GRADE II* † St Mary recorded by at least 1319, date of the first known vicar. Chancel built c.1450; survived demolition of the rest of the church; used as a mortuary chapel. NB this is not Wyatt’s fine flint and limestone church of 1863, All Saints, in the centre of the village. You will have to seek out this tiny single cell churchlet – with its impressively large churchyard – via a narrow path behind a dejected-looking pub. 51.1943 / -2.0163 / ST989438-
DIAL
St Mary has a single dial R of first window. It would be easy to overlook – unusually for a scratch dial it is 2.5m high. Centred in dial stone, with 9 lines encircled in a double ring.
Milton Abbey, more properly called ‘The Abbey Church of St Mary, St Sansom* and St Branwalader**, is a former Benedictine monastery founded in c10. The present building dates from the c14 and c15. The Abbey, with a post-reformation country house attached where the monastic buildings used to be, is now a school.
DIALS
The Abbey has two dials, both on the S face of the SE turret at the end of S transept. Dial 1 – the most intriguing – is some 3m high. Dial 2 is 1m below it, and lichen makes reading it very difficult. Both dials were recorded in 2000 as C14. Dial 1 is unusual, not least because of its condition after C7s.
DIAL 1
Dial 1 is inverted, clearly repositioned. Within a double semicircle are 13 lines radiating from a large filled gnomon hole. Within the 2 rings, each line terminates in a black letter Roman numeral. BSS records these as (with the dial reverted)Il V VIll IX X – space – II IlI IIII V VI Noon is unmarked but extends slightly beyond the outer circle.
DIAL 2
Dial 2, now significantly obscured by lichen, has 20 lines, again with Roman numerals. Only numerals XI I Il III IV and V were recorded as visible in the 2000 survey. Now, only III can be easily seen. The filled gnomon hole is notably L of centre of the dial stone which is significantly cut off LHS, indicating relocation at some time in its history. Possibly there were other numerals at the end of the truncated lines.
*St Sansom: C6 French Bishop and (later) hermit. A Scilly Isle is named after him. An excellent example of a wandering Celtic monk (ODS). Some relics acquired by King Athelstan for Milton.
**St Branwalader: C6 monk. In early C10 King Athelstan obtained his relics and gave them to the monastery at Milton, Dorset. It was not the whole body but either an arm or his head (ODS)
GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Abbey Dial; Roman Numeral Dial
All photos: Keith Salvesen; sources include BBS, GLP; and Oxford Book of Saints
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 interlacementBHO.
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
DIAL 2 (new record)
A while ago, I featured a dial, not previously recorded, on the SW face of the LHS buttress by the entrance door. We live close to St Mary but I had never noticed the dial until I saw it in direct evening sunlight, spotting the filled gnomon hole first (see below).
On a visit to the church last week, I looked more carefully at the S doorway. And there was another dial, LHS, that I (and others) had overlooked. It’s a much clearer dial than the first.
St Mary Magdalene . Batcombe . Dorset – Scratch Dial 2
The filled gnomon hole is in the upper half of the dial stone. There are 6 / 7 lines, one with an apparent terminal pock. There is no clear noon line, but the lines from 9 to 12 suggest a significant time of the day for observance. The deeper none line may also mark a mass time mid-pm. There is a very distinct line URQ that ends in a pock but can have had no meaningful role in marking the passage of the day.
Batcombe . Dorset . St Mary Magdalene . Scratch Dial 1
NOTES † A small ritual protection mark – a tiny shield-shaped face – R 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.
GRADE II* † Mainly C13, C14. Norman font. Alone on a hillside, accessible only on foot. Originally a separate parish from the close-by village of Stocklinch Magdalene; later amalgamated; now redundant and in the care of CCT. 3m NE of Ilminster. 50.9535 / -2.8813 / ST381174
DIAL
DEH visited St Mary in September 1912, one of his earliest field trips from Downside Abbey on his motorcycle in search of scratch dials. As he described it there is a doubtful dial on the E side of the Priest’s door. It is in a likely position, but the stone is so badly weathered that no lines can be traced upon it. To which I can only add even less so 100+ years later, especially with lichen obscuring scrutiny.
I include this record both because St Mary repays a visit for its location alone, and for completeness. Very close is the small Church of Stocklinch Magdalene, and it’s a short distance to BARRINGTON church with 4 scratch dials; and Barrington Court (NT) which has 2 outstanding pillar dials in the gardens.
On the same side of the priest’s door, 2 stones lower, is a smaller apparently drilled hole with some sort of lining (?), but also no dial-ish features.
