Newsletter No 47 - March 2008 |
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FROM THE SECRETARY A new Secretary?. There is nothing wrong with the old Secretary but he believes that, after 9 years, it is time for some new blood. Reverting to the first person singular, I had decided during 2007 that I must hand over the task, even though my circumstances have since changed - and I thank all those in the Society who were already aware of Glenda’s passing for their messages of sympathy. To make it easier I am happy to give a year’s notice leading up to the conference and AGM in 2009. This ought to give ample time for a replacement to come forward, but if someone is willing to take over sooner I will be delighted. If anyone is interested please let me know so that the nominations can be in before the forthcoming AGM. Bulletin and book sales. Despite early appeals and some direct requests, we still need someone to take over from Peter Lane. This is an important role for the Society, and if anyone is interested please contact me or Peter. Sundial conference in Augsburg. The sundial group of Deutsche Gesellshaft Für Chronometrie are holding their 37th annual conference in Augsburg on the 1st to the 3rd of May, 2007. Details can be found on the website: www.su2008.de or contact Karl Maier by e-mail maier-thum@t-online.de The Latimer conference.
Following
my comment in the last newsletter, we now have an almost full and
excellent programme as below. There is still plenty of accommodation
and late bookers will be welcome - details are in the December
Newsletter or the website.
Provisional Programme Friday 28th March Who was Hywel and why was he Dda? - Tony Belk A non-technical look at what a colourful secret sundial tells us of medieval life at court and in the country. Hywel Dda (Howell the Good) was the Welsh king in the 900’s.
Saturday 29th March Scratch Dials, then and now - Chris Williams For the first time all known scratch dials have been combined into a single systematic analysis, helping to answer such questions as: How many dials were there? How did they evolve? How long did they last? Bifilar Origins - Fred Sawyer "Bifilar Origins" considers the concepts that were the original inspiration for Hugo Michnik's invention of the bifilar dial and provides an "embarrassingly simple" proof of the basic equiangular sundial. An unusual sundial by James Richard - Celia James A brief survey of James' works, with an analysis of a vertical equiangular clockwise dial. Sundials in Armenia - Julian Lush A rich crop of sundials is to be found on Armenian churches and monasteries built from the 5th century onward. John Rowley: Master of Mechanicks - John Davis John Rowley was the leading English mathematical instrument maker at the end of the 17th century and beginning of the 18th. Coach trips One coach will take the 30 minute journey to the National Trust Hughenden Manor (home of Disraeli). The other tour is a 40 minute journey to Leighton Buzzard to see the parish church which has no less than 5 dials, and there is another dial nearby. Presentation of Awards for the Photographic Competition Auction
Sunday 30th March The sundials and astronomical structures in Jaipur - Piers Nicholson A quick tour of the many sundials and astronomical instruments in Jaipur, India. A Norwegian mass dial made ca. 1200 - Johan Anton Wikander A large mass dial is carved in marble on Tingvoll church, the west coast of Norway. It has unusual symbols which may be of English origin. Life and Times of the Sundial - A Perspective of Civilization's most enduring Timekeeper -Kevin Karney A view of the Sundial's place in the history of timekeeping examined vis-à-vis the changing perspectives of philosophy, poetry, cosmology and the dial's competitors. Part 1: Uncertain Beginnings, Vigorous Childhood, Surly Youth & Competing Adulthood. Part 2: Confident Maturity, Wise Old Age & The Last Laugh. St.Petersburg's sundials - Valery Dmitriev The Andrew Somerville Lecture. Scottish Sundials at National Museums Scotland Dr AlisonMorrison-Low, Principal Curator, History of Scientific Instruments and Photography, National Museums Scotland Presentation of the New Author Award Annual General Meeting
Doug Bateman FROM THE BULLETIN EDITOR A memorial meeting for Margaret Stanier was held at Newnham College, Cambridge, on Saturday 9 February 2008. The BSS was represented by Doug Bateman, Mike and Val Cowham, Gerald Stancey and me. On a gloriously sunny day and surrounded by delightful architecture, we listened to several recitals, readings and to an example of handbell ringing. Several of Margaret’s nephews, nieces and ex-students recounted her life with much fondness. She clearly had a very full life and many BSS members would have recognised their descriptions of her as fearless and ever-eager for a new challenge. Some of their anecdotes, including those of her driving, raised a knowing laugh from the audience. A scented lime tree is being planted in her memory in the Newnham gardens. I mentioned the modern reprint of ‘Mrs Gatty’s Book of Sun-Dials’ in the last Newsletter. Following that, member Peter Meadows tells me that he purchased the book from ‘The Book Depository Ltd’ in Gloucester (http://www.bookdepository.co.uk). This was quite a bit cheaper than Amazon and other sellers at £15.70 for paperback and £20.52 hardback (including postage). The book arrived in about two weeks (including Christmas and New Year). Stop Press! We are about to receive the first copies of Mrs Crowley’s Sundial Sketchbooks of Devon and Cornwall, edited by John Lester. This is a joint publishing exercise with the AHS. It is hoped to have a review in the June Bulletin. Copies are available from BSS Sales at £15.50 + p&p. John Davis
