SCRATCH DIALS IN DORSET
SIX CHURCHES IN THE THREE VALLEYS BENEFICE IN WEST DORSET
THREE VALLEYS BENEFICE: DORSET SCRATCH DIALS
Category: Wessex Sundials
WINSHAM . Som . ST STEPHEN – 3 Scratch Dials
DEDICATION † ST STEPHEN – C13 origin, mainly C15, C19 restoration, porch link to C20 vestry
LISTING † GRADE II*
LOCATION † In the centre of the village, a few miles SW. of Crewkerne / SE. of Chard. Contains 2 rare treasures (see notes). Close to Forde Abbey 50.8526 / 2.8898 / ST 37400637
DIALS † 3 dials on or near the priest’s door, described in detail by DEH (see below for his notes on each). In evening light (hence the vaguely apocalyptic photo), a fine trio of dials to collect.
Later I discovered that (according to HE) there are 6 ‘mass dials’ in all. I need to return to find the other 3…
DIAL 1
129. (1) This dial is on the e. side of the window on the w. of the priest’s door. It is 6 feet 5 inches above the ground, the noonline is 6 inches in length, and the stylehole is 2 inches deep by 3/4 of an inch in diameter. The aspect is s.by10°e. Type 5b.
DIAL 2
130. (2) This dial is on the w. side of the priest’s door. It is 5 feet 2 1/2 inches above the ground, the noonline is 3 1/2 inches in length, the stylehole is 1 inch deep by 1/2 an inch in diameter, and the aspect as above. Type 3a or 5b.
DIAL 3
131. (3) This dial is on the w. side of the window e. of the priest’s door. It is 6 feet 3 inches above the ground, the noon- line is 6 1/4 inches in length, and the stylehole, which is large, is filled with cement. The aspect as above. Type 4, combining 5c.
The dials Nos. 1 and 3 are carefully cut on very large stones that form the quoins of the windows on either side of the priest’s door. Dom Ethelbert Horne August 19th, 1915
NOTES † The church has one of very few surviving copies of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs on display; also, one of the only two surviving pre-Reformation tympana (rood screens) of the Crucifixion in the world. And 3 scratch dials left for me to find.
PURSE CAUNDLE, DORSET – ST PETER
DEDICATION † ST PETER – C15, later works & additions
LISTING † GRADE I
LOCATION † S. of A30 between Henstridge & Milborne Port; or reached from S. by a complex network of lanes (map suggested). A notable E-shape C15 Manor House. St Peter is a most attractive example of a typical Dorset church. 50.9569 / -2.4342 / ST696175
DIAL † NW. corner of Nave, conveniently by a drainpipe (as so often) for size comparison. Repositioned during building BSS. 5 distinct radials, encircled, 13 pocks including 2 doubles and a triple indicating significant hours. Location and lichen complicate inspection.
NOTES † Nearby STOURTON CAUNDLE (link to come) has a C18 sundial with gnomon on the tower and (worth the visit) an excellent display of graffiti and apotropaic (‘witch’) marks in and around the porch. BISHOPS CAUNDLE has a badly eroded scratch dial, featured HERE
GSS Category -Scratch Dial
All photos -Keith Salvesen
WAYFORD – ST MICHAEL & ALL ANGELS
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.
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
RIMPTON – ST MARY (1) † Dom Horne Dials 1 & 2
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
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.
DH DIAL 2
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.
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.
OTHER MARKS
GSS Category: Scratch Dial
STANTON GLOS (2) – ST MICHAEL – SCRATCH DIAL and SUNDIAL
DEDICATION † ST MICHAEL & ALL ANGELS Saxon origins, Norman features, mainly C13 to C15
LISTING † GRADE 1
LINKED POST † STANTON 1 – VILLAGE CROSS SUNDIAL
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: THE 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
GSS Category – Scratch Dial; Old Dial
PENDOMER – ST ROCH
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
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.
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
GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Consecration Cross
HERMITAGE DORSET – ST MARY
DEDICATION † ST MARY C14; C17 restoration; further work c. 1800
LISTING † Grade II*
LOCATION † 4 miles N. of Cerne Abbas (S. of Sherborne) 50.8611 / -2.4991 / ST649069
A very small, simple church (‘free chapel‘) tucked away under a hillside in a discreet corner of this hamlet. Approached along the edge of the drive of the former Rectory. Supposed hermetic origin. If you didn’t know it was there, you’d miss it – the bell-cote hardly shows above the trees.
DIAL † Low down on the SE quoin of the nave, well-preserved and readily visible. It seems complex considering the simplicity of the building. I’d be interested in an analysis of the dial / possible date – the varied radials and (as I assume) the ‘dropped dot’ at 12 (best seen in #6)
NOTES † Plenty of interest here despite (or because of) comparative remoteness. Medieval (C14?) N. door. C17 font and floor slabs. Graffiti (initials) on W. buttress, including tablets dated 1682 (date of restoration?) & 1799 (date of work inc. addition of bell-cote?). The large village green is perfect for a village cricket square. Listed RCHM & BHO; few mentions elsewhere.
GSS Category: Scratch Dial
GLANVILLES WOOTTON (1) – ST MARY THE VIRGIN
SEE REVISED VERSION OF THIS POST HERE LINK – APRIL 2021
FOLLOWING A VISIT IN APRIL SUNSHINE RATHER THAN JANUARY DRIZZLE, ENJOY THE DETAIL OF THIS UNUSUAL DIAL IN ALL ITS GLORY
DEDICATION † ST MARY THE VIRGIN – from mid C14, gradual expansion, C18 work
LISTING † Grade II*
LOCATION † South of Sherborne towards Cerne Abbas. Approached by lanes more than roads. 50.872 / -2.4558 / 2°27’20″W / ST68008
Straggling small village. Records from C12. In 1985 the Parish name was changed from Wootton Glanville (I haven’t explored the reason). A peaceful feel to the community.
DIAL † On W. buttress of S. wall of S. Chapel, with iron gnomon in square style hole. Dot dial with varied sizes (see close up #5). Suspicion of faint radials, but on a dark day it was hard to tell then or indeed from the photos – see diagram. BSS Gnomon is iron, 130mm long, rectangular cross section. Modern
NOTES † noted in RCHM / BHO but not BLB / HE / TWC
GSS Category – Scratch Dial
CREWKERNE – ST BARTHOLOMEW
DEDICATION † ST BARTHOLOMEW C15, Saxon / Norman origins
LISTING † GRADE I
LOCATION † Close to the centre of this pleasant country town, prominent but not dominating. Classy Perpendicular 50.885 / -2.798 / ST439098
DIAL † From his survey of this area in June 1915, DEH noted:
120. This dial is on the first buttress from the e. end of the chancel. It is 4 feet 5 inches above the ground, the noon-line is 3 inches in length, the stylehole is 3\ inches in depth by half of an inch in diameter, and the aspect is s. by 10° e. Type 3. June 8th, 1915.
The lines on this dial are distinct in sunlight, but difficult to see in ordinary light. There is an enlarged hole at the end of what is probably the mass line.
NOTES † DEH was right about the visibility of the details – and 100 years has not improved it. Excellent gargoyles and hunky punks (some lewd). Adjacent Undials.
GSS Category – Scratch Dial
GAUDIUM SUB SOLE . SUNDIALS . MEDIEVAL TO MODERN 