Dials of Distinction - Number 19
	The Kirkdale Sundial, North Yorkshire - SRNO 3216 I am indebted to Anthony Kroch, of The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, for the following short article. Anthony's own web site contains more detailed information about this dial and other Anglo Saxon dials, as well as an entertaining slide show feature showing many different views of the dial. A general view of this interesting dial "The sundial is embedded in the wall of Saint Gregory's church, Kirkdale, North Yorkshire. It is located over what is now the main door to the church, under the porch roof that protects the entrance. The sundial's Old English inscription is a dedication which states that the church was completely rebuilt in the middle of the 11th century at the initiative of a man named "Orm, son of Gamal." Both personal names are Scandinavian in origin, as are two other personal names that appear in the inscription, "Hawarth" and "Brand." Considerable parts of Orm's reconstruction remain in the current building, which, however, has been substantially altered over succeeding centuries. There remain three large stone crosses built into the church walls, two in the outside south wall and one in the west. These crosses were originally gravestones, apparently taken from the churchyard and used in the 11th century reconstruction work. They are known to be of Anglo-Scandinavian design, and their presence indicates that the earlier church was used by settlers of Scandinavian descent. The main text of the sundial reads: +ORM GAMAL SVNA BOHTE SCS GREGORIVS MINSTER THONNE HIT WES AEL TOBROCAN & TOFALAN & HE HIT LET MACAN NEWAN FROM GRVNDE XPE & SCS GREGORIVS IN EADWARD DAGVM CNG &N TOSTI DAGVM EORL+; that is, "Orm Gamal's son bought St. Gregory's minster when it was all broken down and ruined, and he had it built anew from the ground for Christ and St. Gregory in the days of King Edward and of Earl Tostig." There are also two other texts. The first is around the dial itself: +THIS IS DAEGES SOLMERCA + AET ILCVM TIDE+; that is, "This is the day's sun-marker at every time." The second is the makers' formula: +& HAWARTH ME WROHTE & BRAND PRS; that is, "Hawarth made me and Brand, priests." The inscription allows us to date the church to the period between 1055 and 1065, because Tosti, who was the son of Earl Godwin of Wessex and the brother of the Harold who opposed William the Conqueror at the battle of Hastings, held the Earldom of Northumbria during that period. " Anthony Kroch, Professor and Chair, Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
	Sources: Richard Fletcher. 1990. St. Gregory's Minster Kirkdale. Kirkdale: The Joint Church Council. James Lang. 1991. The Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture: York and Eastern Yorkshire. Oxford, Oxford University Press. R. I. Page. 1971. "How long did the Scandinavian language survive in England? The epigraphical evidence." In Peter Clemoes and Kathleen Hughes, eds. England before the Conquest: Studies in primary sources presented to Dorothy Whitelock. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. pp. 165-181.
	Further Information: The Bulletin has various articles about this dial which are available from the BSS book store. [Volume 95.1, 95.2] This dial is also listed in the BSS Register Web Link - Anthony Kroch - The Kirkdale Sundial (More pictures)
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