Greetings fellow dialists, May I return to the matter of a compass rose engraved in points on a dial. I referred to one particular dial in Cumbria with a dial plate marked with the points of the compass drawn out from the centre of the dial plate. Further inspection showed that the gnomon had been drilled vertically to receive an upright rod at the exact centre of the dial plate. The shadow of this rod would give the sun's azimuth and to facilitate this further the back bearing was also included to allow the azimuth to be read off directly. I have written to the owners asking if the rod, which must slot into the hole, is in their possession but have not yet had a reply. Thanks, though, to all on our list who corresponded with me over my query.
The function of all this now seems pretty straightforward; it is to record the sun's bearing. But I am a little puzzled by another dial, a double horizontal dial seen on the BSS tour of North Wales. Once again there is a compass rose marked in points on the dial plate but this time it is centred not at the centre of the dial plate but at the point where the style meets the dial plate. Clearly the gnomon itself cannot throw an azimuth shadow since it is not vertical. Once again, have we a missing shadow pin? I do not see an indication of any hole in the dial plate in my photograph. How common are such azimuth markings in points and do any shadow pins survive? Have we missed any holes? I am intrigued. Any suggestions? Frank 55N 1W -- Frank Evans -
