BRIDOL is the British Sundial Society's Register of Fixed and Mass Dials, which gives detail and photographs of about 8000 fixed sundials and 3000 mass dials in the UK.
Some of these are in private gardens, but the majority are publicly available.
This image of a dial appears on a grave slab that is now mounted on the interior south wall of the nave (alongside many other grave slabs). It is one of a number of symbols associated with death, carved in relief. The symbols are in a central panel between upper and lower panels containing text. The dial is symbolic only, and is roughly square, with hour lines radiating downwards from the top.
"The picture represents Death breaking the urn of Life with an arrow. A flame bursts forth from the punctured vessel, from the tip of which the soul flies away in a northwesterly direction. An hour-glass with the sand run out, a sun-dial, two spades, and a coffin complete the doleful ideogram." (see Ref below.)
The grave slab is for Patrick Prince, died 1673. For the text on the slab, see the ref below and search for Patrick Prince.
Ref: https://archive.org/stream/nationalgeograp391921nati/nationalgeograp391921nati_djvu.txt
2017
2017
St Magnus Cathedral, Broad Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1NX, Orkney Islands
