GRADE I ☩ C14 nave and aisles; C14/15 chancel; C15 west tower. S porch rebuilt in 1848 (see below). A handsome church with pleasing proportions. 6m N of Bridport, 9m S of Crewkerne. 50.7923 / -2.7528 / SY470994
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DIAL
The dial dates to C15 and is on W jamb of SW window of S aisle. Allowing for damage, it is a (near) semi-circle with 11 lines of varying length. 8 of them have holes, some terminal and some on the longer lines. GLP notes that the dial is extremely accurately drawn. (GLP) The dial is now shaded by the C19 porch that replaced a smaller one.
GRADE I ✣ Saxon origins, remnants from late C12; Chancel C13, north and south chantries C14, aisles rebuilt late C14, remainder C15. Highly praised *** by SJ: the screen is the best in Wiltshire; excellent stained glass… A small town fortunately by-passed by the dread A303. 51.0893 / -2.2711 / ST 811322
DIALS
St Michael provides plenty of scope for scratch dial sleuths to bicker about. BBS records 6. The Mere Historical Society records show Handwritten notes on green paper by John Ingram to Dr David Longbourne relating to a sundial (scratch dial) on the buttress of St Michael’s Church, Mere, 1990’s. The Church’s helpful info suggests 2 or perhaps 3. I believe there are at least 6 and possibly up to 10 dials in all.
The BSS record of 6 dials gives 1 – 3 in a cluster on buttress 2 E of the porch (see 4, 9 & 10 below); and 4 – 6 grouped further E on buttress 5 / S wall stairway area.
DIAL 1
DIAL 2
DIAL 3
DIAL 4
(and see plausible dials 9 & 10 on same stone))
DIAL 5
DIAL 6
DIAL 7
DIAL 8 (?)
DIALS 4 (above), 9 & 10
Dials 4, 9 and 10 – all different types – are on the same stone and to an extent impinge on each other.
DIAL 9
DIAL 10
CONCLUSION: enthusiasm can be an enemy of accuracy, and there is always some leeway with multiple dial Churches. I haven’t tried to analyse each dial – the array will with any luck elicit some opinions.
GRADE II* ☩ C15 west tower; otherwise mainly rebuilt 1846 retaining very little of the original church (?Ferry). Set in a pretty village close to the coast that has the feel of an earlier age (in a good way). 5m E of Weymouth. 50°38’45″N / 2°23’29″W / SY724829
DIAL
This unusual dial is cut on the SW buttress of the tower. I say cut, but in fact it is drilled in a complete circle of small holes surrounding a large gnomon hole centred on the dial stone. There are no lines at all (as with eg TRENTAFPUDDLETINTINHULL).
St Osmond . Osmington – Dial Diagram BSS
In all there are 36 holes that form an irregular circle flattened at the top. The ring of pocks is (unsurprisingly) not entirely accurate, as the diagram above (GLP; BSS) shows.
As for a noon line, I wonder if the short downward line of (apparent) small pocks, below and to the left of damaged area, mark noon. It’s not vertical, but the design of the dial and its position on the SW face of the buttress perhaps called for a slightly offset noon marker.
The gnomon hole has clearly been enlarged at some time, and sufficiently so to provide a modern home for small snails.
All Saints Church . Kings Bromley . Staffs (Humphrey Bolton, Geo CC)
ALL SAINTS . KINGS BROMLEY . STAFFS
GRADE I † Late C11 nave, with remnants; C14 additions, C16 Perp W tower, C19 work. An attractive church in a pretty setting. 3 scratch dials are recorded. 5m N of Lichfield. 52.7507 / -1.8206 / SK122170
DIALS
Dial 1 and Dial 2 can be considered together, because Dial 2 is recorded as being superimposed on Dial 1. It is not uncommon for there to be some overlap between dials, but not to this extent. One might expect a second dial to be cut on a different stone so that it stands out as superseding the first. But perhaps it is the other way round – a rather basic dial over-cut by a more sophisticated one centered on the dial stone.
