St Mary’s Church, Buckland Filleigh

The church is in the grounds of Buckland House and both are set in a beautiful landscape. The memory which one takes away after seeing this dial must surely be the wonderful name of the churchwarden, Humphrey Chugge. Dickens could not have invented a better. The slate dial is to be found above the string course quite high on the South wall. A sun face surrounding the gnomon root is accompanied by the date 1727 and there is a decorated border. In the BSS Register, Martin Jenkins notes, "initials at noon - maybe the maker’s?" The second of these could be a B and provokes thoughts of the renowned maker,John Berry, but he was only three years old when this dial was made. The hours VI to VI are divided into halves by decorated markers, and also into quarters. The numerals are read from inside th chapter ring and follow the "anticlockwise convention" (See Braunton).