Accession No

0095

Brief Description

ring dial, attributed to Thomas Wright, English, first half 18th Century

Origin

England [based on attributed maker]

Maker

T. W. [attributed to Thomas Wright]

Class

dials

Earliest Date

1700

Latest Date

1752

Inscription Date

Material

metal (brass)

Dimensions

length 65mm; diameter 55mm; thickness 12mm

Special Collection

Robert Whipple collection

Provenance

Purchased by Robert Stewart Whipple from the Chifformiers Society, Nottingham in 02/1923. It was repaired in Lincoln on 30/09/1937.

Inscription

‘T W’

Description Notes

Brass ring with fixed suspension loop with suspension ring; lacks sliding ring with pinhole gnomons - metal ring a replacement 30-9-1937. On the outer face of the ring a pair of Julian calendars marked by initialled month and ‘W’ and ‘S’ to denote summer and winter, subdivided to 10 days. Clasp joint marked ‘ABC’. Inner face carries summer hour scale divided 4 - 12, 1 - 8 and winter hour scale divided 6 - 12, 1 - 6, each numbered by 1 and subdivided to 30 minutes; in 3 bands the letters ABC.

Condition: fair.

References

Events

Description
Ring Dial

The ring dial is one of the oldest forms of portable sundial. It was probably developed by the Romans. It is also one of the simplest dials, and was often made very cheaply for the lower end of the market.

Ring dials tell the time from the height of the sun in the sky. They are generally not very accurate. They are used by moving the central band until the pin-hole is lined up against the correct date. After this, the dial is held up and turned until the sunlight falls through the pin-hole onto the hour scale on the other side of the ring. The small circle of light will show the hour, though it is left up to the user to work out whether to choose the morning or the afternoon reading.

FM:41412