Greetings, fellow dialists, I hear that York Minster, the English cathedral, is seeking 23 million pounds to restore the great East window. The window, a medieval masterpiece, depicts biblical scenes. It has been said that the purpose of this was to inform a largely illiterate congregatioon but the fact is that the stained glass pictures are too high up to be understood. The alternative explanation is that the work was done "to the greater glory of God" as only he could see it.
Can this concept be applied to such dials as the Anglo-Saxon dial at Escomb, County Durham (Bull. BSS, 11,2, 1999, p. 100). This dial is six metres above the ground and at this distance, and given its size, could hardly have been used as a timekeeper. Both David Scott and I have wondered whether the explanation proposed for York Minster could equally apply elsewhere, as at Esconb. Any comments? Frank 55N 1W -
