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1135
Description: Arched shape; fillet edging; top centre, date; decorative Tudor royal shield, crown, garter (motto clockwise but reversed) and supporters (dragon and greyhound); a rose to the left and a portcullis (grid of 6) to the right side of crown; the supporters stand on a horizontal compartment which, on similar firebacks, often contains the date.
Notes: There are several firebacks with the Tudor royal arms that were probably originally produced in the Spanish Netherlands, perhaps illustrating the association between England and Spain through the marriage of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. The firebacks differ in several small details, such as the form and rotation of the Garter motto, the style of the crown, the positioning of the supporters in relation to the Garter, and the form and size of the rose and portcullis.
Inscription: 15 70 / HONY SOYT QVI MAL Y PENSE
Arms: English royal Tudor
- Decoration tags:
- arched (shape)
- fillet (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- individual numbers
- heraldic
- armorial
- text
Manufactured: in 1570 possibly in the Wallonia area of Luxembourg.
Current location: 21 Nederstraat, Amerongen, Utrechtse Heuvelrug, Netherlands.
- Attached to series:
- Tudor royal armorial firebacks
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120
Description: Rectangular; rope edge (top and sides); rose and crown within a shield, stamped twice, both inverted, down centre; rectangular stamp with dragon, twice, in top corners.
Notes: Three other firebacks bearing these stamps are known: one at Hadlow Down, Sussex, in private hands, and a second one at Hastings Museum with more of the same stamps and rope lengths; the present location of the third is not known.
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular (shape)
- rope (edging)
- carved stamps
- heraldic
Manufactured: in the mid to late 16th century in the Weald area of England.
Current location: Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, Hastings, East Sussex, England.
Museum number: 952.51.11 (part of the Hastings Museum museum group)
Citation: Manwaring Baines, J., 1958, Wealden Firebacks (Hastings Museum)
- Attached to series:
- Dragon series
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852
Description: Rectangular; cyma recta (ogee) moulded edging (top and sides); fleur-de-lys stamp repeated three times across the upper part of the plate; a long pastry mould stamped between each pair of fleurs; above the central fleur, a small stamp, over-pressed, bearing FL below a coronet; above the right fleur, a small stamp, over-pressed, bearing a fish embowed.
Notes: The food moulds are variations of others used in the same series.
Inscription: FL
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular (shape)
- cyma reversa/ogee (edging)
- simple stamps
- carved stamps
- heraldic
- text
- animals
- objects
Manufactured: in the mid to late 16th century possibly at Pounsley furnace in the Weald area of England.
Current location:.
- Attached to series:
- Food mould stamp firebacks
- Pounsley series
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855
Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (top and sides); inner border of repeated strips of undulating vine tendril, inside of which are stamped panels of repeated grape bunches, totalling 27 along the upper edge and 13 down each side; inside them is a further border of vine strips within which are five columns of a swan stamp. each repeated three times, below each of which are three further grape bunch stamps except the middle column, where the grape bunches are above the swans.
Notes: A complex and well executed design incorporating three stamps found on many other firebacks.
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular (shape)
- rope (edging)
- carved stamps
- animals
- plants
Manufactured: in the mid to late 16th century possibly at Pounsley furnace in the Weald area of England.
Current location: in private hands, Chailey, East Sussex, England.
- Attached to series:
- Pounsley series
- Vine strip series
- Swan series
- Furniture stamp firebacks
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241
Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (top and sides); irregular arrangement of two rectangular pastry stamps, each with a fleur de lys within fern leaves, and one with three additional fern leaves below; the smaller stamps form the four corners, with the larger stamp, three times, in a triangular pattern between.
Notes: Various excrescences on the plate were probably the result of careless pouring of the metal during casting.
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular (shape)
- rope (edging)
- simple stamps
- objects
Manufactured: in the mid to late 16th century possibly at Pounsley furnace in the Weald area of England.
Current location: in private hands, Sutton, Surrey, England.
- Attached to series:
- Pounsley series
- Food mould stamp firebacks
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1111
Description: Arched shape; twisted rope edging (top and sides); top centre, over-pressed Tudor rose stamp on a square block; large diamond-shaped stamp with fleur-de-lys repeated each side below rose, both over-pressed.
Notes: The diamond-shaped stamp has been seen on other firebacks; one of the stamps appears to have been repositioned twice before casting.
- Decoration tags:
- arched (shape)
- rope (edging)
- simple stamps
- carved stamps
- heraldic
Manufactured: in the mid to late 16th century in the Weald area of England.
Current location: in private hands, Crowborough, East Sussex, England.
- Attached to series:
- Large diamond fleur series
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1114
Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (top and two-thirds down sides); rope length across each top corner.
Notes: The twisted rope lengths are particularly well defined.
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular (shape)
- rope (edging)
- simple stamps
- objects
Manufactured: in the mid to late 16th century in the Weald area of England.
Current location: in private hands, Crowborough, East Sussex, England.
- Attached to series:
- Rope design firebacks
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269
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 more typically 16th century in form than are found on copies, suggesting this may be the original design; illustration from Dawson (1903).
Inscription: 15 71 / T K; [English royal, and garter, mottoes].
- Decoration tags:
- arched (shape)
- cavetto (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- individual letters
- individual numbers
- heraldic
- royal
Manufactured: in 1571 in the Weald area of England.
Current location:.
Citation: Dawson, C., 1903, 'Sussex Iron Work and Pottery', Sussex Archaeological Collections, 46, pp. 1-54.
- Attached to series:
- Miscellaneous royal firebacks
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1051
Description: Rectangular with triangular arch; ovolo-moulded edging (top and sides); small stamp of a ‘Renaissance’ shield bearing the initials IC, repeated eight times 3-2-3) in a regular arrangement.
Notes: The initials have not been identified.
Inscription: IC
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular with triangular arch (shape)
- ovolo (edging)
- carved pattern panels
- heraldic
- text
Manufactured: in the mid to late 16th century in the Weald area of England.
Current location:.
- Attached to series:
- Initials only firebacks
- Triangle arch series
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66
Description: Quasi-arched rectangular shape; twisted rope edging on top and sides of rectangle, and separately around arch; the rope ends extend beyond both ends of the top edge; vertical rope lengths, to full height, inside left and right edges; rope crosses in arch and in upper centre of rectangle.
Notes: Probably an early vernacular example of a design mimicking the ‘Palladian’ style. The crosses suggest Christian significance.
- Decoration tags:
- arched rectangular (shape)
- rope (edging)
- simple stamps
- apotropaic
Manufactured: in the mid to late 16th century in the Weald area of England.
Current location: in private hands, Fernhurst, West Sussex, England.
- Attached to series:
- Rope design firebacks