CHAIRMAN
I am sure that all members of the Society will wish to congratulate Chris Daniel on being awarded an MBE in the Birthday Honours List in June. This is a fitting tribute to his contribution to so many aspects of sundials and related activities over so many years.
Other entries in this Newsletter report progress on various fronts and, once again, I must emphasise how much the Society appreciates all that our Volunteers do for us and the continuing need for others to come forward with offers to help.
One strange sundial tale has cropped up. I have recently been in correspondence with a group that takes an interest in Herterton House and its splendid gardens in Northumberland. The gardens of this privately-owned property are open to the public. On one of the out-buildings there is a Scottish-style multi-dial that was recorded by Andrew Somerville in 1986 and his notes are in the Register as SRN 2230. The owner of Herterton House is adamant that every three years someone claiming to be a member of the BSS visits the gardens. Our intrepid local, Frank Evans, was sent along to investigate and confirms the owner’s account of this mystery member. He also took the opportunity to give some up-to-date information on the dial to the Registrar. Will any reader admit to being the triennial visitor? A book about the restoration of the house and gardens is in preparation and should be published next year. The future of the property is in some doubt and a visit is strongly recommended.
Frank King
BIRTHDAY HONOURS LIST
Whilst my investigations have given me some idea of those concerned, I should like to thank all those who were responsible for my award of the MBE, which I received as promulgated in Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honours list on 15 June 2013. What has been particularly rewarding has been the many cards and messages of congratulations which I have also received, in many cases from the most unlikely sources! Please accept my sincere thanks and appreciation.
Christopher Daniel
SECRETARY
The last three months have been very active on several fronts – as evidenced by other reports in this newsletter. Many of our Volunteers are extremely busy on the Society’s behalf. Although my June solicitation has resulted in a couple of additional volunteers to help with ad hoc tasks/projects, the June request for Volunteers remains on the table. At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, what we can do, and the speed we can do it at, depends on the capacity of the Society’s volunteers.
During the Edinburgh Forum Council’s intention of undertaking a legal review of all aspects of risk management was announced. Two high powered legal practices – SGH Martineau and Pinsent Masons – responded generously to our charitable status. The review has been wide ranging, embracing both past and prospective activities, as well as our organisation structure and management procedures. The two firms’ advice and opinions were consistent. SGH Martineau has been instructed to assist us during implementation. Members can be confident that we are moving forward in an appropriate fashion. In particular the important question voiced at the Forum – Will the Society become unduly exposed to risk? – has been addressed head on. Risk will be better managed, lower, and covered than hitherto. The Society will, for its silver jubilee, be fit for purpose and the third millennium! A complete report will be issued with the December Bulletin.
Chris Williams
TREASURER
A new variation of the gift aid scheme has been launched which requires no forms whatsoever. This has no connection with memberships; but charities can benefit from the same tax relief if a donation of £20 or less is made in cash. A number of members do good by stealth in giving talks about dialling and receive a donation for the Society. If it so happened that the donation was made in cash, it may be possible to interpret the circumstances more positively in our favour. I would be happy to talk anybody through this scheme.
Graham Stapleton
BULLETIN EDITOR
Decoration on Sundials A special issue of the Bulletin is planned for next year with several articles on the general theme of ‘decoration on sundials’. If you have any ideas of what areas we should cover, or contributions to make to this theme, please contact me soon.
Isle of Wight Sundials Elizabeth Hutchings is a good friend of the BSS who lives on the Island and has even contributed a couple of Bulletin articles. She has now written up her experiences looking for her local dials in an entertaining form and put them on the internet at www.hutchings1776.talktalk.net/sundials. Do have a look and let Elizabeth know what you think.
Calling Genealogists! Researching old dials often calls for experience with tracing records of old dial owners and makers. This expertise is much the same as that employed by people researching their family histories, needing access to various censuses, business directories, property lists and other databases etc..
Is there anyone out there with this experience who could help me with the search for a 19thcentury dial owner?
