an amateur to interpret. My tentative afterthought is that these anomalies were a way of adapting the dial and the shadow cast to adjust for the orientation of the church.

NOTES † At the time I visited, I was looking only for one dial based on the Glos. list compiled by TW, and this was obviously it. I didn’t anyway have time to investigate further. However, since then I have seen a clue that suggests another, possibly more complex dial. So I need to return one day to find it.

GSS Category: Scratch Dial

All photos: Keith Salvesen

STRATTON, DORSET – ST MARY

Published on April 12, 2021April 16, 2021 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

DEDICATION † ST MARY THE VIRGIN C12 origins, re-fenestration & expansion in C15.
West Tower C15. Chancel rebuilt in 1891, north porch added: ‘date of drastic restoration’ BLB

LISTING † GRADE I

LOCATION † 3 miles NW. of Dorchester in the Frome valley, and thankfully set back from the race track of the A37. A charming church, a village green, and an agreeable pub The Saxon are happily contiguous. 50.7425 / -2.4958 / SY651937

St Mary . Stratton . Dorset . Scratch Dial

DIAL † W. jamb of the blocked S. door, inverted, and with 4 discernible lines. The muddle of stones in and around the doorway helps to explain repositioning. GLP suggests that the crossing line ‘may be an attempt to mark Tierce’.

DIAL 2? A POSSIBLE CANDIDATE

Close to the featured scratch dial recessed inside the blocked doorway, there is a larger stone on the outer jamb with a possible second dial. There are 2 clear radials converging on the mortar line, one long and one shorter. If a second dial, it is also inverted. It seems later than its companion. The amount of obvious reworking of the doorway area over time might explain the move of the dial stone.

The 12th-century S. doorway, now blocked, has chamfered jambs of two orders, a round head to the outer and a rebuilt segmental head to the inner order; the label is chamfered BHO

St Mary . Stratton . Dorset . Scratch Dial (possible, unrecorded) — St Mary . Stratton . Dorset . Scratch Dial – possibly…

NOTES † BHO highlights the bells: five; 1st recast at the Closworth foundry, 1753; 2nd by Thomas Purdue, 1695; 3rd by Thomas Purdue, 1658; 4th by Roger Purdue, 1627; 5th by George Purdue, 1619. C13 font.

GSS Category: Scratch Dial

All photos: Keith Salvesen

CHESELBOURNE . DORSET . ST MARTIN – Scratch Dial, Old Dial (1631)

Published on April 8, 2021September 3, 2022 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

DEDICATION † ST MARTIN . Late C13 / early C14; tower C15. S. porch (dial location) C1500 HE, BLB

LISTING † GRADE I

A WONDERFUL CANONICAL DIAL IN DEEPEST DORSET

St Martin . Cheselbourne . Dorset . Scratch Dial

LOCATION † Seven miles NE. of Dorchester. Hidden in a dip in the remote folds of Dorset’s undulating downs, Cheselbourne (Ceseburne DB) is accessible only by narrow lanes. It is well worthwhile if you can understand the signposts well enough to reach the village. 50.7954 / -2.3388 / SY762995

DIAL † A remarkable dial, ‘the most carefully cut and complete specimen of a medieval dial in Dorset’ EEC.

On S. wall, scratch dial.’ BLB – a scant note and considerable understatement. The 1631 sundial on the porch (see below) is better served

St Martin . Cheselbourne . Dorset . Scratch Dial gallery – left, central, right & complete

GLP dates this complex dial as late C15 / early C16, with 25 lines & 26 holes. ‘Each line ends in a hole, the vertical line being marked by 2 holes. The lines alternate in length, a long line running to the gnomon hole with a short line fitting in the angle between 2 of the long lines. The long lines accurately measure the hours; the short lines the half hours’.

Chancellor (ECC) noted crosses halfway along 2 lines, shown in his drawing of 1939. GLP could not trace these in 1996.

St Martin . Cheselbourne . Dial Drawing . Chancellor

St Martin . Cheselbourne . Dorset . Scratch Dial – S. Porch and obligatory drainpipe

NOTES † Above south porch arch, rectangular stone slab with Roman numerals, inscribed HC 1631 WM, with wrought iron gnomon (HE, BHO) LINK ; also a fine C15 churchyard cross with limestone 3-step plinth and Ham stone treads RCHM

The dial is flush with the wall above the South porch. There is a flat strip gnomon with ‘S’ supporter. The gnomon angle is 56 degrees to wall. Face very weathered. Shows 6am to 6pm in half hours. Noon numeral or mark worn away as are many hour lines, IIII for 4pm. Few half hour marks visible. Inscription: “HC 1631 WM” (initials of the Church Wardens)

GSS Category: Scratch Dial

All photos – Keith Salvesen

SOUTH CADBURY Som. – ST THOMAS à BECKET

Published on April 2, 2021April 7, 2021 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

DEDICATION † ST THOMAS à BECKET [also ST THOMAS of CANTERBURY] – earliest religious mention DB 1086; building dates from C13 & C15, with C19 restoration

LISTING † GRADE II*

LOCATION † Six miles N. of Sherborne, six miles W. of Wincanton. One of nine ‘Camelot’ churches; situated close to the steep stone track that leads to the impressive iron-age hill fort Cadbury Castle, with supposed (actual?) links to King Alfred. Serious walking country. 51.0277 / -2.5269 / ST631254

South Cadbury, Som. St Thomas à Becket . Scratch Dial

DIAL † Visited by DEH on April 24th, 1914:

172. This dial is on the s.e. corner of the nave. It is 3 feet 11 inches above the ground, the noonline is 4 inches in length, the stylehole is 7/8 of an inch in depth by 1/2 an inch in diameter, and the aspect is s. by 30° e. Type 3

DEH further notes: ‘the noonline in this dial is considerably out of the perpendicular. This is caused by the stone not facing due s. by as much as 30°’ (see large image in Gallery for the angled pocked noon radial)

NOTES † In the Churchyard stands a small armillary sphere dated 1929, on a slender column. The memorial inscription relates to Robert Read, ‘Ironmaster and Ornithologist’, with a charming and original dedication that I will post in other pages (armillary spheres, mottos) in due course