Firebacks

Shape: canted rectangular

111 results

  1. 151

    hastings_034.jpg
    813 x 508 mm

    Description: Canted rectangle; ovolo moulded edging (top and sides); eight shields of Ayloffe impaling Sulyard in three rows 3-2-3. Top right corner missing

    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. Formerly part of the Ade Collection (from Grove Hill, Hellingly, Sussex).

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

    Manufactured: in the early 17th century 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: 1952.51.43 (part of the Hastings 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.

  2. 170

    hastings_055.jpg
    762 x 406 mm

    Description: Canted rectangle; twisted rope edging (top and sides); square stamp with fillet edge and four diagonally quartered squares, repeated three times along top and once centre bottom; square stamp with triangular top containing intaglio fleur de lys, two positioned between squares in top row, and two separated by quare below. Formerly part of the Ade Collection (from Grove Hill, Hellingly, Sussex).

    Notes: It appears that more iron was poured into the mould than its depth allowed for, resulting in the considerable thickness of the casting.

    Manufactured: in the mid to late 16th century possibly 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: 1952.51.22 (part of the Hastings Museum museum group)

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

  3. 318

    hayden_01.jpg
    ~609 x ~518 mm

    Description: Canted rectangle; twisted rope edging (top and sides); symmetrical arrangement of a fleur-d-lys stamp repeated seven times (2-3-2), with the middle one of the three slight above the other two, and the bottom two inverted immediately below the outer two of the three.

    Notes: The style of the fleurs is identical to those on two firebacks decorated with firedogs bearing the initials, HN, and the crossed staple badge of the Nevills; Henry Nevill occupied Mayfield furnace from about 1585 until 1599.

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

    Current location:, not known.

    Citation: Hayden, A., 1912, Chats on Cottage and Farmhouse Furniture (Unwin, London).

  4. 921

    heathfield,_manor farm 01.jpg
    970 x 585 mm

    Description: Canted rectangle; twisted rope edging (top and sides); central arrow-shaped design formed of three repeated rope lengths.

    Notes: The arrow design probably has an apotropaic (evil-averting) purpose, perhaps intended as the initials VV for 'virgo virginum'.

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

    Current location: in private hands, Heathfield, East Sussex, England.

  5. 1038

    herstmonceux_castle.jpg
    1105 x 550 mm

    Description: Canted rectangular shape; edging formed of lengths of cross-cut dowel (top and sides); inscription across upper centre probably formed of thumb prints; the last digit of the date may be an incomplete 5 rotated left.

    Notes: A crudely executed fireback; the cross-cut dowel used for the edging has not been noted on any other fireback.

    Inscription: 16 wo 15[?]

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

    Current location: Herstmonceux Castle, Herstmonceux, East Sussex, England.

  6. 1176

    herttford_museum_02a.jpg
    864 x 610 mm

    Description: Canted rectangular shape; twisted rope edging (top and sides); top left, date 1622; top right, initials T H.

    Notes: The surface excrescences on the lower half of the fireback are likely to have resulted from the displacement of the casting sand by the pouring of the iron. Formerly at Marden Hill House, Tewin, Hertfordshire. There is no basis for the suggestion by Hertford Museum that this fireback might have been cast by a Thomas Hogge.

    Inscription: 1622 T H

    Manufactured: in 1622 possibly in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: Hertford Museum, 18 Bull Plain, Hertford, Hertfordshire, England.

    Museum number: HETFM2893.1 (part of the Hertford Museum museum group)

  7. 323

    higher_bockhampton, hardys cottage.jpg
    ?1000 x ?700 mm

    Description: Canted rectangle; simulated rope edging; otherwise plain.

    Copies of this fireback are known.

    Manufactured: in the mid 20th century in England.

    Current location: Hardy's Cottage, Higher Bockhampton, Dorset, England.

    Museum number: 426390 (part of the National Trust museum group)

  8. 832

    honiton,_marwood house 01.jpg
    921 x 514 mm

    Description: Canted rectangular; astragal edging (top and sides), inside of which are repeated panels carved with overlapping fleurs-de-lys; upper centre, date evenly spaced in individual numerals; below date, initials evenly spaced in individual letters; at each end of date, single small fleur-de-lys stamp; at each end of initials, large hollow fleur-de-lys; diagonally from each lower corner of canting, line of six squared cross stamps; in bottom corners, triad of small fleur-de-lys stamps each enclosing a large fleur below; bottom centre, woodblock stamp.

    Notes: The repeated fleur panels are likely to have derived from furniture. Varied use of the same stamps are on other firebacks, including one dated 1667 at Upper End Farm, Hope Mansell, Herefordshire.

    Inscription: 1683 / AK

    Manufactured: in 1683 in the Forest of Dean area of England.

    Current location: not known.

  9. 1126

    horsted_keynes, the crown.jpg
    765 x 480 mm

    Description: Canted rectangular shape; twisted rope edging (top and sides); cavetto-moulded-edged rectangle top centre, enclosing date between initials CT; 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. 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 smallest dated example in this series.

    Inscription: C.1.6.0.9.T

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

    Manufactured: in 1609 possibly at Bedgebury Furnace, Goudhurst in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: The Crown Inn, The Green, Horsted Keynes, 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.

  10. 843

    ilkley,_old manor house.jpg
    665 x 655 mm

    Description: Canted rectangular shape; double fillet edging (top and sides) with alternating roses and diamonds between the fillets; pictorial scene of Adam and Eve, both naked, taking fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, between them, around which is entwined the serpent.

    Notes: Boldly sculpted, stylised figures; the serpent is shown with a human face.

    Copies of this fireback are known.

    Manufactured: in the late 16th to early 17th century possibly in the Lorraine area of France.

    Current location: Old Manor House, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England.

    (part of the Bradford Museums and Art Galleries museum group)