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. HoweverGLP points out that the arc’s approximate centre lies in a joint between 2 stones, so subsequent repointing presumably covered up the hole
St Mary . Maiden Newton . Dorset . Scratch Dial on Chancel doorway
NOTES † There is a fine sundial on S. face of tower, square slab with simple capping, iron gnomon and date 1630BHO. See OLD DIAL menu LINK
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 . Scratch DialGlanvilles Wootton . Dorset . St Mary the Virgin . Scratch Dial
BSS record of markings – GLP
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 BHOLINK.
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 OverburyBHO 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.
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’.
Stratton Dial Diagram GLP
St Mary . Stratton . Dorset . Scratch Dial
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 – possibly….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.
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 (CeseburneDB) 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
St Martin . Cheselbourne . Dorset . Scratch Dial
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)
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)
South Cadbury, Som. St Thomas à Becket . Scratch Dial
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
Armillary Sphere . St Thomas à Becket . South Cadbury . Som.
St Georges de Boscherville . Normandy . Vertical Sundial
The beautiful C12 Abbey of St Georges de Boscherville in Normandy is very much in the Michelin ‘vaut le voyage’ category. Advantage has been taken of the extensive abbey grounds to display innovative bee-hives and an excellent display of modern sundials. The most complex will feature here in due course. Meanwhile, enjoy this attractive sundial with its cleverly effective gnomon.
St Georges de Boscherville . Normandy . Vertical Sundial
St Georges de Boscherville . Normandy . Vertical Sundial
The motto Tant ici passerent le temps passé nous passons means roughly ‘So much past time has passed here; we (also) pass’. It sounds better in the original.
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
St Stephen . Winsham . Som . Scratch dial 3
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…
St Stephen . Winsham . Som . Position of 3 scratch dials
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.
St Stephen . Winsham . Som . Scratch dial 2 U.K.
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.
St Stephen . Winsham . Som . Scratch dial 1
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.
St Stephen . Winsham . Som . Scratch dial 3
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.
St Stephen . Winsham . Som . The Priest’s Door . 3 scratch dials
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
St Peter . Purse Caundle . Dorset – Scratch Dial
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.
St Peter . Purse Caundle . Dorset . Dial Diagram BSS
St Peter . Purse Caundle . Dorset – Scratch Dial
St Peter . Purse Caundle . Dorset – Scratch Dial Details
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
GAUDIUM SUB SOLE . SUNDIALS . MEDIEVAL TO MODERN 