Mass Dials.

Disappearing :Mass Dials on Sussex Churches

Mass dials have long been a feature on Sussex churches, usually found on south-facing wall of the church, often near the south doorway, and usually about a meter and half above the ground levels.
However, sometimes they are found in other places on the fabric of the church, for over periods of time they have been moved during rebuilding work; so do not always assume that where they are now, is where they have always been positioned.
About 8 or 9 inches across and rather roughly cut, mass dials come in a wide variety of designs, from semi-circles of dots to complete circles with associated radii. Their chronology is difficult to determine but simple versions with only four or five lines are early whilst those with numbers round the edge (rare) are late.
The gnomon, invariably missing, pointed straight out horizontally and so the dial would not record the same hours at all times of the year. The mass dial is usually regarded as an event marker for the church services rather than a timepiece .
It is thought that the earliest mass dials may be a simple carving of four or five lines from the gnomon hole, possibly with circle or arc later. Ashton-under-Hill, Worcsand Wootton, Kent is typical early examples. The Ashton-under-Hill stone also includes an example of 'four holes in a row'; the row of dots would originally have been horizontal with the gnomon stuck into a mortar line above.
There are many examples throughout Sussex to be found, except that today that may not be so easy, the reason for this is that over the passage of time, and air pollution in many areas, the dials have almost disappeared. A good example of this is at Edburton church, this little church is located in the hamlet of Edburton on the road between Fulking and Small Dole, virtually opposite the World Famous Springs Smoked Salmon shop..
The dials are on the south porch of the church, there are two in this location and another on the North side of the church, this is a curious one, for one must assume that it is not in its original position, and therefore in much better condition.
The dials on the south porch are in now poor condition, I remember seeing them for the first time some twenty years ago, and at that time were in good condition, now they are not. What has happened is that the stone has started to flake away, therefore taking with it layers of the original carving into the stone of the dial, if this process carries on, in a very few years time they will all but disappear completely.
The question is can they be saved for future generations to marvel at and appreciate; it will be difficult to stop the deterioration, one solution is to treat the areas with a polycarbonate solution, in effect give them a light plastic covering, which can breath.
It is important that mass dials are saved from further erosion, they are an important part of the history of the church and the Christian faith.