Firebacks

Manufactured in the early 17th century

92 results

  1. 1167

    tennants_auctioneers_20_mar_2015_lot_781.jpg
    700 x ~435 mm

    Description: Canted quasi-rectangular shape; no edging; parallel with top edge, initials in triad to left, separated from date by a small, ill-defined flower stamp.

    Notes: The serifed character set is boldly impressed, although the S is indistinct, suggesting that some of the moulding sand may have filled the impression before casting. The indentations on each side were cut to accommodate mouldings. Tennants Auctioneers sale, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, 20 March 2015, lot 781.

    Inscription: ISM [triad] 1611

    Manufactured: in 1611 in England.

    Current location: not known.

  2. 1066

    ticehurst,_authentic reclamation.jpg
    1054 x 571 mm

    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)

    Manufactured: in the early 17th century in the Weald area of England.

    Current location:, not known.

    Citation: Cowper, H. S., 1911, 'A Series of Kentish Heraldic Firebacks and the Identification of the Arms', Archaeologia Cantiana, 29, pp. 40-6.

  3. 960

    titsey_place 01.jpg
    832 x 632 mm

    Description: Rectangular with two-stepped top; twisted rope edging to top of main plate and sides of lower step, reused frame moulding for sides of main plate; top centre, stamp formed of a talbot statant guardant upon a wreath; date below crest stamp; initials in triad, separated by, and below, date.

    Notes: Straight elements in the letters and numbers are formed of the same short lengths of twisted rope that are used to form the edging; curved elements appear to have been formed by hand drawing in the casting sand; the talbot crest, which in this instance has been over pressed and shows the shape of the backing, has been seen on other firebacks indicating a common source, and is associated with firebacks with a stepped-shape.

    Inscription: N 1615 W / K

    Manufactured: in 1615 in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: Titsey Place, Titsey, Surrey, England.

  4. 299

    trefriw,_gwydir_castle_02.jpg
    762 x 650 mm

    Description: Arched rectangular shape; gadrooned edging (top and sides); initials, in separate stamps, at top of arch; date probably in separate stamps, below; spindle used as a stamp repeated three times, one between date and initial stamps, the other two below to left and right.

    Notes: The same base board and spindle have been used for other firebacks of the same period. A similar casting (no. 1284) has the 'W' in a slightly different position.

    Inscription: I W / 16 22

    Manufactured: in 1622 possibly at Cuckfield Furnace in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: Gwydir Castle, Trefriw, Conwy, Wales.

  5. 1165

    trefriw,_gwydir_castle_03.jpg
    686 x 610 mm

    Description: Canted rectangular shape; braided rope edging (top and sides); top centre, initials 'TSE' in triad, above centred date.

    Notes: The use of braided rope edging is unusual. The fireback was formerly in a house in Westmoreland associated with the Salkeld family.

    Inscription: TSE [triad] / 1612

    Manufactured: in 1612 in England.

    Current location: Gwydir Castle, Trefriw, Conwy, Wales.

  6. 1254

    unknown_112_buckingham_914x724.jpg
    914 x 724 mm

    Description: Arched rectangular shape; twisted rope edging (top, and sides short of bottom), with shoulder edging extending into base of arch; upper centre, date '1602' slanting down to right; below date, initials 'IPD' in triad.

    Notes: The initials are likely to be those of a couple whose surname begins with 'P'.

    Inscription: 1602 / I P D [triad]

    Manufactured: in 1602 possibly in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: not known.

  7. 741

    va_17.jpg
    910 x 480 mm

    Description: Rectangular, with canted top corners; 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. Two cut notches probably for firedogs.

    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. A large number of variants use the same shields. The excrescences affecting the left and right sides respectively of the lower shields are the result of inexpert ladling of the iron during casting. Part of the bequest to the Victoria and Albert Museum by Lieut. Colonel G. B. Croft-Lyons in 1926.

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

    Manufactured: in the early 17th century in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, Kensington & Chelsea, Greater London, England.

