OLD DIALS

The meaning of an old dial for present purposes is a sundial that dates from ±1600 and is demonstrably not medieval. It will not have been carved in the into the original stone fabric of a church (or other building), although it may be on a stone later inserted. It may also be a ‘freestanding’ vertical dial affixed to the church and sometimes canted to the correct angle. A gnomon should preferably be – or have been, if missing – an integral part of it. An old dial should ideally be marked with a date to make life easier.

St Mary . Rimpton . Som.

Vertical dial on parapet marlon LINK

1827? when the church was ‘repaired and beautified’

St Michael . Little Bedwyn . Wilts

Vertical dial angled SE LINK

All Saints . Newtown Linford . Leics

LINK to detailed post for this dial and 2 scratch dials

Boconnoc Parish Church . Cornwall . 1716

LINK to main post

St Mary . Maiden Newton . Dorset . 1630

On S. face of tower – square slab with simple capping, iron gnomon and date 1630 RCHM

All Saints . Piddletrenthide . Dorset . 1602

All Saints. Piddletrenthide . Dorset – Sundial 1602

BSS notes: Shows 6am to 6pm in half hours. Two circular motifs cut into either side of gnomon, decoration cut into dial sides. IIII for 4pm. Triangular sheet gnomon with lead fixings – possibly not original.Inscription at bottom OCTOBER [THE ?] 23 1692 (though I read it as 1602)

Holy Rood . Buckland Newton . Dorset . 1704

Dated 1704 by date-cut gnomon. Luckily caught in winter sunshine. Full post HERE

St Michael . Stanton . Glos. C17 (?)

Undated, more research needed. Provisionally C17.

Stanton . Glos. Village Cross dial, orb and cross . C17

Dated to C17 on older shaft and medieval Calvary steps. Gnomon & fixing more modern… Full post HERE

Manor House . West Dorset . 1608

Dial set at an angle on a fine Manor House . West Dorset . Dated 1608

St Peter . Stourton Caundle . Dorset . C18

Sundial: On S. face of tower, second stage. Stone slab with Roman numerals and iron gnomon, probably 18th century BHO. Note Incised hour-lines, with a Cross at noon.

*St Peter . Stourton Caundle . Dorset* – detail, the noon Cross

St Martin. Cheselbourne . Dorset . 1631

Sundial: above south porch arch, rectangular stone slab with Roman numerals, inscribed HC 1631 WM, with wrought iron gnomon.

Note the ‘W’, cut like the medieval apotropaic mark VV Virgo Virginum. The spectacular scratch dial on this church is sited below this sundial on the W. jamb of the porch LINK

St Mary . Piddlehinton . Dorset . 1794

St Mary . Piddlehinton . Dorset . Vertical dial 1794 [also a Millennium dial and 2 good scratch dials on this church]

Roman numerals mark the hours 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. spread over 4 stones. It is slightly baffling how the small Ham stone fits into the overall scheme. Is it a later replacement, carefully incised to match the other numerals? Or perhaps matching the materials was not a priority in the overall design?

St James the Great . Bratton . Wilts . 1801

On S. face of the tower, a large painted dial dated 1801 ‘TEMPUS FUGIT’. The long spindly gnomon casts an impressively long shadow.

St Barnabas . Queen Camel . Som (undated)

I haven’t yet found a date or span for this dial. Apart from the blue paint and modern gnomon, possibly C18

St Andrew . Trent . Dorset

The dial at Trent is hard to photograph these days because trees in the churchyard cast shadows on at least part of it for most of the day. It’s a fine Roman numeral dial but the main interest, I think, is in the numerals and short radials below the main dial. I can’t find any details about the dial online. Clearly there must have been an earlier version, now covered in some way by the main dial. Do the lines extending upwards from the numerals suggest a late mass dial?

St Andrew . Trent . Dorset – Sundial Detail with evidence of an earlier, more rustic dial

St John . Pewsey . Wilts

Casting a long shadow: dated 1840, with elegant Roman numerals cut on a slant at the sides.

St George . Preshute . Wilts – C18

LINK for full post

St Andrew . West Chelborough . Dorset

LINK for full post

Manor House . Chicksgrove . Wilts

A fine secluded manor house W of Tisbury. Late C14, altered late C16, C17 and C19. Quite large and very plain. Possibly never marked (though a couple of faint / trace incisions eg at 8). Hard to date, but plainly earlier than the C19 work.