John Davis
REGISTRAR
Bridol (British Dials on Line) is getting closer, with an initial release of around 1,000 dials. A great deal of preparatory work has been going on behind the scenes, on the website itself, and on the presentation of the dials. Alongside this, all aspects have been subject to legal review, advice and assistance by lawyers. Busy days!
On another front, if you don’t have a copy of Gatty, did you know that you can read the whole book at http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/gatty/sundials/sundials.html This has photocopies of each page, plus an easily readable text version. The first half of the display shows the Introduction. Scroll down past this (about half way down) to the Contents pages where you can jump straight to the part you want, first to the Chapters, then to the Mottoes sections, and below that to Illustrations in the text. The index itself is not included, but is hardly necessary given the direct access to chapters, mottoes and illustrations.
John Foad
MEMBERSHIP
We sadly have to announce the recent and sudden death of Peter Drinkwater. This was after the September Bulletin, containing his latest article, went to press. He was a published author on sundials before the formation of the British Sundial Society and there will be a full obituary in the December Bulletin.
We would like to welcome a number of new members to the Society: Jean Marshall from Stamford; Richard Barry, also from Stamford; John Wilson from Nottinghamshire; Norbert Halama from Chipping Campden and Mark Perry from Sheerness in Kent.
Many thanks to those who have returned the new gift aid forms. Some of you have asked why it is necessary; the new wording was required by the Inland Revenue and the Charity Commissioners, so it was a change imposed on us with which we had to comply. If you are eligible, i.e. pay UK tax, and have not yet signed a new form, the Society would be very grateful if you would return one as the benefits are considerable. One was included in the March Bulletin and I recently emailed many members. If you have any queries, do contact me.
Jackie Jones
WEBSITE
Work on the new website continues, albeit slowly. Those of a technical bent will recognise the challenges of ensuring the software stays current with new releases that are almost but not quite identical to previous versions. Around the purely technical work, progress has also been made on some of the supporting material and the new site’s terms and conditions of use have been prepared in consultation with, and drafted by, lawyers.
The ambition is that the new site will be ready for testing in the near future and we will then be in a position to announce the cutover.
Bill Visick
EDUCATION
I am delighted to have been appointed as one of the BSS specialists and look forward to taking an active role as once again I will not be able to be present at the Newbury one-day conference in September. I will be working with Chris Williams and Bill Visick over the next few months to get something up on the website. This will include Tony Moss’ PowerPoint show and speaker’s notes so that people will be able to use that without having to ‘reinvent the wheel’ for themselves.
We would like to form a list of people who are willing to talk to various groups of people, such as the U3A, local history groups, Mothers’ Union, Women’s Institute, local astronomy groups etc. Also I hope that some of you will be prepared to go into schools to talk to and work with young people about sundials. If you are someone who would be prepared to get involved with a local group or school, please get in touch with me stating the area in which you would be prepared to do something and I’ll see about setting something up. Likewise if you would like someone to come and talk to a group in your area, let me know so that I can see who is available! Spread the word – you may know someone who is looking for a speaker, in which case ask them to get in touch.
We also hope that Make a Sundial will be downloadable in pdf form once it has been revised: I know that I found it immensely useful when I taught in schools and was developing my mathematics lessons around the dialling theme.
By the end of July I had three messages from people requesting advice on sundials: one on an old dial found in Spain, another from a Texan rancher about a proposed horizontal dial and a third from a city farm that wished to include a dial on their site. These were all acknowledged and replies sent. If I cannot answer a query, then you may find I contact you for advice!
I have some other ideas as well and would be delighted to hear from anyone about how we can do more for education, so please do not hesitate to get in touch at education@sundialsoc.org.uk with any ideas that you have.
Peter Ransom
MASS DIALS
The Cirencester branch of NADFAS are recording Ampney St Peter’s church and invited me over to see them in action and talk about mass dials. All very instructive and a possible new dial recorded, with a further group of folk now looking out for mass dials for us.
