Firebacks

Description: Rectangular shape with a flattened arch; astragal edging; top centre, stamp depicting a man and a woman in medieval dress, with inscribed date split to each side; in each corner and angled towards the corner, a triangular stamp formed of two mirrored sea serpents, their tails looped through a band, which also supports a flower rising from the serpents mouths; bottom centre, the weak impression of gadrooned vase fireback.

Notes: A bespoke fireback incorporating pseudo-antique elements, a spurious date inscribed by hand with a, probably deliberate, error in the orientation of the number 9. The 'medieval' couple and the corner stamps have yet to be identified. The impressed fireback is of the mid-17th century of the type illustrated as no. 1189.

Inscription: 16 59 [9 reversed]

Description: Rectangular; double fillet moulded edging; top centre, shield-shaped block with a rectangle containing the crest of the Fowles - an Arm in armour holding a Battle axe issuant from a Ducal Coronet, above the initials, WF; top left and right, two shields of the arms of the Fowle family - (Gules) a lion passant guardant between three roses (Or); across the lower half of the fireback are three solid triangular prisms of iron.

Notes: The stamps relate to William Fowle (1568-1634), ironmaster of Riverhall furnace. The stamps also appear on grave slabs in Wadhurst and Frant churches and on an unprovenanced graveslab in Maidstone Museum. The iron prisms were included, perhaps, to retain heat and to prevent the fireback from cracking.

Inscription: WF

Arms: William Fowle, of Frant and Wadhurst

Description: Arched rectangular shape; ovolo edging; Stuart royal arms of England (quarterly, 1st and 4th, France and England, 2nd Scotland and 3rd Ireland) with garter, crown, motto and supporters; initials either side of lion’s head; date either side of unicorn’s head.

Notes: The slightly awkward positioning of the date suggests it was added later. Copies were advertised in the Carron Company's catalogue.

Copies of this fireback are known.

Inscription: I R [Iacobus Rex] 16 04 / DEV ET MON DROIT

Arms: English Stuart royal - James I

Description: Quasi-rectangular; twisted rope edging on top and sides; cavetto-moulded-edged rectangle top centre, enclosing date between initials; 17 shields of Ayloffe impaling Sulyard in three rows (5-6-6); Ayloffe: sable, a lion rampant Or, collared gules, between three crosses formy of the second; Sulyard: argent, a chevron gules between three pheons inverted sable.

Notes: William Ayloffe (c1535-1584) of Bretons, Hornchurch, Essex, Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench, married (c1560) Jane, dau. of Sir Eustace Sulyard, of Runwell, Essex. The initials 'CT' are likely to be those of Charles Tyler, a founder whose working life and that of his family have strong parallels with the occurrence of these firebacks.

Inscription: C.1.6 2.0.T

Arms: Ayloffe impaling Sulyard (William Ayloffe of Bretons, Hornchurch)

Description: Rectangle; no edging; date just above centre; initials above date.

Notes: The disparity between the quality of the stamping of the date and initials may be because the date has been stamped from a single block. There are stylistic similarities with the memorial plate to John and Ann Luck, dated 1771, in Wadhurst church porch, Sussex.

Inscription: I H / 1776

Description: Arched rectangular shaped, the arch linked to the rectangle by cavetto curves; cavetto edging ending in two opposed spirals at top; initials below spirals; date below initials; otherwise plain.

Notes: Probably cast from a carved, edged board, with the initials and date added separately.

Inscription: I or F H / 1698

Description: Arched rectangular shape; astragal edging with parallel astragal enclosing a border of undulating convolvulus vine, leaves and flowers; bead and disc circle in arch, above a pair of lions rampant facing each other, between which are a five-pointed star above a rose.

Notes: A fireback in a retro-Regency style. Sotheby's auction, 27 Oct 2010, lot 209 (£2,500)

Copies of this fireback are known.

Description: Rectangular shape; no edging; top left, inverted 'renaissance' shield with the initials M above IE; top right, date 1671 in unseriffed numerals.

Notes: The shield with initials has not been noted on another fireback. The slots in the fireback are to accommodate andirons or firedogs.

Inscription: IME [triad] 1671

Description: Triangular arched shape; double fillet edging with scrolls above the top corners; in front of mantling, a shield bearing two lions passant guardant with an indistinct canton; above it a helm and crest of a probable ostrich; initials, the D reversed, to left and right of upper mantling.

Notes: The arms have not been identified

Inscription: D T

Arms: Not known

Description: Canted rectangle; cavetto-moulded edging (top and sides); single horizontal fillet below canted corners and vertical fillet parallel to each side, dividing the fireback into two side panels, two top corner panels, top panel and main central panel; corner panels, ‘daisy’ plant stamp; top panel, date between ‘daisy’ stamps, between initials in triad at each end; side panels, swirling foliage stamp repeated each side above a fleur-de-lys; centre panel, stamp of ‘Indian’ smoking a pipe at top left, stamp of seated ‘gentleman’ smoking a pipe and holding another, at top right; below each, a lion passant stamp, facing right on the left and facing left on the right; initials IB in bottom corners of centre panel.

Notes: The 'daisy' stamp is identical to those on similar firebacks dated between 1703 and 1721, and probably indicating the same founder whose initials IB are at the bottom; the use of stamps relating to tobacco smoking may suggest an origin near Bristol, the main entry port for the tobacco trade at that time. Previously noted at Little Faringdon House, near Lechlade. Bishop & Miller auction, Stowmarket, Suffolk, 25 May 2022, lot 293 (ns).

Inscription: TME [triad] 1706 TME [triad] / I B