Ringmore Towers, Shaldon

This bronze vertical dial proved puzzling to Mrs Crowley when she drew it in 1956. She believed that it and another somewhat similar dial at Throwleigh were genuinely Devonian 17th century creations although she was aware of a stone dial of similar design at Peterborough which dates from 1663. Since her day, quite a number of these bronze copies, some referring to Charles I and others to Charles II have been found. It is likely that these copies were all made around the beginning of the 20th century and that the dates on them are spurious. This dial shows the hours from VI-VI undivided but only the two VIs have Roman numerals, the remainder being Arabic. The initials WH refer to W Hake who may have made the Peterborough dial. The motto round the top of the dial can be translated as ’O blessed solitude, O solitary blessedness. The town (oppidum misspelt) is a prison to me and solitude paradise’. It is an odd quotation to find on a sundial and it comes from a Latin poem with the title ’Solitudo’ written by Cornelius Muys, a 16th century Dutch bishop. A second motto says ’May God be with us and prosper the work of our hands’. The gnomon has a decorative support.