You wrote the NASS message board:
>>>I own a sundial made of bronze and engraved 1723. It was reputedly
"liberated" from the grounds of Blenheim palace, Oxford, England during WW
II. I have been trying to find pictures of the back of the palace taken
prior to that date to see if the sundial is there. Can anyone advise as to
where I may obtain further information on it?<<<
The best source for documentation concerning the history and provenance of
your sundial, if indeed it did belong to the first Duke of Marlborough or
one of his descendants, would be the Curator or Keeper of Blenheim
Palace. As a start, please contact the Administration Office to find out
who this is and how to be directly in touch with him or her.
B L E N H E I M P A L A C E
Woodstock, Oxon, OX20 1PX.
Telephone: 01993 811091 Fax:
01993 813527
e-mail:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
In exchange for copies of their documentation, you will be asked to provide
photographs of your sundial and information on how you acquired the sundial.
If it appears that the sundial was formerly installed on the Blenheim
grounds, then you may be asked to return it to the present Duke of
Marlborough. In principal, you would not be rewarded for the return of
stolen property. However, if it appears that you acquired the sundial in
good faith, the Blenheim staff acting for the Duke might offer you some
appropriate compensation.
I would strongly urge you to accept any compensation gracefully in exchange
for delivering the sundial to them, should you learn that it rightly
belongs to Blenheim.
Sincerely,
Sara Schechner
Sara Schechner, Ph.D.
David P. Wheatland Curator
Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments
Harvard University, Science Center B-6
1 Oxford Street, Cambridge MA 02138
617-496-9542 (Tel)
617-496-5932 (Fax)
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