Jvy Church, near Salisbury, 239 



still visible in the faint curves drawn at intervals parallel to the 

 equatorial line that passes through the centre hole. At the equinox 

 the shadow of the stilus passes along this equatorial line. It appears 

 possible that the damage done to the lower excavation is partly 

 attributable to some ill-judged attempts to extend the reading of 

 the shadow. The small metallic mark over the lower excavation I 

 cannot explain. 



Of the eight triangular dials at the angles the four upper ones 

 are in a sadly damaged condition. Each had a small stilus and 

 excavation apparently in a shape of a reversed heart (?). The 

 vertical direction of the shadows of the stili would indicate respec- 

 tively 3j a.m.^ 9, a.m., Z, p.m., and 9, p.m. The first and last of 

 thesCj however, would be unattainable in this latitude. The two 

 southern lower dials show excavated triangles, with stili indicating 

 respectively 9, a.m., and 3, p.m., when their shadows fell vertically.^ 

 By far the best preserved of these triangular dials is the one in the 

 lower north-west angle. Here a quarter sphere has been hollowed, 

 out, the diameter of the sphere being an edge of the west octagonal 

 face ; the polar inclination is the cause of the irregularity of the 

 octagon. A well-defined shadow is here thrown from 4, p.m., to 

 sunset, travelling inwards. The shape of the corresponding hollow 

 in the lower north-east angle can be inferred from this; here the 

 shadow would travel outwards from sunrise to 8, a.m. 



There remains the north face. A dial with this aspect is obviously 

 of little use in these latitudes, as it would be wholly obscured from 

 6, a.m., to 6, p.m. In the Dover dial this face is blank. In the 

 Taunton dial there is an excavated hemi-spherical groove below the 

 polar face, partly serving the same purpose as our two lower north 

 triangular dials, but indicating the morning hours from sunrise to 

 6, a.m., only, and the evening hours from 6, p.m., only to sunset. 



' It must be to a construction of this kind, emphasing, that is, special hours, 

 that Durandus refers when he says {Nat. Divin. Offic), writing in the 13th 

 century, "The horologe by means of which the hours are read, teacheth the 

 diligence that should be in priests, to observe at the proper time, the cauouical 

 hours, as he saith, ' seven times a day do I praise Thee.' " 