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DIAL 1
BSS regards this unusual dial highly. It is located on the buttress at E end of the nave. There are eroded remnants of two concentric circles RHS. Notes Worn. Important, poss. unique. Dial like conventional sundial. Double dial, see 2
The gnomon hole is in the centre of the dial stone, and is angled down. The confusion with Dial 2 makes it difficult to apportion the badly eroded lines
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DIAL 2
Dial 2 has an oblong gnomon hole just below the mortar line, slightly surprisingly because it prevents the mortar line from acting as the horizontal. It, too, is slanted downwards and it is hard to think how it could have held a peg, rod, or stick. In the confusion of the linear scratchings, I reckon 2 lines LHS come direct from the hole; and possibly 2 RHS.
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DIAL 3
Dial 3 is on the S wall of the Chancel, under the first window. BBS notes On the verge of destruction. The image in the records is quite old. I have added a B&W version that is a bit easier to read.
DEDICATION † ST ANDREW – C15, mid-C19 restoration; C13 font
LISTING † GRADE II*
LOCATION † 5 miles SW of Sherborne, a sprawling village set deep in farming country. Some fine old buildings dating from C16, now mixed in with modern housing. A fine village cross with C15 shaft. A friendly very rural place. No street lights. 50.8762 / -2.5445 / ST617086
In the early days of this site when I was researching scratch dials close to us in Dorset, I discovered that our own village church had one that was already recorded. It didn’t look very ‘dial-ish’ so I was pleased to find an authoritative drawing of it by GLP. My original post is HERE and see below for an image.
ST ANDREW . DIAL 2
The dial is semicircular, RHS of the porch, and just below Dial 1. The gnomon hole is in the mortar line, and plugged. The horizontal mortar line acts as a ‘6-to-6’ line, split by the vertical noon line. This is deeper incised than the three other visible lines.
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.
In a format variation, I will side-step the usual scene-setting para. In comparison with its host building, the somewhat elusive scratch-dial is an infinitesimal part. It is quite rare, I think, to find a scratch dial on a cathedral, abbey, or other major church building. Romsey has one that would be easily overlooked without clues. Next time I’m in Romsey I’ll take a proper camera on a sunny day.
DIAL
The dial is at the E end of the Abbey, inverted on the N face of the S buttress about 4 meters high.
The BSS record describes it as Accurately cut or made. Repositioned, eroded, damaged. Rudimentary (Norman) dial. Probably inverted (faint line and pock URQ. Too high for measurement.
GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Mass Dial; Norman Mass Dial
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
GRADE I ✣ Saxon origins (c995?) perhaps on pagan site; Norman with continuing development. Vicars recorded from 1269. Careful restorations. Among the oldest and most architecturally significant parish churches of DevonSJ. A lovely location, concealed from potential marauders from the sea. Of great interest both inside and out; a church to explore thoroughly. The Church Guide (40pp) is excellent. Midway between Sidmouth and Seaton. 50.6902 / -3.1403 / SY195884
DIALS
There are three completely different dials. Dial 1 is a linear dial thought to be unique in Britain, with a buttress acting as gnomon. Dial 2, cut on the lintel of a blocked doorway, may be Saxon. Dial 3 is relatively conventional and located high on E corner quoin of the chancel.
DIAL 1
This remarkable dial is not circular but linear, and is thought to be unique. Roman numerals are cut in an approximate row along the chancel wall, so that the chancel buttress acts a gnomon casting a shadow that moves across the longitudinal numbers. XI is obscured behind the drainpipe.
VI, VII and VIII are thought to be original numerals; IX, X and XI are larger and later. The Guide to the church describes this dial as a ‘sun-clock’, which is surely a more appropriate and accurate name for it than ‘scratch dial’, and reflects its uniqueness.
There is another notable ‘buttress gnomon’ dial of a different kind at St Mary the Virgin, Iffley. It has 4 vertical incisions in a row, a compact marker of the passage of the day. Presumably it was designed to focus seasonally on the significant part of the day for Mass.
