Fireback, cast iron, showing an oak tree with three crowns and the initials CR, England (probably Weald), mid 17th c (after 1651).

Rectangular with a domed top, depicting a spreading oak tree, supporting three crowns, one at the top and one on either side, and the initials C R

Iron to be used for casting had to be heated to liquid form, which required a very high temperature. It is not known exactly when this became technically possible, but it was probably in the course of the 15th century. Firebacks survive which can be dated to the 16th century. They were used at the back of fireplaces, which were newly fashionable, and these firebacks served both to throw the heat of the fire forward into a room and to protect the brickwork. The patterns on firebacks were created by pressing one or more pattern-moulds into a bed of sand. After removing the moulds, the liquid iron was then poured in and allowed to cool.

This design was apparently first used under James I of England and VI of Scotland, to signify the Union under him of England, Scotland and Ireland. The initials on this fireback may be those of either Charles I or II. The oak was particularly associated with Charles II after his famous escape in 1651, after the Battle of Worcester, when he hid in the Boscobel oak.

Moulds for firebacks were generally of carved wood, but a fireback can itself act as a mould, perpetuating the same design for many generations, and sometimes making the dating of an iron fireback an inexact science. Firebacks can be made more difficult to date, as several popular designs were replicated in the 1920s and 30s .

The museum is grateful for images and information supplied by the researcher and author, Jeremy Hodgkinson FSA, 30 March 2022

Firebacks were used at the back of fireplaces, and served both to throw the heat of the fire forward into a room and to protect the stonework or brickwork behind. The patterns on firebacks were created by pressing one or more pattern-moulds (generally of carved wood) into a bed of sand. After removing the moulds, the liquid iron was then poured into the impression left by the mould and allowed to cool.

The oak tree was associated with Charles II after his famous escape in 1651, after the final Royalist defeat of the Civil War at the Battle of Worcester, when he hid in an oak tree near Boscobel House (near Wolverhampton). This fireback commemorates this event which continued to be celebrated long after it occurred.

255-1906