Read More —The four shields (PP637)

The sundial is carved with four coats of arms. On the south face of the prism is the coat of arms of Richard Fox, Bishop of Winchester and the founder of the College, his motto “EST DEO GRATIA,” “Thanks be to God,” and 1581, probably the year in which the sundial in Oxford was completed. The shield is a combination of Fox’s family heraldry, a sword crossed with two keys, and the arms of the See of Winchester, a pelican. On the 1579 dial the sculptor made a mistake and reversed the position of the keys and sword; this mistake was reproduced here. On the west face of the sundial is the coat of arms of Hugh Oldham, Bishop of Exeter and a patron of the College. The northern coat of arms is that of Oxford University; on the east are those of the House of Tudor, although this side is now almost completely illegible.