DIAL 2
Incised in the grey stone lintel of a blocked doorway believed to be Saxon. Unusual in that it has 6 lines (2 on the horizontal) cut almost with vertical symmetry, with no visible noon line. The 2 deeper cuts RHS suggest the time of day for the main Mass (None). The gnomon hole is big, perhaps enlarged at a later date. The BSS record includes the note Late Saxon / Norman? Originally on earlier church?
DIAL 3
A more familiar dial design high on a quoin stone at E end of chancel. There are 7 lines within a double circle. BSS notes that it has been re-sited, the top of the dial being on an adjacent stone. The gnomon is filled in a rectangle. Again, the two deeper cut afternoon lines suggest None as the main Mass time.
Drawings displayed inside the church
GRAFFITI
If you climb the stairs, as you surely will during your visit, you will find plenty of graffiti, much of it overpainted with long-weathered whitewash.
GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Mass Dial; Sun-clock; Unique Linear Sundial; Buttress as Gnomon; Medieval Graffiti
All photos Keith Salvesen; Drawings from Church & BSS
Kenilworth Castle has a long and intriguing history, with royal, civil and military significance over C7 centuries or so. There is an excellent Wiki entry HERE . Anyone who learnt history at any level will be transported back to the classroom. Simon de Montfort C13; the insulting gift of tennis balls from the French to Henry V; Lady Jane Grey; Civil War(s); slighting. The entry is erudite yet clear and concise.
Erika Clarkson
HE Historic Print Archive
In the grounds close to the C14 gatehouse is a small 2-storey building known as the Barn, now thought unlikely to have been built as, or used as, a barn. The general view seems also to be that it had no monastic function. There were 2 latrines, which makes me wonder if it might have been some sort of lodging house for low-level family, or for visitors with a servant or two. The barn now serves as the Kenilworth Abbey Museum & Heritage Centre.
For present purposes, the barn’s significance is the scratch dial LHS on the front of the building. It is relatively rare for a dial to be cut on a secular building. Where found, it is most likely to be on a barn (Bradford-on-Avon has one on its famous tithe barn).
Erika Clarkson
DIAL
The dial is within a double circle. It has suffered from both erosion and damage – it has indeed been in the wars. There appears to be a complete set of 24 lines spaced fairly equally at 15º to form a complete circle of radials. Unusually I think, each line is matched to a small terminal pock on the ridge between the 2 circles. Those at 3, 4, and 5 have double pocks, perhaps an indication of the most important part of the day for observance. It corresponds with the canonical mid-afternoon hour NONE. The lines are also deeper cut (and thus less eroded), a common form of emphasis. It’s difficult to say whether the other more random pocks on the dial face were intended as part of it.
The gnomon hole is clearly not as it was originally. I expect there was a conventional central hole, (as the curve LHS hints) and at some stage something wedge-shaped was a clumsy substitute or replacement; or perhaps sword tips were sharpened there.
Motacilla . WIKI . OS / CC
The dial is difficult to date. Various features suggest a later date than medieval. The full 24 hour ‘clock’; the reasonably accurate c15º divisions and double circle; the decorative use of the little pocks. Overall a degree of sophistication compared with earlier dials. My uneducated amateur guess is late C15 / early C16.
One mystery is why a dial was cut onto the barn at all – why did it need one? Perhaps my ‘occasional lodging’ theory has a place here – to assist outlying guests to comply with Castle timings for Mass, feasting, or jousting.
The building has been liberally decorated with musket shot (cf All Saints Alton Priors, below), most plausibly during the Civil War, in which the Castle played a significant part. For building mark / symbols / graffiti enthusiasts, there are quite a few masons’ marks to collect.
All Saints . Alton Priors . Wilts – Musket damage
GSS CATEGORY: Scratch Dial; Scratch Dial on Barn; Scratch Dial on Secular Building
CREDITS: Erika Clarkson (dial detection, images); Motacilla (image OS CC); HE print archive; Kenilworth History and Archaeology Society; Warwickshire World Article by George Evans-Hulme
GAUDIUM SUB SOLE . SUNDIALS . MEDIEVAL TO MODERN 