REGISTER
NOTES John Foad 01622 858583 MASS DIAL MEANDERINGS Mass Dial News For the 50th Newsletter I thought it was time to take stock and summarise where we are and where we are going. The principal news is that the reports and records are to be archived in York. The Borthwick Institute Archive, part of the University of York, will house our documents. The facilities are new; a cross between Fort Knox and James Bond but with a friendlier administration. We hope to start depositing papers there shortly. The details of use for members are still to be written down and we will publish them after we have started using the Archive. Here, a ‘Thank You’ to Irene Brightmer and Patrick Powers for their help in journeys to York. Alan Cook, also in York, has completed his survey of Ordnance Survey square SE, which has York at the centre and it is proposed to publish his book as a Society Monograph. It will be part of the Mass Dial Register in the same way as is Bob Adams’ Lincolnshire listing. An M.A. in mass dials from France and a mass dial in Norway dated at 1200 are part of growing Continental interest. Six mass dials in Scotland turned out to be ‘new’ ones having been carved in 1910 and so are strictly scratch dials. They are recorded however, so we can tell future discoverers that we know all about them. It must be remembered that the whole ‘mass dial’ story is a construct; the textual evidence is slight – one written reference: John Hovenden, d1275, Practica Chilindri, a short treatise on the use of the pillar dial, invented by Hermann the lame, AD1050, in which Hovenden likens the right-angled gnomon to those that jut out from church walls. And then one French dial with P T M N carved on, interpreted as Prime, Terce, Midi and Nones. There are about four dials with dates carved on them, all quite late, well into the ‘scientific dials’ era and the practical utility of such dials operating at around 9 o’clock in our climate is questionable. In other words there is practically no contemporary description of such dials and their use. Museums Survey The handover to Ian Butson took place in February. We have uncovered all sorts of dials (and Museum Curators). It has been requested that the results be published; anything further that you may know or can contribute – to Ian, please at 60 Churnwood Road, Parsons Heath, COLCHESTER, Essex CO4 3EY. Jill Wilson has kindly agreed to help Ian in the early stages of editing my files of Museum replies. A.O.Wood 01452 712953 MEMBERSHIP NOTES We have four new members to welcome since the last Newsletter. Alastair Hunter comes from Edinburgh, with an interest in designing and making sundials. Two new members from Wales are Anthony Panes, who lives in Caerphilly – he is into horology as well as sundials; and William Linnard from just outside Cardiff, who has a special interest in Welsh sundials. And finally we are joined by Miles Buchanan, a new member from Australia, joining the nine we already have from there; he is a writer and says he is ‘not yet’ a professional maker. I hope he thrives with our support! I will say farewell now, and Jackie Jones will take over as Membership Secretary from 1st May, the start of the Society year. Subscription letters for May payers will go out in April with her contact details; your payments should be addressed to her, as should all correspondence about contact details or any of the general queries which you may have about membership of the Society. John Foad 01622 858583 NEWBURY BSS ONE DAY MEETING The date is the fourth Saturday in September as always at Mary Hare School close to Junction 13, M4 and the A34. This year it is on the 27th September 2008. Put the date in your diary, and calendar, and tie a knot in your hankie to remind you. Full details will be with the June NewsletterPlease contact me now for any suggestions, things would like, (or even what you did not like - is there anything?) I would also be pleased to hear from you, with your feedback! on last year’s meeting. I look forward to seeing you all there. Family and friends are also very welcome. David Pawley GLENDA BATEMAN MBE (1938 - 2008) Members who knew her will be sad to know that Glenda Bateman died on 4 January 2008, after battling a long illness. Glenda was born in Canterbury on 2nd September 1938 and was brought up on her parents’ farm. Her mother had been seriously deafened before Glenda was born and at an early age she learned to lip-speak. Having been trained (and taught) as a school teacher, she combined her skills to teach lip-reading and became Hearing Concern’s Chief Lip-speaker and Training Tutor, later becoming the only holder of the highest qualification in this voluntary occupation in the United Kingdom. In 1993 she was rewarded for her devotion to her work when she was awarded an MBE by HM The Queen. Glenda will best be remembered by the Members of the Society for the occasions at conferences, when she would show the warmth of her nature with her smile and laughter. We offer Doug and his two daughters, Susan and Wendy, our warmest sympathy. Chris Daniel
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