GRADE I ✣ C12 origins & remnants; C13 – C15 enlargement; C19 restorations (Wyatt). One of only 3 Dorset (early) churches with spires, with Trent and Winterbourne Steepleton (the Dorset village of Steeple only has a tower). The spire was originally much taller but has twice been reduced in height. The most important and interesting church in its neighbourhoodPEV. If you want to dig deeper there are plenty of excellent resources online eg HE, BLB, BHO. Midway between Shaftsbury and Blandford. 50.9295 / -2.1887 / ST868144
DIAL
The dial is located on the SW buttress of the tower, about 2m high. There are 12 lines, 6 of which extend beyond the circumference. Some have terminal pocks; the noon line has 2. GLP notes that the dial is quite accurately cut, but is at an angle and of little use in its present position. Probably it was relocated during later work.
GLP dates it to C14, and notes quite sternly that, whereas RCHM suggests perhaps C16, it gives no reason for this opinion.
GRAFFITO ON THE STONE BENCH INSIDE THE PORCH: W.D. 1773
GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Dorset Church with Spire
All photos: Keith Salvesen; Thanks as always to Gordon le Pard for Dorset dials
GRADE l † C13 origins; mainly C15 with C19 slightly controversial restoration. Dec and Perp. A fine-looking church with a handsome octagonal tower (one of a number in the area). Picturesque PEV. Combine with Barrington Court (NT) – 2 remarkable pillar dials: one is a dodecahedron with pentagonal faces (post in due course). 4m N of Ilminster. 50.9592 / -2.8712 / ST389181
DEH the pioneering Downside monk visited on Sept 10th 1912 on one of his early dialling expeditions using a motorbike to get around. He recorded 3 dials in a group on the buttress at the W corner of the S transept. There is a fourth plausible dial in the same location.
DIALS
DIAL BUTTRESS
DIAL 1
This interesting dial has 10 / 11 radials extending from an enlarged gnomon hole. 8 & 9 are marked by deeper cut lines, suggesting the most important Mass time was Terce. The lower half of the dial has a few pocks on or near the circumference. Intriguingly the top half of the dial has a complete semi-circle of pocks. These are quite carefully graduated so that midnight has the largest, and on either side the size of pock reduces. There’s a trace of a single line upwards from the gnomon hole to midnight. DEH noted This dial has been added to and made into a wheel.
DIAL 2
Immediately above Dial 1, with a blocked gnomon hole in the mortar-line. There are 2 clear lines and 3 (4?) others. 2 (3?) appear to end in pocks.
DIAL 3
Dial 3 is sandwiched between Dials 1 and 4. The most obvious feature is the blocked hole. There is a faint noon line and the hint of a 9 line.
DIAL 4
On a quoin stone E of Dial 1 is a shallow hole from which a single thin line extends to mark noon. Plausibly a dial – especially as in a group – but perhaps not definite.
GRADE I † C13 (recorded 1273), C15 nave & tower. C19 restorations (Butterfield). In a lovely position below a wooded stretch of the cliff PEV. Pevsner & his wife Lola are buried together in the churchyard**. Interior has much of interest: pulpit 1629; excellent monuments C13 on, medieval stained glass. 7m SW of Swindon. 51.4917 / -1.8939 / SU074769
Sir Nicolaus Pevsner
DIALS
As one approaches the porch from the lych-gate, there are two very visible dials, one on either side of the entrance. A third dial in that area is noted (eg BLB / HE). In fact there are more dials, but when I visited, finding them involved negotiating overgrown bushes and parting tree branches in light drizzle. There are also some dial-ish designs – eroded or incomplete – that are doubtful, but are included below for consideration.
DIALS 1 & 2
Dial 1 is LHS of the porch. This large dial is encircled, with the upper segment encroaching on the stone above. There are 7 / 8 lines, two of which are ULQ (so, not useful). The noon line extends well below the circumference and through a partial double circle. I think this is the BLB / HE third dial, though I think it is more a doodle than a dial. The emphasised line LLQ may mark Terce. The oddly inaccurately cut lines R of the noon line seem surprisingly casual for such a prominent dial.
Dial 2 is the counterpart of Dial 1, and far simpler. The overall design suggests that it is on its side, 90º anti-clockwise, perhaps re-sited.
DIAL 3
Obscured by foliage, Dial 3 is unconventional. The clear-cut circumference surrounds a single line with a dot at each end, slightly tilted from the horizontal. On the curve RHQ is a dot roughly corresponding to the Mass-time None. In the centre is a blocked gnomon hole. There are no lines or other markers of the passage of the day. In a sense , there is no necessity for lines to mark the hours – a stick’s shadow is almost as helpful.
DIAL 4
Dial 4 is largely hidden by foliage. Unusually, it consists of 4 concentric circles. These are now badly eroded; one is a trace only. Apart from the central gnomon hole, there are no other visible dial attributes: no lines, no pocks.