    Museum number: M.621-1926 (part of the Victoria & Albert Museum museum group)

    Citation: Cowper, H. S., 1911, 'A Series of Kentish Heraldic Firebacks and the Identification of the Arms', Archaeologia Cantiana, 29, pp. 40-6.

  8. 1171

    virton_069.jpg
    ~770 x ~770 mm

    Description: Rectangular shape; fillet edging; arrangement of five shields: centre, arms of the kingdom of France surmounted by a crown and, below, the word FRANCE on a fillet edged rectangular block over a cartouche; top left, arms of the duchy of Lorraine surmounted by a bishop's mitre and crozier separating a largely illegible text; top right, arms of the kingdom of Spain surmounted by a crown with the letters SPA to the left; bottom right, arms of the duchy of Nevers surmounted by a coronet below a fillet edged rectangle with the word NEVERS; bottom left, arms of the kingdom of England surmounted by a crown below a fillet edged rectangle with the word ANGLIA; bottom centre, the date 1623.

    Notes: A taque de foyer or takenplatte; the arms in the corners are likely to be of (from top left): Louis III of Lorraine, Archbishop of Reims; King Philip III of Spain; Charles I, Duke of Nevers and Rethel; and Queen Elizabeth I of England. A similar fireback with the same arms, illustrated by von den Driesch (1990, p.181), has the date 1611, but the absence of a cardinal's hat over the arms of Louis of Lorraine suggests that the fireback originally dates from before 1605.

    Inscription: [LORR]AI[NE] SPA / ANGLIA NEVERS / FRANCE / 16z3

    Arms: Louis of Lorraine; Kingdom of Spain; Kingdom of France; Kingdom of England; Charles Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers

    Manufactured: in 1623 possibly in the Ardennes area of Belgium.

    Current location: Musée Gaumais, 38 Rue d'Arlon, Virton, Luxembourg, Belgium.

    (part of the Musée Gaumais, Virton museum group)

    Citation: Driesch, K. von den , 1990, Handbuch der Ofen-, Kamin- und Takenplatten im Rheinland (Cologne, Rheinland-Verlag).

  9. 801

    withyham,_dorset arms.jpg
    1211 x 668 mm

    Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (top and sides); irregular arrangement of four stamps in three rows: face mask with ruff (7), flower head with four petals and leaflets (4), fleur-de-lys (7), and profile of head with ‘Roman’ crest (2); initials replace stamps top left and centre.

    Notes: A smaller, dated variant is at Godolphin House, Helston.

    Copies of this fireback are known.

    Inscription: AT nS

    Manufactured: in the early 17th century in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: The Dorset Arms, Withyham, East Sussex, England.

    Citation: Lloyd, N., 1925, 'Domestic Ironwork I', Architectural Review, 58, pp. 58-67.

  10. 1192

    worth,_saxon_road_02a.jpg
    815 x 530 mm

    Description: Canted rectangular shape; twisted rope edging formed of six lengths of 23cm (top and sides); top centre, rectangular panel with cavetto-moulded edging (left side missing) enclosing date between initials CT, all interposed with dots; below, eight shields of Ayloffe impaling Sulyard in three rows (3-2-3); 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. 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. The excrescence affecting the left shield in the middle row and the blemish left of the middle shield in the top row are the result of inexpert ladling of the iron during casting. Previously at Smarden, Kent.

    Inscription: C.1.6.1.2.T

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

    Manufactured: in 1612 possibly at Bedgebury Furnace, Goudhurst in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: in private hands, Crawley, West Sussex, England.

    Citation: Cowper, H. S., 1911, 'A Series of Kentish Heraldic Firebacks and the Identification of the Arms', Archaeologia Cantiana, 29, pp. 40-6.

    Citation: Hodgkinson, J. S., 2018, 'A series of Kentish firebacks and the possible identification of their founder', Archaeologia Cantiana, 139, pp. 312-15.