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1089
Description: Canted quasi-rectangular shape with no edging; straight length of ?dowel placed parallel to top and to each side; square stamp with fillet edge and four diagonally quartered squares repeated five times, three rotated with sides 45 degrees to the vertical in top corners and slightly left of lower centre, and two, unrotated, repeated twice in bottom corners.
Notes: The square stamps may be pastry moulds.
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular with canted top corners (shape)
- none (edging)
- simple stamps
- carved stamps
- objects
Manufactured: in the mid- to late-16th century in the Weald area of England.
Current location: Authentic Reclamation, Lymden Lane, Ticehurst, East Sussex, England.
- Attached to series:
- Crossed square Wealden series
- Food mould stamp firebacks
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1090
Description: Fragment; probably originally arched rectangular shape with twisted rope edging (only the arch and a section below surviving); below arch, band of repeated short stamps with undulating vine decoration, randomly impressed so that the undulations do not join consistently; above the band, line of ?crowned cross stamps repeated five times; above them, the date (the 3 uncertain) between two vertically-aligned stamps formed of a double figure-of-eight between opposed concave curves; above, a rose stamp between two vertical rectangular stamps of indeterminate design, with a ?crowned rose stamp above; below the band, a line of alternate rose and ?crowned cross stamps, three of each; below, a ?crowned cross stamp and a rectangular stamp.
Notes: Most of the stamps have been seen on a small group of firebacks of the 1590s concentrated in the western Weald.
Inscription: 1593[?]
- Decoration tags:
- rope (edging)
- carved stamps
- individual numbers
- text
- plants
- objects
Manufactured: in 1593 in the Weald area of England.
Current location: in private hands, Ticehurst, East Sussex, England.
- Attached to series:
- Loop stamp (early) series
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1103
Description: Rectangular shape; double astragal edging (top and sides); arrangement of repeated square stamps with indented saltires: three down each side, five in a diamond pattern top centre.
Notes: The lines around the edge may well have been formed from impressing a straight edge of some sort.
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular (shape)
- double astragal (edging)
- carved stamps
- objects
Manufactured: in the mid- to late-16th century in the Weald area of England.
Current location: Authentic Reclamation, Lymden Lane, Ticehurst, East Sussex, England.
- Attached to series:
- Miscellaneous stamp firebacks
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1066
Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (top and sides only); five shields of Ayloffe impaling Sulyard in two rows, 3-2; 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 Hornchurch, Essex, Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench, married (c1560) Jane, dau. of Sir Eustace Sulyard, of Runwell, Essex.
Arms: Ayloffe impaling Sulyard (William Ayloffe of Bretons, Hornchurch)
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular (shape)
- rope (edging)
- carved stamps
- heraldic
- armorial
Manufactured: in the early-17th century in the Weald area of England.
Current location: not known.
- Attached to series:
- Ayloffe series
- Personal armorial firebacks
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1238
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. A copy of an earlier casting.
Inscription: RH / 1698
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular with round arch (shape)
- carved stamps
- individual letters
- individual numbers
- text
Manufactured: in 1698 in the Weald area of England.
Current location: Authentic Reclamation, Lymden Lane, Ticehurst, East Sussex, England.
- Attached to series:
- Small arch series
- Date & initials firebacks
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1224
Description: Arched rectangular shaped central panel with canted, concave top corners and bead edging; naked, crowned figure of Neptune holding a trident in his right hand, standing amid waves and with two hippocampi to his right; same-shaped border with fillet edging and suspended ribbons with floral bunches; at base, symmetrical reeds tied with ribbon; base panel with nine linked rings; symmetrical serpents on top.
Notes: Other firebacks have the same distinctive central panel and border shape, suggesting the same pattern maker.
- Decoration tags:
- 'Dutch' (shape)
- fillet (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- pictorial
- mythological
- animals
- objects
Manufactured: in the early-18th century possibly in the Weald area of England.
Current location: not known.