This type of dial is not unusual. Here is a similar dial in FOVANT Wilts, with 2 concentric circles and no other marks than the gnomon hole. However, I ought to mention that some consider that such designs are not dials, but may have a decorative and possibly an apotropaic function.
DIAL 5
Dial 5 (?) – if a dial – is a classic ‘drainpipe’ example, in part concealed by a more modern addition to the church wall. There must be some doubt here because it is hard to see how it – with the arc of a circle below – would have worked.
DIAL 6?
Dark and damp, this stone was difficult to read. If a dial, it is contained within a square with the top side being the mortar line. In favour of dial status is the location of the dial stone beside a window and the position of the dial; traces of a circle; a pock directly on the circumference LHS roughly corresponding with Terce; and the fact that the design is quite accurately framed as if to display it better. Equally, there are reasons to discount it.
OTHER DIAL CANDIDATES and CHURCH MARKS
Another interesting part double circle, endearingly wonky. Very doubtful as a dial. Most interesting for the graffito UR, which may be a simple form of a type of ritual protection symbol that consists of rectangles with line and dot patterns.
The two marks on this stone – with variations – are quite often used as protection marks.
Note again the the double curves RHS. Most probably an incised design, rather than a dial.
Further evidencing the incidence of protection symbols is this Marian VV mark close to Dial 2.
The handsome bier kept in the church, and in excellent condition.
**In 1951 Pevsner published the first volumes of his magnum opus, The Buildings of England, an enterprise that took nearly 25 years to complete. The substantial Wiltshire volume was recently revised, expanded, and published in 2021
GSS Category: Scratch Dials; Mass Dials ; Multiple Dials
GRADE II † Almost entirely rebuilt & enlarged in successive stages from the beginning of C19, incorporating reused details of C12 fragments, C14 and C15 stonework. Rather incongruous neo-Norman features. C12 Purbeck marble font; fine nail-studded medieval door. Tower-less and Spire-less. 4m N of Weymouth. 50.6506 / 50°39’2″N / SY667835
DIAL
The dial is on the L jamb of the early doorway (inside later porch), and remains of a full circle are still visible. 6 lines radiate from a small filled hole that is significantly off-centre. One line is elongated beyond the circle. The None line is emphasised by a small pock near the end. The noon line (if it is one) is the most unassuming of them all. There’s a hint that very light graffiti has been superimposed on the dial.
GRADE I † Late 12th-century origins (parts of nave & chancel evident). Mainly C15 with later additions; S porch added C17 using old stonework; extensive restoration 1865. C13 font; Purdue bell 1658. Off the beaten track in a valley midway between Dorchester & Weymouth. Hardy-esque. 50.6599 / -2.445 / SY686845
Bincombe Church 1802 (Gentleman’s Magazine)
DIAL
Bincombe is a hidden village in the folds of the hills inland from the pleasures of Weymouth. It’s a mere 20m from our house yet until I visited a church nearby, it wasn’t on my radar at all. I must have passed close by it hundreds of times.
The dial is located on the E jamb of the SW chancel window, about 2m from ground level . GLP describes 4 short lines, with the noon indicator being the gap between two of them. He notes that the dial must have been moved to its position for reuse as part of the window jamb, truncating 2 lines LHS. Finally, he concludes that, the window being C15, the dial predates 1400.
Holy Trinity Bincombe – BSS Record
The dial, small and chunky, is in the top L corner of the dial stone. I haven’t seen one quite like it. The gnomon hole is surprisingly deep for such a little dial. In situ (and in the photos), there are ghosts of 2 or 3 lines LRQ angling towards the hole (but not converging?) Probably best disregarded.
CHURCH MARKS
Holy Trinity has a fine selection of crosses / protection marks drilled into the porch entrance. Here are a couple of examples.
GRADE 1 † C14, C15 with C19 restorations. Predominantly Perp. A large and impressive building in a small community, admired by PEV: ‘of great interest’. A companion to nearby Huish Episcopi. 9m NW of Yeovil. 50.9865 / -2.8042 / ST436210
NOTE: this post has been superseded in April 2024 after a visit in sunshine. The faint dial markings owing to poor light are now legible. The text is much the same. See the new post HERE
DIAL
St Martin . Kingsbury Episcopi . Som – Scratch Dial
The dial is located on the W buttress on the S side, and has a gnomon hole large enough to be seen from the church path. DEH visited in Sept 1912 and noted that, because the dial is about 8′ above ground level, it would have been moved to its present position during reconstruction of the tower (the oldest part of the church).
The dial is very eroded, and it is now hard to make out the details. DEH describes a complete wheel of thin lines without a circle. More than a hundred years later, the design is very faint indeed. Neither inspection nor photos reveal what DEH will have seen.
GAUDIUM SUB SOLE . SUNDIALS . MEDIEVAL TO MODERN 