Only two here but, sadly, I'm sure there'll be more to add in the future. Does brass have a good scrap value or are the dials being stolen to order? If it was the brass they were after they'd have taken the memorial plaque too.

This is at Rushton Spencer St Lawrence and the dial and gnomon were stolen in January or February 2009


This one's at Tarporley St Helen's and the shaft was originally part of the neighbouring village Eaton's village cross - it's 15th or 16th century. The dial itself was a gift from Utkinton Hall in 1932, was over 300 years old and was still there in 2003


All that's left are the screw holes


The sundial as a whole had been put together as a memorial to Canon Walter Hughes and his wife Jessie; he had been Rector for 42 years and had died in 1931

I didn't think that brass had any significant scrap value to be honest

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I dont need anger management ... you just need to stop pissin me off !!

Originally Posted by yamahapaul

I didn't think that brass had any significant scrap value to be honest

I agree with yam its mad that its been lifted and quite obvious not for scrap so maybe just malicious?

Could be malicious except that the church near Rushton Spencer is really isolated, more than a mile from the village along winding lanes and up on a hillside so no-one would be up that way at night without a good reason. Sadly, I think both these sundials are now in gardens somewhere or, more likely, abroad.

Churches are locked nowadays because of thefts and vandalism but they can't keep people of ill-intent out of the churchyards

A garden somewhere as Bereniceuk says

dont it just piss you off! why cant people just live and let live, and leave things alone !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ffs grrr

Here's another that looks to have been nicked, at St Bartholomew's Church, Church Minshull, Cheshire

sad world we now live in!

It angers me that people keep stealing things like this
They've just got no conscious what-so-ever.

( Brass has got quite a good scrap value though, a lot more than lead, bog standard brass is 70% copper!
and around 29.whatever% zinc and then a few other bits thrown in )
I used to work in the scrap business.

Just to think, our heritage is being slowly scraped-in by thieves....... Shameful

Originally Posted by fisha

It angers me that people keep stealing things like this They've just got no conscious what-so-ever. ( Brass has got quite a good scrap value though, a lot more than lead, bog standard brass is 70% copper! and around 29.whatever% zinc and then a few other bits thrown in ) I used to work in the scrap business. Just to think, our heritage is being slowly scraped-in by thieves....... Shameful

And that's why we've had the two recent cases where scumbags stole brass plaques from war memorials