- Attached to series:
- Mayfield 'Dutch' series
- British 'Dutch' style firebacks
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1249
Description: Rectangular; bold ovolo-moulded edging (top and sides); at top, date widely split by initials in triad.
Notes: Characteristic lettering and numerals of the mid-18th century. The triad of initials probably refer to a husband and wife, the central initial N being that of their surname.
Inscription: 17 INE [triad] 52
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular (shape)
- ovolo (edging)
- carved stamps
- individual letters
- individual numbers
Manufactured: in 1752 possibly in the Weald area of England.
Current location: Authentic Reclamation, Lymden Lane, Ticehurst, East Sussex, England.
- Attached to series:
- Date & initials firebacks
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1130
Description: Arched rectangular central panel with helical ribbon edging; pictorial image of a partially clothed female figure, holding an upraised wreath in her left hand and a garland in her right hand, standing on a ground, with a gadrooned vase containing flowers and leaves to the right and, above, swagged drapery; arched rectangular fillet border with descending leaves and flowers suspended from a wreath, top centre, and a wreath in each top corner; on top, mirrored swirled fronds terminating in the heads of sea monsters; bottom, vestiges of SHR monogram otherwise all decoration obliterated by fire damage.
Notes: The figure is an allegorical representation of Agriculture, one of the Iconologia originally published by Cesare Ripa in 1613.
Copies of this fireback are known.
Inscription: SHR
- Decoration tags:
- 'Dutch' (shape)
- fillet (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- allegorical
- text
- humans
- plants
- objects
Manufactured: in the early-18th century in England.
Current location: Authentic Reclamation, Lymden Lane, Ticehurst, East Sussex, England.
- Attached to series:
- Agriculture firebacks
- SHR series
- British 'Dutch' style firebacks
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1257
Description: Arched rectangular shape, edged with simulated twisted rope between two fillets; in the arch, a shield: argent on a chevron gules three roses of the field, a canton gules for difference; beneath the shield a crest: on a wreath a squirrel sejant gules cracking a nut gules, charged on the shoulder with a cross crosslet gold for difference; inscription split either side of the head of the squirrel.
Notes: A finely modelled and cast modern fireback with the arms and crest of a direct descendant of John Davies Gilbert (1811-54) who had played a major role in the development of the town of Eastbourne and also developed Trelissick Garden in Feock, Cornwall.
Inscription: A.D. 1969
Arms: Gilbert, of Eastbourne, Sussex, and Trelissick, Cornwall
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular with round arch (shape)
- fillet (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- heraldic
- armorial
- text
- animals
Manufactured: in 1969 in England.
Current location: Authentic Reclamation, Lymden Lane, Ticehurst, East Sussex, England.
- Attached to series:
- Personal armorial firebacks
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1297
Description: Arched rectangular shaped central panel with bead-on-fillet edging; a peacock, facing right, standing on a plinth, with foliage to the left and clouds above; arched rectangular shaped border with fillet edging, symmetrical floral fronds descending from a scallop shell, top centre, with a scallop shell inside each shoulder; at base, detail mostly obscured by corrosion but the numerals '17 24' are faintly visible in the bottom corners; on top, a pair of mirrored, stylised sea serpents with a central arrangement of foliage.
Notes: The image of the peacock may be an adaptation of an engraving (1654-62) by Wenceslaus Hollar, after Francis Barlow, in which a peacock also stands on a plinth. The small size of this fireback makes it likely that it was intended to be fixed to the back of a grate. A copy of a fireback of this design features in Gleanings from Old English Firesides by Arthur Todhunter.
Copies of this fireback are known.
Inscription: 17 24
- Decoration tags:
- 'Dutch' (shape)
- fillet (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- animals
Manufactured: in 1724 in England.
Current location: Authentic Reclamation, Lymden Lane, Ticehurst, East Sussex, England.
Citation: Todhunter, A., c.1910, Gleanings from Old English Firesides (New York, Arthur Todhunter), p. 3.
- Attached to series:
- British 'Dutch' style firebacks
- 1724 series