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December 2023
The articles link to the specific page in a PDF optimised for speed. If you want the whole issue, you can download it here, but the files from earlier years can be quite large.
December 2023
Page 1
Page 1
The editorial introduces the lead articles of the issue, including an important double horizontal sundial by Elias Allen's apprentice George Cooke, an intriguing equatorial dial, a 19th-century provincial dial, and pieces on ancient time reckoning and scratchings on church walls. It also wishes readers a Happy Christmas.
The BSS and Members
December 2023
Page 1
Page 1
This note corrects typographical errors in the previous issue's article ‘The L’Abée-Lund Sundial Compass’ by Roar Hagen-Diez, specifically rectifying a sentence and numerical entries in Table 4 for July, August, and December.
December 2023
Page 2
Page 2
This article analyses and describes the restoration of a rare double horizontal sundial signed by George Cooke, an apprentice of Elias Allen, dating to ca. 1645–47. Geometric analysis determines the design latitude as 53º N, and XRF analysis confirms the use of lower quality brass, suggesting it was possibly a 'master-piece' or early instrument.
Dials: Double Horizontal, Historical Dials, Restoration projects
December 2023
Page 9
Page 9
An obituary for John Lester (1926–2023), who was a dedicated sundial and mass dial enthusiast, GP, and instrument maker. He was a prolific recorder for the Fixed Dial Register and contributed frequently to the Bulletin, notably on Mass Dials and the work of Jeanie Crowley.
The BSS and Members
December 2023
Page 10
Page 10
A report on a 6.3-metre diameter horizontal sundial/art installation at RSPB Loch Lomond, designed by Hannah Imlach, which marks the migration windows of Greenland White-fronted geese. The gnomon is formed by the slit between two sheets of Corten steel with piercings that give the impression of migrating geese in flight, and coloured bands mark the Autumn and Spring arrival/departure periods.
Construction Projects, Dials: Horizontal, Dials: Unusual, Sundial Design & Layout
December 2023
Page 12
Page 12
A survey of various Scottish sundials featuring the Scots proverb motto “Tak tent o’ time Ere time be tint For time will no remain,” translating to “Make the most of our time as we don’t know how long we have.” Examples include armillary spheres, multi-faced dials, and vertical dials.
Dials: Armillary Sphere, Dials: Horizontal, Dials: Multi Faced, Historical Dials, Mottoes
December 2023
Page 17
Page 17
This note examines a stained-glass window in St Margaret’s Church, Rottingdean, designed by Edward Burne-Jones (1897), which depicts King Hezekiah holding the ‘Dial of Ahaz’, referenced in II Kings 20:11 and Isaiah 38:8.
Dials: Unusual, Historical Dials
December 2023
Page 18
Page 18
A study of a robust 10-inch square horizontal brass dial signed by Hill & Price of Bristol (working 1842–83). The dial exhibits idiosyncratic provincial features, such as delineation errors for 'back hours' and the use of brass produced by the cementation technique, despite signs of modern manufacturing.
Dials: Horizontal, Historical Dials, Sundial Design & Layout
December 2023
Page 20
Page 20
Part 1 of an analysis tracing the evolution of Italian hours (counting from sunset, ab occasu solis) from the ancient unequal hours, noting the influence of mechanical tower clocks in the mid-fourteenth century. It discusses how Italian hours contrasted with Babylonian (ab ortu solis) and Nuremberg hours, addressing historical confusion surrounding ‘Bohemian hours’.
Historical Dials, Mathematics of Dialling, Sundial Design & Layout
December 2023
Page 27
Page 27
A couple of photos from the BSS Newbury One-Day Meeting held on 23 September 2023
The BSS and Members
December 2023
Page 28
Page 28
Describes an interesting and possibly unique equatorial sundial acquired by Annie Wright, signed "Whitehurst" "Derby" and "1761" (Lat: 53D: 00M). The dial features two centres of delineation, hour lines marked from 4 am to 8 pm, solstice lines on the gnomon, and some engraving errors.
Dials: Equatorial, Dials: Portable, Dials: Unusual, Historical Dials, Sundial Design & Layout
December 2023
Page 30
Page 30
A report on the second BSS Zoom event (renamed 'BSS Bulletin Follow-up'). The event included discussions on the Erfurt Rule and a demonstration of chiselling during the restoration of a Melvin sundial, alongside a theoretical look at converting solar azimuth to solar hour angle for different latitudes.
Dialling Tools, How Sundials Work, Restoration projects, The BSS and Members
December 2023
Page 32
Page 32
Examines scratch dials in the context of general historic graffiti found on church walls. The article discusses how displaced dials can offer dating evidence and explores unusual dial-like markings (like hexafoils and asterisk symbols) that may or may not be scratch dials, encouraging members to report finds.
Dials: Mass Dials, Dials: Unusual
December 2023
Page 37
Page 37
An extensive report detailing the annual BSS Newbury meeting. Topics covered included the Oronce Fine Quadrant, Isle of Wight dials, methods for finding True North, the Sundial Atlas, John Lester's obituary, unusual scratch dials, a London sundial walk, and updates on the Hythe 'Undial' and BSS governance challenges.
Dialling Tools, Historical Dials, Mathematics of Dialling, The BSS and Members
December 2023
Page 44
Page 44
Formal minutes of the BSS Annual General Meeting proceedings. Key items included receiving the 2022 accounts, the re-election of Frank King as charity trustee, the re-appointment of Counterculture LLP as examiner, and noting the retirement of Bill Visick.
The BSS and Members
December 2023
Page 44
Page 44
A discussion of a postcard, dated no later than 1906, showing Maud Heath’s Monument (SRN 0401), a stone square pillar from 1698 featuring a three-faced cube dial and multiple mottoes, which was repaired after being damaged in 1996.
Dials: Cube, Dials: Multi Faced, Historical Dials, Mottoes