The major item of interest this quarter was a report from new member John Wilson of a ‘Saxon grave headstone’ about to be auctioned. The stone had a circular carving very reminiscent of a Saxon dial, complete with gnomon hole. It had apparently been looked at by Buxton Museum, in Derbyshire but when I rang them they didn’t know anything about it.
All quite mysterious and in spite of a flurry of phone calls to the Auction House (in Dorset) and back to Buxton we are no wiser as to what the stone was. It originated in Little Eaton, Derbyshire, probably from a churchyard. We have quite good photographs from the Auctioneers but really need a closer look. It could possibly have been a free-standing Saxon dial as in Wales and Ireland but rather smaller. I will try to pursue but suspect it may have gone forever.
An enquiry from a member who had cheerfully agreed to give a talk locally about sundials – and then realised that he didn’t know a great deal about mass dials, and could I help. I reassured him that he was not alone, gave him a brief rundown on what we DO know and directed him to the mass dial button on our website for pictures.
Otherwise very quiet with only one report received and one query about filling in the report forms – a perpetual minor problem but it gives me an opportunity to fill in details for the enquirer.
Tony Wood
SALES
Sales have been very slow over the summer months and I can only assume that everyone has been taking advantage of the glorious sunshine. I will be taking our BSS stock to the meeting at Newbury on 21st September and I do hope to see some of you there.
The Newbury meeting will also be the last time I can offer stock from Rogers Turner Books – which will be heavily discounted. Their operation will now move to the Paris office so if you would like to be on their mailing list please let me know.
Elspeth Hill
BSS PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION 2013-14
Members will be aware that the Photographic Competition is normally only run every two years, with the most recent being at the 2013 Edinburgh Conference this year.
However, following the 2012-13 Photo Competition several members have suggested that as 2014 will be the 25th Anniversary of the Society we might consider running a special photographic competition and this has been readily agreed.
It is intended that the format of this anniversary competition will be a little less formal and more relaxed than the usual event, with just a simple vote by those members attending the conference to determine the result, and not being formally marked by a panel of judges.
In the past, this Conference Voting technique has proved to be very successful in producing a final result popular with the membership.
For this competition it is intended that an updated and suitably modified version of the previous Photographic Competition Rules and Entry Form will apply. A full set of the updated Competition Rules and Entry Form will also be available by visiting the BSS website. A copy of the Entry Form (including abridged Competition Rules) will also be included with the September and December 2013 issues of The Bulletin.
As usual, entrants may submit up to three photographs. Each photo must not be larger than 10½ x 7 inches, have a title below, and be mounted on a thin sheet of card, no larger in size than A4.
Normally, photographs that have been previously exhibited in the earlier competitions would not be accepted into those of subsequent years, as described in Rule 15. However, on this occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Society, photographs from any of the previous competitions may also be re-entered into this one.
Entries to be submitted to the competition organiser, by 3rd April 2014, for documentation and preparation for display, prior to the conference on the 10th -13th April 2014.
Any last minute entries however will be accepted at the conference itself, (although not too many, please!)
Prizes and certificates will be awarded for the first three places in the competition.
Time now to go looking for that winning photo before summer becomes just a memory. I will look forward to receiving your entries.
Ian Butson
NEWBURY BSS MEETING ON A SPECIAL DAY
This years Newbury BSS Meeting is on a special date being the Autumn Equinox – Saturday 21st September 2013. It is on the third Saturday of September this year, (instead of our normal fourth September Saturday)
We are looking forward to another highly successful day, with many members delightful displays – old and new, a lovely chance to chat on a common interest, and a number of most interesting short talks. (slots still available and welcome for talks.)
Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy outdoors in the sunshine, or indoors as you wish. Refreshments provided.
The meeting is held in The Sutton Hall, Stockcross near Newbury. RG20 8LN. All on the level, no steps. Free car parking in the Hall’s expanded car park.
Meeting is open to all, Members, Guests and Visitors. We welcome and look forward to meeting you on Saturday 21st September 2013. Do come along if you’ve not been before – we all will have an enjoyable day. Any queries to info@towertime.co.uk
Mobile number on the day – texts preferred 07880 802 912
David Pawley