Scratch dial, The Church of St Mary and St James
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Scratch dial, The Church of St Mary and St James by Maigheach-gheal as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
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Scratch dial, The Church of St Mary and St James
Image: © Maigheach-gheal Taken: 12 Jun 2010
About four feet above the ground on the tower is the marks of a scratch dial but the metal rod is missing. Normally located near the south porch of old churches. Usually about six to ten inches across with radiating lines coming from a central hole. These were used by priests as clocks to determine the time for mass. A wooden peg known as a gnomon (Greek indicator) was placed in the hole and the shadow cast by the sun moved round the dial. When the shadow touched one of the radiating lines it was time for a mass.
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Image Location
Latitude
50.873595
Longitude
-2.351942