Old-Time Gardens, Newly Set ForthEarle, Alice Morse
History
Old-Time Gardens, Newly Set Forth
Earle, Alice Morse
Gardens; Landscape gardening
became his epitaph. Another form was, "Be about Your Business," and it
is a suggestive fact that it was on a dial on the General Post-office in
London in 1756. Franklin's interest in and knowledge of postal matters,
his long residence in London, and service under the crown as American
postmaster general, must have familiarized him with this dial, and I am
convinced it furnished to him the notion for the design on the first
bank-note and coins of the new nation.
An interesting bit of history allied to America is given to us in the
finding of a sun-dial which gives to American students of heraldic
antiquities another dated shield of the Washington "stars and stripes."
[Illustration: Sun-dial at "Washington House," Little Brington,
England.]
In Little Brington, Northamptonshire, stands a house known as "The
Washington House," which gave shelter to the Washingtons of Sulgrave
after the fall of their fortunes. Within a stone's throw of the house
has recently been found a sun-dial having the Washington arms (argent)
two bars, and in chief three mullets (gules) carved upon it, with the
date 1617. The existence of this stone has been known for forty years;
but it has never been closely examined and noted till recently. It is a
circular slab of sandstone three inches thick and sixteen inches in
diameter. The gnomon is lacking. The lines, figures, and shield are
incised, and the letters R. W. can be dimly seen. These were probably
the initials of Robert Washington, great uncle of the two emigrants to
Virginia.
[Illustration: Dial-face from Mount Vernon.]
Through the kindness of Mr. A. L. Y. Morley, a faithful antiquary of
Great Barrington, I have the pleasure of giving, on page 367, a
representation of this interesting dial. It is shown leaning against
the "pump-stand" in the yard of the "Washington House"; and the pump
seems as ancient as the dial.
[Illustration: Sun-dial of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, Virginia.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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