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966
Description: Arched rectangular shape; ovolo moulded edging; date in arch; below arch two parallel, vertical straps, each with a buckle at the top; initials left and right of centre; roughly symmetrical arrangement of four stamps repeated: rectangular stamp with deer three times down centre, one outside each buckle and one beyond each strap end; circular food mould stamp outside centre of each strap, beyond stag stamp outside buckle and at edge beyond strap end; 'rabbit' stamp at edge beyond food mould stamp outside each buckle and outside each strap end; rectangular stamp with 'dog' outside each initial and six times below strap ends.
Notes: The buckles suggest a connection with the Pelham family; the initials may relate to Sir Thomas Pelham, Bt. (1597-1654) who owned and operated ironworks at Waldron in Sussex. From the drawing the seven 'deer' stamps appear to be the same as those seen on two other examples of this fireback. The food mould stamp (centre left and right) appears to be one seen repeated on at least one other fireback. Drawing of a fireback at Huggetts Farm, Waldron, Sussex, by Edward Hughes, of Heathfield, Sussex; J. Starkie Gardner collection, Victoria & Albert Museum, Archive of Art and Design (AAD/2014/8).
Inscription: 1642 / T P
- Decoration tags:
- arched rectangular (shape)
- ovolo (edging)
- carved stamps
- whole carved pattern
- individual letters
- text
- animals
- objects
Manufactured: in the mid-17th century probably at Waldron Furnace in the Weald area of England.
Current location:, not known.
Citation: Gardner, J. S., 1898, 'Iron Casting in the Weald', Archaeologia, 56, 1, pp. 133-164.
- Attached to series:
- 1642 Pelham series
- Pelham family firebacks
- Food mould stamp firebacks
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149
Description: Arched rectangular shape; ovolo moulded edging; date in arch; below arch two parallel, vertical straps, each with a buckle at the top; initials left and right of centre; rectangular stamp with bird, four times across top; larger rectangular stamp with unidentified animal, twice below initials.
Notes: The buckles suggest a connection with the Pelham family; the initials may relate to Sir Thomas Pelham, Bt. (1597-1654) who owned and operated ironworks at Waldron in Sussex. This is one of a few examples of a copy of a casting of the original pattern to which additional stamps had been added. Formerly part of the Ade Collection (from Grove Hill, Hellingly, Sussex).
Inscription: 1642 / T P
- Decoration tags:
- arched rectangular (shape)
- ovolo (edging)
- simple stamps
- carved stamps
- whole carved pattern
- individual numbers
- planklines
- text
- objects
Manufactured: in the mid-17th century possibly at Waldron Furnace in the Weald area of England.
Current location: Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, John's Place, Bohemia Road, Hastings, East Sussex, England.
Museum number: HASMG: 1952.51.61 (part of the Hastings Museum museum group)
- Attached to series:
- 1642 Pelham series
- Pelham family firebacks
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217
Description: Arched rectangular shape; ovolo edging; date in arch; below arch, two parallel straps, each with a buckle at the top; initials left and right of centre; rectangular stamp with bird, four times across top.
Notes: The buckles, the date and the initials all appear to be separate stamps but attached to the base board before being impressed to form the mould, as they are identically positioned on all castings. The buckles suggest a connection with the Pelham family; the initials may relate to Sir Thomas Pelham, Bt. (1597-1654) who owned and operated ironworks at Waldron and Crowhurst in Sussex. This would appear to be a casting of the original pattern.
Copies of this fireback are known.
Inscription: 1642 / T P
- Decoration tags:
- arched rectangular (shape)
- ovolo (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- individual numbers
- planklines
- text
- objects
Manufactured: in 1642 probably at Waldron Furnace in the Weald area of England.
Current location: Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Brighton, East Sussex, England.
Museum number: HA105912 (part of the Brighton Museum museum group)
Citation: Lindsay, J. S., 1927, Iron & Brass Implements of the English House (London, The Medici Society).
- Attached to series:
- 1642 Pelham series
- Pelham family firebacks
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1104
Description: Rectangular shape; plain edging (top and sides); full-height impression of a fireback of arched rectangular shape and ovolo edging; date in arch; below arch, two parallel straps, each with a buckle at the top; initials T above R to the left of centre, and P above T to the right.
Notes: The side edging of the original fireback has been erased before casting. A variant of the 1642 series of firebacks bearing the Pelham buckle badge and the initials TP, believed to relate to Sir Thomas Pelham (1597-1654). It is not known to whom the initials RT relate; their style suggests they are contemporary with the original fireback. A larger fireback has been created by impressing either the original pattern of the Pelham fireback or a casting from it into a plain rectangular mould, and modifying it by removing the side moulding. It is unclear whether the additional initials, RT, had already been added to the 'pattern' or were added to this casting.
Inscription: 1642 / T P / R T
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular (shape)
- plain and ovolo (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- individual letters
- individual numbers
- planklines
- text
- objects
Manufactured: in the mid-17th century possibly in the Weald area of England.
Current location: in private hands, Isleworth, London, England.
- Attached to series:
- 1642 Pelham series
- Pelham family firebacks
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1204
Description: Arched rectangular shape; ovolo moulded edging; date in arch; below arch two parallel, vertical straps, each with a buckle at the top and six prong holes; initials left and right of centre; in top corners, rectangular framed stamp with inset bird; top centre, to left and right of buckle, circular 'butter mould' stamp with stylised fleur-de-lys design, the left one angled top to left; between each initial and strap, rectangular framed stamp with inset deer with antlers, and star in top left corner; below this, adjacent to each strap end, a circular stamp with symmetrical pattern; to left and right of this, a rectangular stamp with an unidentified animal, possibly a dog..
Notes: The buckles, the date and the initials all appear to be separate stamps but attached to the base board before being impressed to form the mould, as they are identically positioned on all castings. The buckles suggest a connection with the Pelham family; the initials may relate to Sir Thomas Pelham, Bt. (1597-1654) who owned and operated ironworks at Waldron in Sussex. This would appear to be a casting of the original pattern with the addition of five pairs of stamps. The circular stamp with the symmetrical pattern is probably the same stamp that has been noted on an otherwise unrelated fireback (no. 733). Some of the stamps are seen in greater profusion on a fireback formerly at Huggetts Farm, Waldron, Sussex (no. 966) and drawn by Edward Hughes, of Heathfield, in a scrapbook of images compiled by J. Starkie Gardner. Nicholson's auction, Fernhurst, 3 Jul 2021, lot 100 (£5).
Inscription: 1642 / T P
- Decoration tags:
- arched rectangular (shape)
- ovolo (edging)
- carved stamps
- whole carved pattern
- planklines
- text
- animals
- objects
Manufactured: in 1642 probably at Waldron Furnace in the Weald area of England.
Current location: in private hands, Worth, West Sussex, England.
- Attached to series:
- 1642 Pelham series
- Food mould stamp firebacks
- Pelham family firebacks