register7.html

Notes & Hints for Dial Recorders

The Register is a collection of over 5000 Report forms and more than 6000 photographs covering some 4000 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 and held in bound volumes. 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 photograph 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-currently the Third Edition.

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 leaflet relates to the recording of conventional Fixed Sundials. A separate Register of Mass Dials is maintained and this is currently being expanded to allow similar facilities to that for Fixed Dials. It is intended to publish a printed Mass Dial Register 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 get some of our Report Forms & our instruction sheet from the Registrar-or ask for our PC template. Then fill in one form per dial and send it in with one or more prints or slides.(You can download the PC templates from this site - Click Here)

Do 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.

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 like owner, location, dial type, condition, size etc but see the panel opposite 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.
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.
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.
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 fully any literature references to the dial-eg Gatty, BSS Bulletin etc-of which you might be aware.
Note the dial colours (if any) and the nature of the hour lines, painted, inscribed or embossed.
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.
We can accept 6 x 4 and 7 x 5 prints, 35mm transparencies and A4 sized photocopies. A4 photocopies get bound in with the Reports so if you do send a photocopy of your dial do please also send in a photograph or transparency for the archive.
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. Just 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.
Don't submit your forms and photographs by e-mail or fax. It takes much longer to process such data and we don't have the facilities to print archive quality photographs from 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.

Many thanks....

	Notes & Hints for Dial Recorders

	The Register is a collection of over 5000 Report forms and more than 6000 photographs covering some 4000 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 and held in bound volumes. 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 photograph 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-currently the Third Edition. 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 leaflet relates to the recording of conventional Fixed Sundials. A separate Register of Mass Dials is maintained and this is currently being expanded to allow similar facilities to that for Fixed Dials. It is intended to publish a printed Mass Dial Register 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 get some of our Report Forms & our instruction sheet from the Registrar-or ask for our PC template. Then fill in one form per dial and send it in with one or more prints or slides.(You can download the PC templates from this site - Click Here) Do 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. 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 like owner, location, dial type, condition, size etc but see the panel opposite 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. 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. 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. 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 fully any literature references to the dial-eg Gatty, BSS Bulletin etc-of which you might be aware. Note the dial colours (if any) and the nature of the hour lines, painted, inscribed or embossed. 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. We can accept 6 x 4 and 7 x 5 prints, 35mm transparencies and A4 sized photocopies. A4 photocopies get bound in with the Reports so if you do send a photocopy of your dial do please also send in a photograph or transparency for the archive. 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. Just 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. Don't submit your forms and photographs by e-mail or fax. It takes much longer to process such data and we don't have the facilities to print archive quality photographs from 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.

	Many thanks....