Firebacks

Shape: rectangular

292 results

  1. 664

    rolvenden,_rawlinson house 01.jpg
    840 x 485 mm

    Description: Rectangular; moulded border with bead edging derived from wooden strips (top and sides); top left, a saltire of the same moulding as the border, between roughly shaped D and R, both reversed.

    Notes: The border appears to be in pieces of different lengths, probably from redundant furniture. Illustrated by Christy, 1908, in the possession of Mr E. Simmons of Lewes.

    Inscription: D R

    Manufactured: in the early to mid 16th century in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: in private hands, Rolvenden, Kent, England.

    Citation: Christy, M., 30 May 1908, 'The Old Flat Hearth and its Appliances, III - The Fire-back', The Crown, The Court and County Families' Newspaper, XCIX, Vol. 8, No. 9, pp. 383-6.

    Citation: Hodgkinson, J. S., 2010, British Cast-Iron Firebacks of the 16th to Mid-18th Centuries (Crawley, Hodgers Books).

  2. 665

    rolvenden,_rawlinson house 03.jpg
    1530 x 750 mm

    Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (probably on on top and sides only); cavetto-moulded-edged rectangle top centre, enclosing date between initials; 14 shields of Ayloffe impaling Sulyard in three rows (5-4-5).

    Notes: 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. 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. There is a large number of variants using the same shields. The bottom part of the fireback is obscured in the photograph. 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.1.6.0.3.T

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

    Manufactured: in 1603 possibly at Bedgebury Furnace, Goudhurst in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: in private hands, Rolvenden, Kent, 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: Gardner, J. S., 1898, 'Iron Casting in the Weald', Archaeologia, 56, 1, pp. 133-164.

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

  3. 669

    rottingdean_grange 02.jpg
    560 x 475 mm

    Description: Rectangular; reversed cavetto-moulded edge on top and sides; pictorial scene depicting Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac; Abraham is on the left, holding the top of Isaac’s head with his left hand, his right hand holding a sword; in the middle stands a pyre; above and to the right an angel emerges from the clouds, while below a ram stands beside a bush; the inscription is above and to the left.

    Notes: The scene is drawn from Genesis 22: 11; And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham”: and he said, “Here am I”. The subject and the naïve figuration is similar to a fireback incorporating two other Old Testament scenes (no. 94), and may be the work of the same pattern maker.

    Inscription: ABRAHAM ABRAHAM [Genesis 22: 11]

    Manufactured: in the early to mid 17th century possibly at Brede Furnace in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: Rottingdean Grange, Rottingdean, East Sussex, England.

    (part of the Rottingdean Preservation Society museum group)

    Citation: Hodgkinson, J. S., 2007, 'A Godly chimney plate and other firebacks from Brede', Wealden Iron, 2nd ser., 27, pp. 18-26.

    Citation: Hodgkinson, J. S., 2010, British Cast-Iron Firebacks of the 16th to Mid-18th Centuries (Crawley, Hodgers Books).

    Citation: Hodgkinson, J. S., 2012, 'Pre-Restoration Iron Firebacks', Journal of the Antique Metalware Society, 20, pp. 2-15.

  4. 1010

    saarbrucken_860x720.jpg
    860 x 720 mm

    Description: Rectangular with ovolo-moulded edging; central oval shield of England (quarterly France modern and England) surrounded by the Garter with the additional word 'IL', and supported by a dragon on the dexter side and a greyhound on the sinister side, each standing on a plinth; to each side of the armorial group is a column with the upper part of the shaft fluted and the lower part foliate; each has an Ionic capital and a moulded pedestal; fire issues from the top of the capital.

    Notes: The style of carving is not typical of English design but is similar to other firebacks bearing Tudor armorials that were probably cast in Germany.

    Inscription: HONI SOIT IL QVI MAL Y PENSE

    Arms: English royal Tudor (prob. Henry VIII)

    Manufactured: in the mid 16th century possibly in the Eifel area of Germany.

    Current location: in private hands, Butleigh, Somerset, England.

    Citation: Carpentier, H., 1912, Plaques de Cheminées (Paris & Florange, published by the author).

