Notes and Hints foir Dial Recorders

Notes and Hints for Dial Recorders

The Register is a collection of over 10,000 Report forms and some 7,000 photographs covering some 7,000 dials seen by Members of the Society over the years. In general there are several reports and photographs relating to any one dial but the forms are all filed in numbered sequence as received. Submitted photographs are separately archived.

A database is maintained to correlate these data and to maintain a summary of the information held on the forms. Additionally each form, and one or more photographs, are digitally scanned and held in the database. Queries of the database can readily be made in order to answer questions about dials and it is the content of the database that is used to prepare the Society's printed Register.

We record dials in the UK, the Island Crown Dependencies and in Eire. We do not record portable dials or dials in museums but, with permission from the owners, we do record dials in private collections.

This page relates to the recording of conventional Fixed Sundials. A separate Register of Mass Dials is maintained and a Mass Dial Register will be printed in due course. Interested Members should contact the Chairman of the Society's Mass Dial Group, Tony Wood, for further information.

Answers to your questions...

Can any BSS Member record dials?

Of course. All you need do is to download one of our our PC templates here. Then fill in one form per dial and send it in with one or more photographs.

Do the BSS only want reports of previously unrecorded dials?

No, we keep all records so later sightings of 'known' dials give an insight into the changing condition of a dial. Also it is amazing how much extra information comes to light from subsequent reports.

What sort of dials should I record?

We are interested in all conventional dials - other than those in museums. These range from Saxon style dials to modern present day dials. You may not think it worthwhile to report every last ‘garden-centre’ dial of the poorer sort, but if in doubt, record it!

Do I need to ask permission before recording a dial?

If the dial is visible from a public place then it is usually safe to photograph and record it. In other cases or where there may be doubt, you should seek the permission of someone who might reasonably be supposed to be its owner or 'keeper'.

Why should an owner give permission?

Over time the Society's records provide a proof of provenance and they are accepted by the police and insurance companies for identification purposes. It is to most owners' advantage to have their dial recorded. If there is a danger of theft the form can be marked to ensure that the location will not be published in the printed Register.

What details should I record?

The form spells out the main requirements such as owner, location, dial type, condition, size etc but see below for some of the things which separate a good report from a poorer one. Keep track by giving your own serial number to each report

Hints for good dial records...

If you can, always take one or more photographs. One might be a location shot and the other a close up that could be used to reconstruct the dial or gnomon if it were to be stolen or vandalised. For dials on a pedestal, photograph that as well.
Note the location by OS Reference &/or Lat/Long
Get the correct postal address if possible and describe the location of the dial at that address. Give information for others to find the dial if necessary.
If the dial is on a church or in a churchyard note the Church's correct dedication. There can often be more than one Parish Church in a town.
Estimate the declination of a declining dial. Say if the dial is wedged (canted) out and by how much.
Give the shape of the dial, and dimensions (in millimeters), and describe the gnomon support (solid, pierced, ‘S’ shaped, etc.).
Note the range of times shown by the dial. This should be given as the earliest and latest hour numerals that are shown together with the smallest time interval shown anywhere on the dial. More detail on the hour subdivisions are also useful.
Note all the dial furniture. Especially note any mottoes and inscriptions, EoT scales, any compass rose (incl the number of points), coats of arms, maker's or churchwardens' names, date, declination (or other) lines and nodus, presence or absence of a split noon line, how noon is marked, how 4pm is marked, half hour markers. Arabic or Roman numerals, and other decoration.
Note the dial material and colour, and the nature of the hour lines, painted, inscribed or embossed.
Note fully any literature references to the dial - eg Gatty, BSS Bulletin etc - of which you might be aware.
Describe and measure pedestals for horizontal dials
Note any damage, lichen or corrosion.
Any other information of interest.. We even have one record where the Recorder comments on the tastiness of the toadstools growing in the graveyard!

Please Do:
When sending anything intended as a record or an update always send in a completed Report Form. Only by submission of a form can your information be properly recorded. Traditionally this has always been on paper, and this method is still welcomed. See below for sending reports electronically.
6 x 4 prints are the preferred way of sending photographs, though we can also accept larger sizes, up to A4. Please only send transparencies and CDs if unavoidable. Again, see below for sending photographs electronically.
Do enter the full date of your sighting. Just giving the month and year allocates your sighting in the database to the end of the month. Giving the year alone allocates your sighting to the 31st December of that year.
Do allocate a sequence number for your reports. Usually these will start at '001' and increment with each submitted report but we can accept any three digit number that suits your own system.

Please Don't:
Don't use pencil to fill in a Report Form - it doesn't scan well. Please use ink, or prepare the form on your PC and print it.
Don't send in forms and photographs separately. It is difficult to reconcile late supplied photographs since the archives, as well as the main record and the database, all have to be manually changed.

Electronic Input
Reports can now easily be sent by email, and indeed this is the preferred method. Reports are attached to the email as Word documents, and photos are attached as jpeg files. Please contact the Registrar for more details.

Many thanks....