Clocking the Timekeepers The Ilay Glynne dial, now on display at the National Museum of Scotland, is a masterpiece of both art and science. Made around 1715, the Ilay Glynne dial was used to measure local time from the sun, providing the most accurate means of setting clocks available at the time. It could be used at any latitude, and its form models the celestial sphere, showing the sun’s apparent motion around the Earth. The acquisition of the dial involved extensive fundraising and has been supported by the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Art Fund. The dial was commissioned by and belonged to Archibald Campbell, Earl of Ilay and later 3rd Duke of Argyll (1682-1761). Ilay was hugely influential figure in post-Union Scotland. He had control over royal patronage in Scotland and managed Scottish affairs, making him the most politically powerful figure in the first half of the 18th century. He was a founder and the first governor of the Royal Bank of Scotland. His likeness used to appear on all RBS banknotes, and still appears on the £100 note today. Through his patronage, including at Scottish universities, he became an important sponsor and promoter of the culture of the Scottish Enlightenment. It is signed by Richard Glynne (1681-1755), a member of the Clockmakers’ Company. In his business, skills and innovations, Glynne was closely integrated with a growing community of British instrument makers and produced measuring devices of outstanding quality, of which this dial is the most important surviving example. The dial has undergone extensive cleaning and conservation work and is now on permanent display in the Spirit of the Age gallery in the National Museum of Scotland. Admission is free. Watch this informative video interview with Dr Rebekah Higgitt, or better still, visit Edinburgh to see this and many other world class timekeepers and scientific instruments.
