Some ancient graffitti on the tomb of Bishop
Edmund Stafford (1395-1419) (left)
|
The clock is one of the group of famous 14th to
16th century astronomical clocks to be found in
the West of England. (Others are to found in
Salisbury Cathedral, Wells Cathedral, Ottery St
Mary church and Wimborne Minster.)
The main, lower, dial is the oldest part of the
clock, probably dating from the 1480s. The
fleur-de-lys 'hand' indicates the time (and the
position of the sun in the sky) on a 24 hour
analog dial. The numbering consists of two sets
of I-XII Roman numerals. The silver ball and
inner dial shows both the age of the moon and its
phase (using a rotating black shield to indicate
the moon's phase). The upper dial, added in the
1760s, shows the minutes.
The Latin phrase Pereunt et Imputantur, a
favourite motto for clocks and sundials first
penned by the Latin poet Martial in the poem
"Character of a happy life", is usually
translated as "they perish and are reckoned to
our account", referring to the hours that we
spend, wisely or not!
"The original clockwork mechanism, much modified,
repaired, and neglected until it was replaced in
the early 20th century, may be seen on the floor
below, usually underneath a pile of chairs"
!
|
|
Wall plaque placed in memory of Sarah Price
Clarke (left)
|
Wall plaque in memory of the organist and
composer, Samuel Sebastian Wesley (14 August 1810
— 19 April 1876) (right)
'He was born in London, the son of the composer
Samuel Wesley and his partner Sarah Suter, and
grandson of Charles Wesley. After singing in the
choir of the Chapel Royal as a boy, he embarked
on a career as a musician, becoming organist of
Hereford Cathedral in 1832. He moved to Exeter
Cathedral three years later, and subsequently
held appointments at Leeds Parish Church,
Winchester Cathedral and Gloucester
Cathedral.
'Famous as an organist in his day, he composed
almost exclusively for the Church of England. His
anthems include 'Thou wilt keep him in perfect
peace', Blessed be the God and Father', 'The
Wilderness' and 'Ascribe unto the Lord'.
They are rather late examples of verse anthems,
which contrast unison and contrapuntal sections
with smaller, more intimate passages for solo
voice or voices; some are of considerable length
and elaboration, such as his Service in E.'
|
The
visit to Exeter Cathedral continues on the
following page.
Please
click on the 'Next' button (below right)
|
|
|
|