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An octagonal bronze dial in good condition
located between the house and the walled garden of "Rowallane Gardens", a
National Trust property 1.5 km from Saintfield on the A7 to Downpatrick. The
Rev. John Moore aquired Rowallane as a farm in 1860. He gradually enlarged the
farmhouse, added the walled garden and stable block and planted the "Pleasure
Grounds". The dial measures 255mm across the flats and bears the Moore family crest (the profile of a moor's head) encircled by a ribbon inscribed with their motto "VIRTUTIS AMORE" a quotation from Horace translated as - through love to virtue - and below the crest the inscription "CEDAMUS PHOEBO ET MONITI MELIORA SEQUAMUR" from Virgil's "Aenid". translated as - let us yield to Phoebus and having been warned let us pursue better things- The dial was made by "Lynch Dublin", there is an 8 point compass rose marked "N" "NE" "E" etc. It shows 4a.m. to 8p.m. in 30, 10 and 5 min divisions on an inner time ring, then the hours in Roman numerals, four as IIII. The outer time ring is marked in 30, 10, and 2 min divisions. The half hours are marked by diamonds. It has a split noon to compensate for the pierced 5mm thick by 165mm high gnomon. The dial sits flush at the edges on top of a 1200 mm high octagonal stone pillar, on a 900mm diam. by 250mm high circular stone base. Lat 54° 27' North Long 5° 50' West Irish Grid J 340900 357600 See "The Argory" Co.Armagh and "Botannic Gardens" Co. Dublin for other Lynch dials |