Firebacks

Description: Arched rectangular shape with fillet edging; tall, arched central panel with bead edging (top and sides); flying bird in arch, with two small trees below, and two figures, one with a staff in his right hand, and a dog, at the bottom; two side panels with similar cascades of flowers; narrow base panel with fillet edging and symmetrical floral arrangement; on top, a scallop shell between two symmetrical lines of trailing flowers.

Notes: The figures may be Venus and Adonis, the bird aboive being a dove; probably an English design based on the 'Dutch' style. Formerly part of the Ade Collection (from Grove Hill, Hellingly, Sussex).

Description: Rectangular with low, 3-facetted arch; ovolo edging; shield of the Goldsmiths’ Company: quarterly Gules and Azure, in the first and fourth quarters a Leopard's Head affrontée Or, in the second and third quarters a Covered Cup between in chief two Buckles fesswise all of the last; behind the shield is a scrolled escutcheon.

Notes: An unusually thick fireback. The Goldsmiths’ Company were granted arms in 1571.

Copies of this fireback are known.

Arms: Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths

Description: Rectangular; plain plate with three stamps of an iron firedog with a twisted design on the neck, a primitive face on the terminal and a shield bearing initials RW.

Notes: The letters RW are said to relate to Richard Woodman, ironmaster and Protestant martyr, who resided at Cralle Place, and who operated Cralle furnace. A near-identical firedog was discovered at Bridge Cottage, Uckfield, Sussex.

Inscription: RW

Description: Quasi-arched shape; straight fillet edging to sides and bottom, symmetrical, stepped cavetto, ovolo, cavetto and double arched on top; central pictorial scene of a female and male seated on a couch, both in 18th century dress, with swirled floral border; swirled floral base panel separated by a fillet; two sea serpents on top.

Notes: The dress of the figures portrayed suggests a late-18th century date

Description: Canted rectangle; twisted rope edging (top and sides); square stamp with fillet edge and four diagonally quartered squares, repeated three times along top and once centre bottom; square stamp with triangular top containing intaglio fleur de lys, two positioned between squares in top row, and two separated by square below. Formerly part of the Ade Collection (from Grove Hill, Hellingly, Sussex).

Notes: The smaller stamp could also be interpreted as a face in caricature with a pointed hat, perhaps a bishop's mitre. It appears that more iron was poured into the mould than its depth allowed for, resulting in the considerable thickness of the casting.

Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (top and sides); inscription made of short lengths of twisted rope, irregularly spaced across upper middle, central device formed of a Tudor 'A' with overstamped 'V'.

Notes: It is not clear if the central device is a monogram, or if it might have apotropaic significance.

Inscription: T A M T

Description: Quasi-rectangular with raised symmetrical scrolls between semi-circular re-entrants on top edge; ovolo-moulded edge on bottom and sides, with fillet edging on top; grotesque face with swirled hair locks, above an inverted floral spike, between two moustachioed male figures in tunics, holding pikes, standing on a cavetto-moulded compartment, date beneath.

Notes: Alleged to represent the 'Brede Ogre', Sir Goddard Oxenbridge (1478-1531) who, legend states, was sawn in half by local children. Stylistically similar to other firebacks with connections with Brede furnace.

Copies of this fireback are known.

Inscription: 16 52

Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (top, and top two-thirds of sides); rectangular stamp with griffin passant, repeated six times: two in top corners; two in bottom corners, rotated left; two in middle, separated by two inverted shields bearing a rose and crown, placed vertically; across each top corner, a length of twisted rope.

Notes: Five other firebacks bearing these stamps are known: one is also in Hastings, and one, dated 1569, is at Hadlow Down, Sussex. The locations of the other three are not known.

Description: Rectangular; plain plate with central crossed-square rope pattern with crosses at the corner and top; on each side a rectangular stamp with swirled tendril, serpent and demi-cup decoration.

Notes: The crossed square was an alchemistic symbol for iron vitriol (i.e. ferrous sulphate or copperas), but the crosses at the extremities may indicate other symbolism or none; similar patterns are found on other firebacks of a group that may have been associated with Pounsley furnace, Sussex. The repeated panel at the top appears to have been formed using a mould for a section of a plasterwork frieze, resulting in an intaglio impression (approx 395 x 142mm or 15½ x 5½ in.) as opposed to the normal bas-relief; this is very unusual on a fireback. The style of the mould dates from the Elizabethan or Jacobean period. The stubs on the bottom edge are likely to have been the remains of runners where the molten iron entered the mould. Recovered from a property in Burwash, Sussex, in 1910.

Description: Arched; cavetto edging; crowned plain shield bearing a Tudor rose, with crowned lion and dragon supporters, with garter and motto; date split by crown.

Notes: A much-copied fireback; the numerals are uncharacteristically modern in form, suggesting they have been substituted on a later copy; a variant illustrated by Dawson (no. 269) shows a cross above the crown and more typically 16th century numerals. Formerly part of the Ade Collection (from Grove Hill, Hellingly, Sussex).

Copies of this fireback are known.

Inscription: 1571 HONI SOIT... ...DROI ? K