Here we have the sundial at Madeley Court, a sixteenth century house in Madeley, Shropshire, with sections of thirteenth century structure, linking to the fact that it was originally a grange, for the medieval Wenlock Priory. It was bought by Sir Rupert Brooke in 1553, who almost certainly updated it. For some time the house was actually derelict, and in danger of being pulled down, but it is now a hotel, and this sundial still remains.
As for its curious shape and purpose, we are still baffled. There seems to have been no early record of who made it, when, and why. It is a cube of solid stone, approximately four feet tall and also wide on each side, and there is half a circle on top which is three feet in diameter The dome is stuck on with cement, but to all intents and purposes of the same age as the cube, so the thought is that somehow it became dislodged and was repaired. It is also an integral part of the sundial as it holds the vertical pin which the sun strikes to tell the time. On three of the sides are depressions, which have holes that would also have taken pins, presumably to show the altitude, and the azimuth of the sun. These hollows have also been seen on early sundials in Scotland, but this is the only one in England that either was, or that remains.
The pillars shown on this card are not thought to be original, and we know that at some time there was major damage to the sundial, the underside being quite badly cracked, bad enough that it was braced with metal to hold it together.
As to its maker, we also know not, but we do know that the German astronomer and mathematician Nicolaus Kratzer specialised in making sundials in cubes, using multiple hollows. And we know that he was associated with another, similar sundial, at Iron Acton, which carries the carved initials "N.K. 1520"
Our set is first catalogued in our "Cartophilic Reference Book - No.16 : The Cigarette Card Issues of W.D. & H.O. Wills Parts I, II, and III (revised) and Part IV", or RB.16, published in 1950, as :
- 285. 25. OLD SUNDIALS. Large cards, size 79 x 62 m/m. Fronts printed by letterpress in colour. Backs in grey, with descriptive text. Home issue, 1928.
The month of issue was later provided by Wills themselves, courtesy of their Works magazine.
By the time of our original World Tobacco Issues Index, the entry is much reduced, to just :
- OLD SUNDIALS. Lg. Nd. (25) ... W62-166
And that text remains identical in our updated World Tobacco Issues Index, save a new card code of W675-207