The Church warden's Accounts give the dates and cost to the parish of
installing and cleaning the sundial:
"1780 June 25.
To William
Wheatcroft for painting and figuring the Sun Dial
... 10s 0d."
"1823
Sept 6. To Geo Bamford for taking down Sundial, Cleaning etc., 2 days at
3s
6d.
... 7s. 0d.
The total expenditure in modern terms is 0.85. Allowing
for inflation and increased costs the total would now run into hundreds of
pounds. C E Lugard, writing in 1924, said the dial was dated 1823, (the year
the church wardens accounts record that it was restored).
It was already
fading when F N Fisher saw it 12 years later and read it as 1825. The dial also
showed the latitude of 53. When we visited in September 2000, traces of an
inscription could be seen at the top of the south face, but it was too faint to
be readable.
References:
F N Fisher -
A letter in Derbyshire Advertiser Notes and Queries,
Volume 13, page 62.
Dated 22nd May 1936.
C E Lugard -
"The Saints and Sinners of Ashover" 1924
The village of Ashover
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^^^Back to the top2000 This revision 28 September 2005
The cubic sundial stands over the porch gable of All Saints church.
