Copy of Charles I Sundial, 1634

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King Charles I

Clockmakers Sundial, 1634

The wonderfully original early seventeenth-century brass sundial shown here is believed to have been made by a provincial clockmaker and retains some particularly interesting early features, including its original thin brass knife-edge gnomon with fringed northern supporting plate. The dial is dated 1634, the very year in which King Charles I revived the controversial levy of Ship Money during peacetime. Initially imposed upon maritime areas, the levy was extended to inland counties the following year without Parliamentary approval and became an increasingly important source of political opposition to the King. It is this fascinating early provincial sundial, with its unusual construction and remarkable historical background, that forms the subject of my article illustrated below.

Above. Showing the wonderfully original and very rare Charles I clockmaker’s sundial, complete with its original thin brass knife-edge gnomon and fringed northern supporting plate. The dial is dated 1634 and measures 7.85 inches square. Private collection, Photographed by Lee Borrett.

Below. Close-up showing the engraved date of 1634. Private collection, Photographed by Lee Borrett.

Construction and Materials

Being relatively lightweight in construction, this sundial would have been versatile and could have been used in different parts of the house or garden, including for checking and resetting the household clock. The unusually sturdy supporting plate attached to the gnomon also raises the intriguing possibility that the dial was intended to be portable, helping to strengthen and protect the thin gnomon from damage when the sundial was being moved or transported.

Tests undertaken by Dr John Davis of the British Sundial Society (BSS) show that the dial plate is made from a fairly typical brass for the period, with a lower zinc (Zn) and higher tin (Sn) content resulting respectively from the processing and source of the copper ore. Interestingly, however, the original gnomon and its fringed northern supporting plate are of a rather unusual material, being almost straight copper, although not quite as pure as might be expected. Both are a low-grade gunmetal containing zinc (Zn) and tin (Sn), with traces of lead (Pb).

These differences in composition are particularly interesting in a dial believed to have been made by a provincial clockmaker. Early craftsmen frequently reused available materials, and it is therefore possible that the gnomon and its supporting plate were fashioned from recycled material, perhaps including earlier clockmaking brass. Although this cannot now be established with certainty, the construction and materials are entirely consistent with the practical working traditions of an early provincial craftsman.

Above Angled view of the original thin knife-edge gnomon, which has a latitude angle of approximately 53.6 degrees. Private collection, Photographed by Lee Borrett.

Below. Side view of the wonderfully original Charles I sundial, showing the distinctive profile of its gnomon and supporting plate. Private collection, Photographed by Lee Borrett.

Hhe absence of a noon gap is another interesting feature of the dial and is found on some early clockmaker-made sundials. Taken together with its relatively simple construction and unusual gnomon arrangement, this lends further support to the possibility that the dial was made by a provincial clockmaker rather than by a specialist scientific instrument maker. Such a sundial would have provided a useful means of checking and correcting the time shown by an early domestic clock.

Above Close-up of the original northern supporting plate with its distinctive fringed edge. It is secured by the original tenons from the gnomon, together with those from the rear support passing through the underside of the dial. Photographed by Lee Borrett.

Above The hours are marked in Roman numerals, while the quarter-hour intervals are indicated by alternating engraved and unengraved areas. Interestingly, a similar treatment can be found on some early clock dials of the 1630s. Private collection, Photographed by Lee Borrett.

Below Interesting miniature lantern clock dated 1637. Note the similar treatment of the engraved fifteen-minute markings to those on the 1634 sundial illustrated above. Private collection, Photograph Lee Borrett.

Below. Close-up showing the fifteen-minute markings on the 1637 lantern clock. Private collection, Photograph Lee Borrett.

Sundials and

Early Domestic Clocks

First-period lantern clocks were regulated by balance-wheel control and could require regular correction, making a sundial a particularly useful companion for checking the time. In provincial England during the early 1630s, domestic clockmaking was still in its infancy, particularly away from the principal centres of manufacture. A sundial such as this could therefore have provided its owner with a practical means of regulating the household clock and organising the working day according to solar time. Its relatively portable construction may also have allowed it to be moved between the house and garden, or perhaps taken on journeys when required. The dial appears originally to have been secured to a small mount, probably of wood.

Above. Evidence of the dial having once been secured to a mount, probably of wood. Pivate collection, Photographed by Lee Borrett.

Below Rear view of the 1634 sundial. Note the original rivets securing the gnomon and its rear supporting plate, which remain in place. Private collection, Photograph Lee Borrett.

Provenance

This sundial has a gnomon latitude angle of approximately 53.6 degrees and was discovered during a house clearance in the Southport area following the death of its previous owner. During my initial research, information was passed to me suggesting that the sundial may once have belonged to a Mr William Trenchard, who was living with his family at Brierley in South Yorkshire during the 1630s. Although this possible early provenance has not presently been confirmed by documentary evidence, it provides an interesting avenue for further research.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr John Davis, Editor of the British Sundial Society, who kindly took the time and effort in March 2024 to examine and undertake tests on this remarkable 1634 sundial.

I would also like to thank the private collector who kindly allowed me to use images of their interesting 1637 lantern clock for this article..

Historical Context

Charles I and Ship Money

Almost 400 years old, this exceptionally early provincial clockmaker’s sundial is an historically important survivor in its own right. Its engraved date of 1634 also places it at the beginning of one of the most controversial episodes of Charles I’s Personal Rule: the revival of Ship Money, a dispute that contributed to the growing political tensions preceding the English Civil War.

The

Charles I

Ship Tax of 1634

Above. King Charles I reigning over the House of Lords Shutterstock.com

In October 1634 King Charles I issued a Ship Money writ requiring maritime communities to provide ships, or their monetary equivalent, for naval defence. Controversially, the levy was imposed during peacetime and without Parliamentary approval. In 1635 Charles extended Ship Money to inland counties, greatly widening its reach. Resistance subsequently increased, and the controversy became one of the important grievances of the propertied classes during the years leading towards the English Civil War.

Ship Money had much earlier origins and traditionally enabled the Crown to require maritime communities to provide ships, crews or their monetary equivalent for naval defence. It had also been employed during the reign of Elizabeth I at times of national danger, including the threat from Spain. Charles I’s controversial innovation was to revive the levy during peacetime and subsequently extend it beyond the maritime counties.

During his Personal Rule of 1629–1640, Charles governed without calling Parliament and consequently sought alternative means of raising royal revenue. Ship Money became one of the most important of these financial measures and, because it was levied without Parliamentary approval, increasingly raised fundamental questions about the extent of royal authority and the rights of the subject.

Above. Warships from the period of King Charles I. Image by Sutterstock.com

Below. Charles I, King of England, who reigned from 1625 to 1649. This portrait was painted in 1633, shortly before the revival of Ship Money in 1634. Daniel Mytens I Alamy.com

Ship Money became one of the most controversial financial measures of Charles I’s Personal Rule. The writ issued in October 1634 was directed towards maritime communities, ostensibly for the provision of ships for naval defence. In 1635 the levy was extended to inland counties, and opposition gradually increased. The controversy reached national prominence when the Buckinghamshire landowner John Hampden challenged the levy. In the celebrated Ship Money case of 1637, the judges found in favour of the Crown by the narrow majority of seven to five. Rather than settling the controversy, the judgement helped to intensify opposition to the King’s methods of government. When the Long Parliament assembled, Ship Money was ultimately declared illegal in 1641.

Early Clocks | Lee Borrett

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