The times., 1899-03-19
MARKS ON ANCIENT WALLS.
Circles, Dots. and Lines of Unknown
Meaning in English Churches.

Qrom the Church Gazette.)
There are on the walls CT many English
churches, particularly those Of the South
Midland counties. mysterious marks, some
fairly large, many very small, that have
puzzled ecciesioiogists ever since that
estimable race existed. They are most
common on the south wall of the nave and
aisles. Almost invariably they are at such
height as would chow that they cannot
have been made by village idlers of the
class who have favored us with SO many
cup marks. They fall into three main
classes. First. a dot surrounded by one or
more concentric circles; second. circles con-
tanning radii. more or less numerous, and
third. dots arranged in squares, sometimes
connected by lines and sometimes not.
With regard to these last / own / am IN
able to even suggest a theory. | could give
a list of things they cannot possibly iaean
but what they do IS. as "Jeames" is re-
ported to have said, ..wropp'd in mystery"
The second variety want 10 speak Of is
the circle with radii. Sometimes there are
twelve radii sometimes twentyfour. some
times an odd number. Sometimes the radii
are confined to one part of the circle, some
times not. 1t is. confessedly, about this
variety that the interest in wail-marks
eliminates. In some instances there can
be no doubt that they are incomplete sun
dials. though in these cases. as at Red
bourne tHerts), they are so unastrono-
mically arranged as to lead to the eonelu
sion that our early ancestors were as in
different as il they had been Orientals to
the flight Of time. But the majority can
not by any stretch OF the Imagination havs
been time recorders. No one would put a
dial on the south inner wall OF church.
Another theory which has been started
is that these marks are a survival of an
ancient belief in orientation. BEt these
marks are net to pe found in Norman
churches. The earliest we can absolutely
date are First Pointed. Why. then, should
a heather belief have lain dormant for a
couple of hundred years, at least, and then
have been suddenly and without reason
revived? l desire to reward my readers
by propounding a brand-new theory. 1t
is remarkable that we do not find these
circular marks containing raiii common on
our cathedrals or great fanes. Nearly all
are on the walls of obscure village
churches. We know now that in building
minister's and abbeys the workmen had
plans and elevations much as they have
today, but that such was the case with
small and unimportant, il equally artistic
buildings is highly improbable. Yet the
very regularity OF design shows that there
must have been some master mind who
directed the whole building The theory
l wish to PROFOUND is that soale, at least
OF these wall marks with their varying
radii were intended, il the lines were con-
tinued. to mark such salient points OF the
building as the base or springing lines of
windows, the elevation OF molding, of
the coping stone of the gable or what not.
II this should have been the intention of
the inscribers it is difficult TO imagine any
more useful guide to those who desire
either with view to restoration or for
mere study. to discover what like was an
ancient church.