  5. 1099

    saltash,_stax reclamation.jpg
    600 x 390 mm

    Description: Rectangular shape; ovolo-moulded edging; raised central rectangular panel with inset stylised design of a rounded arch upon Ionic columns, the inside edge indented; at quarter angles outside the arch, two trefoils; within the arch, sequence of linked hollow strapwork rhomboids and circles; between the columns, a roundel with the internal edge indented; left of the central panel, 16 above upper-case M in low relief; right of the central panel, 56 above upper-case G in low relief.

    Notes: An unusually small but well-preserved back with a stylised design. The style of the numerals, particularly the 6 and 5, can be seen on a larger fireback of 1653.

    Inscription: 16 56 / M G

    Manufactured: in 1656 in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: Avery Way, Tamar View Industrial Estate, Saltash, Cornwall, England.

  6. 1031

    saxtead_green, limes farmhouse.jpg
    460 x 420 mm

    Description: Rectangular; astragal and fillet edging; two heater-shaped shields side by side, with a stag trippant crest above centre.

    Notes: The dexter shield: quarterly first and fourth - Mostyn baronet - Gules a saracen's head erased proper wreathed about the temples sable and argent; second and third, within a bordure a fess fusily (or three lozenges in fess); a baronet's inescutcheon in the centre chief. The sinister shield - Sale - Argent on a bend cotised three gryphons' heads erased. Crest (Mostyn), a stag trippant proper.

    Arms: Left: Mostyn with unknown quartering; right: Sal, Sale, Salle or Salley

    Manufactured: in the 19th century in England.

    Current location: in private hands, Saxtead, Suffolk, England.

  7. 1098

    scm_13, 284, palfrey farm, petworth.jpg
    ~1300 x ~700 mm

    Description: Rectangular shape; indeterminate moulded edging; central initials (A? D M)in triad, between split date (6 reversed).

    Notes: The characters have been derived from an odd assortment: the numbers appear to be a recognisable character set, with the 6 and 9 interchangeable, although 6 has been inadvertently reversed; the 6/9 has also been used, with the same stamp as has been used to form the uprights of the M, to construct a probable capital A (or R); the nature of the stamps forming the M is unclear. Noted in 1939 at Palfrey Farm, near Petworth, West Sussex, which from the mid-16th century had been home to the Penycod family, suggesting that the fireback had not been original to the house.

    Inscription: 16 / A[?] D M [triad] / 49

    Manufactured: in 1649 possibly at Frith Furnace, Northchapel in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: not known.

    Citation: Smail, H. C. P., Apr 1939, 'Iron Firebacks' [letter], Sussex County Magazine, 13, 4, p. 284.

  8. 1287

    seaford,_15-17_high_street.jpg
    760 x >470 mm

    Description: Rectangular shape; ovolo-moulded edging; top centre, date between split initials.

    Notes: The letters and numerals are particularly well formed. The fireback is displayed out of doors against a wall at the side of the street and the lower part is recessed into the pavement.

    Inscription: R 1755 I

    Manufactured: in 1755 possibly in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: 15-17 High Street, Seaford, East Sussex, England.

  9. 683

    sevenoaks,_absaloms farm 01.jpg
    1040 x 510 mm

    Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (top and sides); top left and right, Tudor rose surmounted by a crown (separate stamps); right of centre, irregular pentagram formed of a repeated length of twisted rope enclosing a Tudor rose; on either side of top point of pentagram, a triple-loop stamp irregularly spaced.

    Notes: The pentagram has both Christian and occult symbolism. The fleur and the rose and crown have been seen on another fireback.

    Copies of this fireback are known.

    Manufactured: in the late 16th century possibly in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: in private hands, Sevenoaks, Kent, England.

    Citation: Hodgkinson, J. S., 2010, British Cast-Iron Firebacks of the 16th to Mid-18th Centuries (Crawley, Hodgers Books).

  10. 688

    sevenoaks,_knole 04.jpg
    1210 x 800 mm

    Description: Rectangular; astragal edging; in centre, shield, supporters, ducal coronet, motto and garter of the Duke of Dorset: Quarterly, Or and gules, a bend vair.

    Notes: Almost certainly the arms of Lionel Sackville KG (1688-1765), created first duke of Dorset in 1720.

    Inscription: [around shield] HONY SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE / [on motto scroll] AUT NUNQUAM TENTES, AUT PERFICE

    Arms: Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset

    Manufactured: in the early 18th century in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: Knole, Sevenoaks, Kent, England.

    (part of the National Trust museum group)